Bengals News (2/28): Playing through pain

Logan Wilson played through the entire postseason with an injury that he is now getting surgery for.

Haul Of A Season: A Look At The Bengals’ Biggest Awards For Super 2021
Week 4 (vs. Jacksonville); Burrow had 348 yards passing in the Bengals’ only prime time appearance before the Super Bowl, a 24-21 win over the Jaguars at Paul Brown Stadium he crafted with his first career fourth-quarter comeback on 17 of 20 passing in the second half.

Pro Football Focus Says Cincinnati Bengals Will Keep Jessie Bates, Land Top O-Lineman in Free Agency
“Jensen will be the most sought-after center on the market this free agency period. He has experience playing in multiple schemes (Ravens, Bucs) and has been durable, playing over 1,000 snaps in each of the last five seasons,” Arjun Menon wrote. “He’s always graded out better as a run-blocker than a pass-blocker in his career, posting three straight campaigns with a 73.0-plus run-blocking grade. The Bengals need to allocate cap space to the offensive line, and Jensen would be a great start. He’d be an upgrade over Trey Hopkins (51.4 PFF grade in 2021) and would give Joe Burrow a trusted veteran to take snaps from.”

Bengals: Don’t show Eli Apple haters this advanced stat
To Bengals fans, he’s the guy who came over on a low-cost deal with minimal expectations and dramatically exceeded them, experiencing a career rebound year while helping the team to the Super Bowl.

5 potential center options for Cincinnati Bengals in 2022
Trey Hopkins has been the starting center for the stripes over the past few seasons and took over full-time once Billy Price was clearly not the answer. Hopkins didn’t play well in 2021, however, and the Bengals can save roughly $6 million if they cut him this offseason.

Bengals’ Logan Wilson has surgery after playing entire postseason with torn labrum, per report
Logan Wilson played an integral role in the Bengals’ successful run through the AFC playoffs. The linebacker played that entire stretch with a full labrum tear that was sustained during Cincinnati’s Week 13 loss to the Chargers. He underwent surgery last week to repair the injury and is expected to make a full recovery, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Behringer-Crawford museum debuts new Bengals-themed exhibit
“It’s a fun thing to experience,” curator of collections Jason French said. “You come in and remember that player from your childhood or you remember seeing a game that they were in and it just kind of gives you this wonderful feeling of community and memory.”

Important Offseason Dates Every Cincinnati Bengals Fan Should Know
Adding talent in the offensive line room should be their first priority. They also have to figure out what they’re going to do with star safety Jessie Bates, who’s set to become a free agent and is a prime candidate for the franchise tag.

Around the league

Packers, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Jaguars, Saints to play international games in 2022
Five NFL teams will host 2022 international games in three countries — highlighted by the Green Bay Packers’ first international trip and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the first-ever regular-season game in Germany — the league announced Monday.

Top 101 NFL free agents of 2022: Davante Adams, Chris Godwin lead off ranking
The 2022 NFL free agent class is deeper than it is flashy. I’ve never had to leave so many quality options out of the Top 101, even if the top end of this list doesn’t have many young players in their prime. The NFL is increasingly a one-year contract league, and this ranking reflects that with a lot of familiar names.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray’s agent releases statement outlining desire for contract extension
Three days after Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill made it known Murray was part of the team’s “long-term plan,” the quarterback’s agent Erik Burkhardt on Monday released a lengthy statement obtained by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport that stated Murray “absolutely wants to be” the Cardinals’ long-term quarterback, but “it is now simply up to the Cardinals to decide if they prioritize” signing him to an extension.

Buccaneers’ Pro Bowl guard Ali Marpet announces retirement after seven seasons
“After seven formidable years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I’ve come to the decision to retire from the game that has given me so much,” he posted. “This organization and the people surrounding it have helped not only fulfill a dream, but also helped build me into the person I am today. I’ve made Tampa Bay my home and I look forward to serving this community in the coming years. To the coaches and teammates, family and friends, an Instagram post simply can’t express the profound impact you’ve had on me. I’m eternally grateful. Thank you Tampa Bay.”