NFL free agency Day 2 open thread and headlines

The Bengals are making moves.

It seemed like the Cincinnati Bengals were going to open actual free agency fairly quietly. That was until they dropped the bomb of landing Sheldon Rankins at defensive tackle to help out their interior pass rush.

Bengals fans are still waiting to see what will happen with DJ Reader. He is taking a trip to Detroit today to visit the Lions, but that doesn’t mean Cincinnati is out of it yet.

And we now know that New York Jets tackle Mekhi Becton is visiting today.

Here are the latest stories of the Bengals and the NFL, and take part in our open thread below:

Reports: Bengals Beef Up D-Line With Vet Three-Technique Sheldon Rankins
Rankins, the 12th pick in the 2016 draft for the Saints, is a proven and productive three-technique who has played in seven postseason games.

Joe Mixon’s Run Puts Him Among Bengals Greats
“That’s what he’s known for. The juice that he brings on the daily and how hard he works,” says left tackle Orlando Brown, Jr., who has known him since they were 17-year-olds at Oklahoma. “One of the greater Bengals in history, I would imagine. Definitely. That speaks to his abilities.”

Bengals Roster Moves: Nick Scott Released
Scott, a sixth-year player, joined the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent during the 2023 offseason. He played in all 17 games for Cincinnati in 2023 (10 starts), totaling 56 tackles and one FR.

Bengals Trade Joe Mixon To Houston
Mixon, an eighth-year player out of the University of Oklahoma, originally was a second-round pick of the Bengals in 2017. In seven seasons in Cincinnati, he played in 97 regular-season games (88 starts), was voted a team captain three times (2021-23), and was selected to the Pro Bowl in ’21.

Source – DT Sheldon Rankins, Bengals reach 2-year, $26M deal
Rankins, 29, joined Houston on a one-year, $10.5 million contract in 2023 after spending two seasons with the New York Jets. The familiarity with coach DeMeco Ryans’ scheme led him to Houston as Ryans and Jets coach Robert Saleh run the same system.

Cincinnati Bengals Signing Vonn Bell to One Year Deal Following Release By Carolina Panthers
Bell spent three seasons in Cincinnati (2020-22), helping them reach back-to-back AFC Championship Games and Super Bowl LVI. He knows the system, has defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s trust and should be able to help Dax Hill, Jordan Battle Tycen Anderson and newly signed safety Geno Stone.

Cardinals agree to deal with former Bengals tackle Jonah Williams
The Cardinals knew they were going to need a tackle, and then they released D.J. Humphries on Wednesday, in part because he isn’t going to be able to play right away rehabbing from his ACL injury.

NFL rumors: Bengals interested in 49ers DL Arik Armstead, per report
Armstead, 30, had five sacks over 12 games last year and has 33.5 to date since being a first-round pick in 2015. He’s on his way out the door, having opted for free agency instead of taking a pay cut.

Bengals’ DJ Reader will make free agent visit elsewhere
The wrinkle with Reader has always been the torn quad that ended his season early — the second such injury over four years in Cincinnati now. He’s a top-five nose tackle in football when healthy, but it was worth wondering if he would have an extended trip to the open market while teams check on his medicals.

2024 NFL free agency Debrief: Biggest questions going forward after flurry of cuts, signings, trades
The new league year arrived Wednesday with the frenetic free agency market finally slowing down to a crawl. Now that there’s time to take a deep breath, let’s look at some of the biggest questions remaining after a wild stretch of transactions.

Titans signing WR Calvin Ridley to four-year, $92 million deal; Tennessee adds QB Mason Rudolph, too
The news is indeed a stunner, considering Ridley was believed to be doing the Jaguars a favor by waiting until the new league year began to keep them from being forced to send a second-round pick to Atlanta.

Seven teams propose trade deadline be pushed back; 12 rule proposals in play at Annual League Meeting
The Eagles have also submitted a repeat proposal, which would allow teams to maintain possession after a touchdown or field goal by converting a fourth-and-20 play from the scoring club’s 20-yard line rather than performing a traditional kickoff.

Kirk Cousins chose Atlanta over Minnesota because he feels he ‘can retire a Falcon’
“I think in Minnesota, it was trending over the last couple offseasons to being somewhat year-to-year,” Cousins explained of his decision-making process that led him to the Falcons rather than re-signing with the Vikings.

Commanders signing LB Bobby Wagner to one-year deal
Wagner’s move east marks a notable shift in his career plans, and reunites him with his former defensive coordinator in Seattle, head coach Dan Quinn.