Andy France

@JakeLiscow Could DJ or Dax extension create the needed space?

Based on the reported numbers the Bengals very likely will need to make another move to be cap compliant by the regular season Whether that's a small restructure or a cut, we'll see Based on my projections they'll be over the cap in the regular season with no other moves tho

@JoeGoodberry @fr____96 Guessing you are ranking draft depth at those positions, not existing Bengals depth chart?

@fr____96 Worst CB LB TE DE OT IOL "Best"

I added a Bengals Depth Chart page to the Draft Sheet if you want to check it out. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

@CoachMinich Overpays happen when you have to beat other offers. That said, I like this better than what other teams had to give away for Parsons, Sauce, Quinnen, even McDuffie. Single first rounder almost seems cheap in comparison.

For the record , I stand by my statement that #10 is an overpay Very happy Dex is here, but I think they lost the deal Having said that, this is the type of aggressive move other teams are praised for

@expired_fuse @Espngreeny Bengals offense (including O-line) is SB ready, and needed defense to rise from worst to average. Free agency helped but there was nobody of Dex’s caliber available in free agency (including Trey). Dex instantly elevates defense. 38-35 losses will now be comfortable 35-21 wins.

@Espngreeny How do the Bengals benefit on giving up the 10th overall pick (playing on a rookie contract) for a 29 y/o DT coming off his worst season? Bengals defense is only 80% of what probowl level Dexter Lawrence used to be away?

Trades are supposed to benefit both teams, this one should. I like it for both sides. #Giants #Bengals

@GridironGrading Rank the trades: #10 for Dex, #16+2027 first +AD Mitchell for Sauce, #20+2027 first + Kenny Clark for Micah, #29+ 5th + 6th + 2027 3rd for McDuffie. I think the Dex trade is best value.

As a part of our draft prep, we have scored all players drafted since 2015 on NFL production (Career Approximate Value and PFF grades). Dexter Lawrence ranks #1 of the 218 DTs in the database. There’s an argument to be had that the Bengals traded for the best DT in the NFL.

@JoeGoodberry Bailey Bain Downs Thieneman Fano Love Sadiq Mauigoa Delane I think I’m trading back if I get past Love on that list. Some other team will overpay for WR or one of the linebackers at that point.

The Bengals hold the 10th pick, with Mendoza going 1st overall, they need a list of 9 players they'd draft at 10. What does your 9 look like? It can be in any order.

@BengalsTalkSI @JoeGoodberry @JamesRapien Surprised you didn’t discuss OT at all. I think that’s the play if Bailey/Bain/Downs/Love are gone. Scared of McCoy knee and just not inspired by Delane. Chance to take the top OT in draft seems significant.

Everything you need to know about the Cincinnati Bengals' first round options ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft! Watch: youtu.be/uzPh02bx414 Listen: linktw.in/PbNFnQ

@iwashacked456 Yeah, that’s Edge/OT/WR $$ in Bengals eyes. Maybe DT/CB. Doubt S/LB/RB/IOL/TE. Real chance Bengals choose Delane/Fano/Mauigoa over Downs or Styles. I would be surprised by WR pick but not OT.

The Bengals are not drafting Caleb Downs, even if he’s there 😭

@Liamtoml @MoEgger Get the Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo Shake, with some whipped cream on the top too.

@MoEgger That Crestview Hills Applebees is special

I have some thoughts on this story. First off, best of luck to this young man and his date. I hope they have a lovely time at the prom. But a few things... *The story says that "Sam and Mia have been dating for a couple of years." Now I'll admit that my high school dating resume was very limited, but I can't help but believe that if Sam and Mia have been dating for a couple of years then attending the prom together is implied. Was Mia actually going to go to the prom with some other dude? Probably not. Are such theatrics necessary when a prom date ask is a mere formality? I'm not asking hypothetically. The girl I attended the prom with made it very, very clear throughout the entire process that we were NOT dating, so I guess don't know. *Good luck to the other boys who attend Mason High School. It's hard enough for some of us to work up the courage to ask someone to prom, now you have to compete with a classmate who books a plane to make the request. Instead of awkwardly ambling toward a girl and sheepishly seeing if she'd like to go to the prom between second and third period, now you need pageantry and something that will top booking a plane over the school. Awesome. We had a dude who brought some balloons to school when he asked a girl to the prom and I thought that was impossible to top. Now we have flying banners setting the bar. *Or let's say you go to Mason and you've asked a girl to the prom. She has said yes. You're all set. But now she wants to know where her plane was. There's enough tension leading up to prom night. You're starting one of the seminal nights of your life so far behind in the count. You have your buddy Sam to thank for that. Maybe fly a plane over his house to express your gratitude to him. *And if you're Sam, how on earth do you craft a prom night experience that tops with asking her to go to the event with an airplane banner? I took my prom date to the Crestview Hills Applebees and I wore some nice cologne. My uncle let me drive his car that had leather seats. Lord knows what he will have to come up with on prom night to match the pageantry of his, uh, "promposal." Helicopter to the prom instead of a limo? Is the Artemis II crew available? *And let's say that this is a romance that lasts into adulthood. High School sweethearts do end up marrying, after all. If this is possibly in the cards for Sam and Mia, can you imagine a marriage proposal that dwarfs the prom proposal? It's impossible. He's going to have to skydive off a plane while holding the ring. Sam has set an impossible standard. Again, I hope Sam and Mia have an amazing time. I'm sure they're great kids. But I'm not sure Sam has done anyone any favors, including perhaps himself. But best of luck to the young couple and to the rest of the guys in need of prom dates at Mason High School.

@JamesRapien I prefer Ponds to McCoy and his recovering knee, so stay back at 41. Maybe trade up a couple spots in 2nd to get him, but don’t trade 1+2 for McCoy.

If the Bengals stick and at No. 10, would you trade pick 41 and a 2027 first round pick to get back into the top 20 to select another top player? For example: Landing Rueben Bain Jr. + Jermod McCoy in the first round.

@BengalsBrews They really do project first round for Downs, because there are 32 first round picks but they have only 22 first round grades, and they have him just below the first round grade. So that would project draft position in the 20’s.

Wild that the National Champion and Heisman winning QB, the best shutdown corner of 2025, and the top safety in college football for all 3 seasons he was in college do not have the data to have 1st round grades here.

@GovnaChief @JoeGoodberry @CrackeyTheBear @WhoosierDey I suspect there are some teams that don’t want a PR headache that dropped the 1st round grade from Bain due to the reckless driving issue. At this point I’d be surprised if Bengals took him, even if available at 10.

@JoeGoodberry @AndyFrance9 @CrackeyTheBear @WhoosierDey I rather have Bain THAN another player below him and Jermaine Burton and McKinnley Jackson

It should be pretty cheap to move up if there isn't much competition.

@JoeGoodberry @CrackeyTheBear @GovnaChief @WhoosierDey But why not just stay 10 and take Thieneman or Fano or McCoy or other guys you have rated above Bain? Are those guys really “next bucket”?

@CrackeyTheBear @GovnaChief @WhoosierDey If we get to pick 7 and only 1 of Bain or Downs is available, trading up to get one makes more sense than sitting and just picking from the next bucket.

@BuckeyeNatty I have a feeling Bain is out now due to the reckless driving incidents that just became public knowledge. ZT Bengals willing to overlook character concerns in later rounds (see J. Burton) but I doubt they take him at 10.

Bengals will take a corner with the 10th pick It’s either Jermod McCoy or Mansoor Delane I’m totally good with it as long as they aren’t passing up on Downs, Styles, or Bain Who would you rather have… McCoy or Delane?

@uscfan981 Cincinnati’s riverfront district (between the stadiums) is excellent. Plenty of green park space but also fountains and eating/drinking spots. Easily walkable from downtown Cincinnati or from Covington across the river.

Say something nice about Ohio.

@bjwilson04 @dotsonc I don’t think they need a dozen logos…. I like the idea of same theme with different dominant color. Although I think I’d prefer black pants with the red jerseys.

@dotsonc Love the red. They got lazy and didn’t update anything else

What do we think, friends?

@KySportsRadio If/when players change from students to employees, could this be challenged as age discrimination?

NCAA considering giving everyone 5 years of eligibility May seem odd on surface but it would make it easier for NCAA to see one uniform rule with no exceptions that would hold up in court

@UnSportsESPN don’t think of the Griffin contract as a 9 year deal. They already had him for 6 (or 7, if they waited 2 months to call him up this year). It’s a 2-3 year extension. Instead of making $1M/yr for the next 3 years, he got $140M guaranteed-more than any NFL FA.

@StripeHype I don’t understand the logic of including a trade-up here. For either team. Will look bad for the Giants if the best pick in Dex trade goes the other way. And I think players 2-10 do not really separate themselves from each other in draft. Take out the trade swap and 2027 2nd.

Giants receive: 10th overall pick, 41st overall pick, DT T.J. Slaton, plus 2027 2nd- & 3rd-round picks Bengals receive: 5th overall pick, DT Dexter Lawrence & 2027 4th-round pick Blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade baked into new Bengals mock draft stripehype.com/blockbuster-de…

@CharlieG__ Game doesn’t end up counting for that “win games within 2 run differential” stat they discussed on broadcast…which means it’s a pointless cherry picked stat. Maybe “games that feature a 2 run differential at any point in the 9th or later” makes more sense.

The Reds are grinding out wins. That’s a good quality to have. Today, they won with their speed.