Latest news with #ZacTaylor
Forbes
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Joe Burrow Turns Clock Back As Star QB Will Play In Preseason
Joe Burrow wants to play in the preseason for the Bengals. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) Joe Burrow is a fan of the old school. While the modern gameplan in the NFL is to swaddle nearly every team's stars in bubble wrap during the preseason in order to avoid serious injuries, Burrow wants to play in the summer. The reason: he wants the Bengals get off to a good start for the first time since the 2021 season. Cincinnati lost its first three games last year and the team's 1-4 start was one of the primary reasons this talented group missed the playoffs. It wasn't much better in 2023 when the Bengals started with three losses in their first four games and they were 2-3 at the start of the 2022 season. Burrow has almost never played during the preseason and he believes that his lack of play during the preseason is a big reason why. He has been pushing head coach Zac Taylor for playing time in this year's preseason so he can be ready to start the season in prime form when the Bengals start the season on the road against the Cleveland Browns in Week One. Burrow has had multiple injuries in the past – ACL, calf and wrist along with an appendectomy – but the slow Cincinnati starts have worn on him mentally. He wants to see his team get back to elite status after missing the playoffs two years in a row, and he believes this means playing in the preseason. 'Coaches know how I've felt about that, and how I've always thought that that would benefit me,' Burrow said. 'I think other positions, you have to be a little careful, because how physical that those positions are, but for me, those reps are valuable.' Burrow believes the multiple rule changes over the years have given quarterbacks protection from the kind of hits that would result in a disastrous preseason injury, and he has apparently convinced Taylor to let him play in the three-game preseason. While injuries could scuttle plans, Burrow could see action in two preseason games this summer. Perhaps the first quarter in Cincinnati's second preseason game against the Washington Commanders and the first half in the third game against the Indianapolis Colts. QB battle unfolds in Indy Anthony Richardson (5) and Daniel Jones (17) are battling for the Colts starting QB job. (Photo by ... More Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) The Colts have a legitimate quarterback battle on their hands this summer where former Giant Daniel Jones will try to take the starter's job from oft-injured and inaccurate Anthony Richardson. Give Jones the inside track on the job until Richardson can prove he can throw the ball accurately. Richardson is a brilliant athlete who can run the ball with authority when he decides to carry it himself. However, sitting in the pocket, surveying the field and delivering the ball to a receiver who has a step on the defender is a major weakness. He has a career completion percentage of 50.6 percent, a figure that was common in the 1960s and is simply no longer acceptable. It will be very hard for Richardson to prove himself, but Jones does not have a brilliant NFL track record either. He is more accurate than Richardson, so unless he falls apart in the preseason, he is likely to start the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. Wilson named as Giants' QB1 Russell Wilson has been named as the Giants' starting quarteback. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty ... More Images) New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has already tapped veteran Russell Wilson as the team's starter even though he has failed to distinguish himself since the 2021 season when he made the Pro Bowl as the Seattle Seahawks QB1. He had a 25-6 touchdown to interception ratio that season, which was his last in the Pacific Northwest. The 36-year-old Wilson has had unimpressive stints with the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers since, and this go-round with the Giants would seemingly serve as his last opportunity to start in the NFL. While it sounds like Daboll has made his decision, what happens if rookie Jaxson Dart actually has an excellent showing during the preseason? It sounds like the head coach wants Dart to have something of a redshirt season in his rookie year, but general manager Joe Schoen appears to have left the door open for the rookie from Ole Miss to play. 'I think there's some real benefits from sitting and learning, specifically from some of the guys in the room that have the experience that they have,' Schoen said. 'But if the coaching staff at some point feels it's right and (Dart's) ready, then I'll leave that up to them.' Veteran Jameis Winston is Wilson's backup and he could fill in for a game or two if Daboll needs to make a quarterback change at one point, but the 10-year veteran threw a league-worst 30 interceptions in 2019, the last time he was an NFL starter. The decision to start Wilson looks like a shaky one for a team that was 3-14 a year ago and has had just one postseason appearance in the last eight years.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marco Wilson injury: Bengals defensive back hurt during training camp, could miss weeks
Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Marco Wilson suffered an apparent injury during training camp near Paycor Stadium. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor didn't provide details about Wilson's injury after Sunday's practice, but did designate Wilson as "week to week" because of it. During the Bengals' Week 16 win against Cleveland in 2024, head coach Zac Taylor didn't appear to be happy with officials after Wilson was flagged for defensive pass interference for his coverage of Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy during the third quarter. The Bengals claimed Wilson off waivers in November 2024. Wilson, a fourth-round pick out of Florida in the 2021 NFL draft, also has played for the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Marco Wilson injury: Bengals DB week to week with unspecified issue
Washington Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
First-round pick Shemar Stewart has plenty of learning moments during his initial Bengals' practice
CINCINNATI — One day after signing his rookie contact, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart took the field for his first NFL practice on Sunday. While Stewart was the final Bengals' draft pick to sign and criticized ownership while the negotiations were going on, coach Zac Taylor said that the organization can leave all of that contention in the past. 'That's part of being a professional,' Taylor said. 'Just put it behind you. He's a part of our team, so we support him every step of the way now. You just put all that stuff behind you.' Stewart missed three practices before signing his rookie deal, and he also didn't participate in any of the Bengals' spring workouts. On Sunday, he went through some extra sets of drills with one-on-one instruction from defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, was a full participant in position drills and then received about 10 reps in full-team drills against the first-team offense. 'I just needed to get on the field as soon as possible,' Stewart said. 'I needed to start learning, start getting better. There is a long season ahead. I needed to be ready.' He said that he didn't have any regrets about the negotiation process. Stewart also defended his agent, Zac Hiller. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin criticized Hiller last week by saying that Stewart was listening to the advice that he was paying for. Stewart said that he appreciated Hiller's approach in negotiations. Stewart's four-year deal is worth $18.97 million guaranteed, including a $10.4 million signing bonus. Stewart, the 17th overall pick in April's draft, and Hiller eventually agreed to the Bengals' provision voiding future guarantees if there are any off-field incidents or conduct detrimental to the team. However, he received $500,000 more of his signing bonus now instead of later in the season. 'I want an agent that's more of a pit bull,' Stewart said. 'I don't want an agent that can easily be pushed over. I want someone that's going to war (for) me, so I don't have to do any of the hard work behind the scenes. In terms of that, I think Zac is a great agent. He handles business very well. That's my dog for life.' On the field, Stewart struggled with the heat as well as the new techniques from the Bengals coaching staff. At one point during practice, he poured water over his eyes only to find out that it was Gatorade. That stung his eyes, and he joked about it being a learning moment. During his first practice rep against offensive linemen, he got pushed back and spun around. That was another learning moment. 'Just get him out here and get him going with our fundamentals and with Jerry and all the things we're teaching,' Taylor said. 'Tomorrow we get the chance to put the pads on, to get a chance to feel what that feels like again. It's just good to go full speed with him.' Stewart said that he hopes this week was a start of a long Bengals' career, and he's focused on the long game now that his contract has been signed. 'It was never me vs. anybody,' Stewart said. 'We just didn't see eye to eye. At the end of the day, I'm happy to be a Bengal. I'm happy that I got drafted here. We have a long relationship ahead of us. There's no bad blood. It's just how things go sometimes.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
First-round pick Shemar Stewart has plenty of learning moments during his initial Bengals' practice
CINCINNATI (AP) — One day after signing his rookie contact, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart took the field for his first NFL practice on Sunday. While Stewart was the final Bengals' draft pick to sign and criticized ownership while the negotiations were going on, coach Zac Taylor said that the organization can leave all of that contention in the past. 'That's part of being a professional,' Taylor said. 'Just put it behind you. He's a part of our team, so we support him every step of the way now. You just put all that stuff behind you.' Stewart missed three practices before signing his rookie deal, and he also didn't participate in any of the Bengals' spring workouts. On Sunday, he went through some extra sets of drills with one-on-one instruction from defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, was a full participant in position drills and then received about 10 reps in full-team drills against the first-team offense. 'I just needed to get on the field as soon as possible,' Stewart said. 'I needed to start learning, start getting better. There is a long season ahead. I needed to be ready.' He said that he didn't have any regrets about the negotiation process. Stewart also defended his agent, Zac Hiller. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin criticized Hiller last week by saying that Stewart was listening to the advice that he was paying for. Stewart said that he appreciated Hiller's approach in negotiations. Stewart's four-year deal is worth $18.97 million guaranteed, including a $10.4 million signing bonus. Stewart, the 17th overall pick in April's draft, and Hiller eventually agreed to the Bengals' provision voiding future guarantees if there are any off-field incidents or conduct detrimental to the team. However, he received $500,000 more of his signing bonus now instead of later in the season. 'I want an agent that's more of a pit bull,' Stewart said. 'I don't want an agent that can easily be pushed over. I want someone that's going to war (for) me, so I don't have to do any of the hard work behind the scenes. In terms of that, I think Zac is a great agent. He handles business very well. That's my dog for life.' On the field, Stewart struggled with the heat as well as the new techniques from the Bengals coaching staff. At one point during practice, he poured water over his eyes only to find out that it was Gatorade. That stung his eyes, and he joked about it being a learning moment. During his first practice rep against offensive linemen, he got pushed back and spun around. That was another learning moment. 'Just get him out here and get him going with our fundamentals and with Jerry and all the things we're teaching,' Taylor said. 'Tomorrow we get the chance to put the pads on, to get a chance to feel what that feels like again. It's just good to go full speed with him.' Stewart said that he hopes this week was a start of a long Bengals' career, and he's focused on the long game now that his contract has been signed. 'It was never me vs. anybody,' Stewart said. 'We just didn't see eye to eye. At the end of the day, I'm happy to be a Bengal. I'm happy that I got drafted here. We have a long relationship ahead of us. There's no bad blood. It's just how things go sometimes.' ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
First-round pick Shemar Stewart has plenty of learning moments during his initial Bengals' practice
CINCINNATI (AP) — One day after signing his rookie contact, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart took the field for his first NFL practice on Sunday. While Stewart was the final Bengals' draft pick to sign and criticized ownership while the negotiations were going on, coach Zac Taylor said that the organization can leave all of that contention in the past. 'That's part of being a professional,' Taylor said. 'Just put it behind you. He's a part of our team, so we support him every step of the way now. You just put all that stuff behind you.' Stewart missed three practices before signing his rookie deal, and he also didn't participate in any of the Bengals' spring workouts. On Sunday, he went through some extra sets of drills with one-on-one instruction from defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, was a full participant in position drills and then received about 10 reps in full-team drills against the first-team offense. 'I just needed to get on the field as soon as possible,' Stewart said. 'I needed to start learning, start getting better. There is a long season ahead. I needed to be ready.' He said that he didn't have any regrets about the negotiation process. Stewart also defended his agent, Zac Hiller. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin criticized Hiller last week by saying that Stewart was listening to the advice that he was paying for. Stewart said that he appreciated Hiller's approach in negotiations. Stewart's four-year deal is worth $18.97 million guaranteed, including a $10.4 million signing bonus. Stewart, the 17th overall pick in April's draft, and Hiller eventually agreed to the Bengals' provision voiding future guarantees if there are any off-field incidents or conduct detrimental to the team. However, he received $500,000 more of his signing bonus now instead of later in the season. 'I want an agent that's more of a pit bull,' Stewart said. 'I don't want an agent that can easily be pushed over. I want someone that's going to war (for) me, so I don't have to do any of the hard work behind the scenes. In terms of that, I think Zac is a great agent. He handles business very well. That's my dog for life.' On the field, Stewart struggled with the heat as well as the new techniques from the Bengals coaching staff. At one point during practice, he poured water over his eyes only to find out that it was Gatorade. That stung his eyes, and he joked about it being a learning moment. During his first practice rep against offensive linemen, he got pushed back and spun around. That was another learning moment. 'Just get him out here and get him going with our fundamentals and with Jerry and all the things we're teaching,' Taylor said. 'Tomorrow we get the chance to put the pads on, to get a chance to feel what that feels like again. It's just good to go full speed with him.' Stewart said that he hopes this week was a start of a long Bengals' career, and he's focused on the long game now that his contract has been signed. 'It was never me vs. anybody,' Stewart said. 'We just didn't see eye to eye. At the end of the day, I'm happy to be a Bengal. I'm happy that I got drafted here. We have a long relationship ahead of us. There's no bad blood. It's just how things go sometimes.' ___ AP NFL:
