Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: Are the Bengals SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS in 2026? Is this season NOW OR NEVER?

Starting point is 00:00:02 I'm Alex Frank. The NFL stands for National Football League, but it also stands for not for long. Is the Bengals roster a perfect roster? No, it's not, but is it now a Super Bowl contending roster with Dexter Lawrence? I say yes. And I agree. Today, it's the Bengals Squad. Everything Cincinnati Bengals every week. Breaking down all the big hits and game-changing plays from the quick. Wing City, the way only the locked on podcast network can. From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad Show starts now. It is Friday, May 8th, and now we know we are six days away from the release of the

Starting point is 00:00:51 2026 NFL schedule. Welcome to the Bengals Squad Show. I'm Alex Frank. He's Joe Danneman Sports Director of Fox 19. We'll hopefully have Coach Valer on here shortly to talk all things. Dexter Lawrence, Joe Burrow, the Bengals, and the proverbial question is it now or never for the Cincinnati Bengals. We are presented today by Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Jody, it's great to have you on. As always, I got to ask you because the last time we had you on, as we were talking before the show started, was April 10th.

Starting point is 00:01:28 eight days before Dexter Lawrence was traded to the Bengals, one of the biggest splashes in Bengals history. When you first saw the news come in, your reaction was what? Well, I'm trying to think of the four-letter words I can say on a podcast. Not many. That's what the reaction was because it was the one night I had off that week. And you could make this into like a 30 for 30 oral history. documentary of where people in Cincinnati were when the Dexter Lawrence trade happened.

Starting point is 00:02:04 Everywhere from people who cover this team like you and I to people who are on the team to people who follow this team. Everybody's got a different story of how it went down what they were doing. I was sitting on the couch watching the NBA playoffs and boom, it hits Twitter. And I say, no, wait a minute. Now, wait a minute. There's no way because it's so very unbengal's life for them. to do this. So I immediately went into work mode, called into work to make sure my coworkers had everything

Starting point is 00:02:34 they needed to get this out there, to break into streaming and talk about it the way you and I are talking about it now, because it was that kind of a big deal. But then 30 minutes later, after you get out of work mode and you kind of have reality start to set in, I said to myself, the Bengals immediately went from, okay, potential AFC North winner, playoff. team, maybe when a playoff game too. I need now to clear my schedule for January because this season might go into February. He makes that kind of a difference. By the way, the Super Bowl in 2021 was in L.A. The Super Bowl this year is in L.A. Coincidence? I say not. Here's the thing that I think the most about when I think about this Dexter Lawrence, Strait Joe, I just think about

Starting point is 00:03:22 Joe Burrow. And he was interviewed this week by Vanity Fair, which in itself is pretty, pretty impressive that the Bengals have. We get to cover a team that has a quarterback that's been interviewed by Vanity Fair magazine. Okay. So Joe Burrow had this to say, as he arrived back in Cincinnati this week for the start of the offseason program, he says, quote, I'm really excited about the moves we made this offseason. We need to get better. So it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization to realize that we're in this exciting stage. We're in our primes playing great football, finding guys like Dexter and Brian Cook and Boy, Mafe to, you know, really solidify that defense so the young guys can also kind of rise up.

Starting point is 00:04:03 We're really trying to achieve what we want to achieve, quote. Now, the part Joe for me that I really like about this quote is we're in our primes playing great football. I have not heard an athlete say that, but when Joe Burrough says that, it kind of makes me think, you know what? This is the Joe Burrow we saw in 21 and 22. The confident, Joe, the I'm here, strap in, I got us, we're going to go to where we need to go. We haven't seen that in a while.

Starting point is 00:04:37 Do you sense Joe Borough feels a little rejuvenated, has that jolt again? He has to. And the funny thing about this, Alex, is we've talked so many times as people who cover this team about the one quote Joe said, when he said, the championship window is my entire career. This now becomes the Dexter Lawrence window. And that doesn't mean this is Dexter Lawrence's team. But the three years he's in Cincinnati coincide with the big three also being in Cincinnati. So whatever iteration of Joe Burrow this is, and maybe it's Joe Burrow 3.0 because

Starting point is 00:05:12 Joe Burrow 1.0 was the rise and the trip to back-to-back AFC championship games. The Joe Burrow era 2.0 was that middle three years where he didn't make the playoffs and injuries were a big part of that. Now we're entering this third phase of Joe Burrough's career. It's Joe Burrow 3.0 where the Bengals have reinvested an offseason into building the kind of defense he needs to go out there and win a Super Bowl. Again, as I said at the top of the show, it's not a perfect roster. There are holes, but nobody in the NFL, the way the league is constructed, can build a perfect roster. You tell me another team in the NFL that can say this.

Starting point is 00:05:52 We arguably have the best place. at his position in the NFL at three different spots. It's arguable, right? Quarterback, wide receiver, defensive tackle. I would argue it's probably, yes, at wide receiver and defensive tackle. The hardest argument to make would probably be Joe Burrow. Yeah. But that's the hardest argument to make.

Starting point is 00:06:13 You're in a pretty good spot for the Bengals. We know the holes. I'm sure we'll talk about the holes on the team. But as a hole, this roster has built itself to a point where they are, and let's use the phrase all in on this window, the Dexter Lawrence window for Joe Burrow here in 2026 and going forward. This three years, Dexter Lawrence, T. Higgins, Jamar Chase, and Joe Burrow, he has to be excited about it because let's say the quiet thing out loud. I wasn't sure Joe Burrow would be the quarterback in Cincinnati in 2007 if the Bengals didn't invest this

Starting point is 00:06:51 offseason. If another year went by and they didn't make the playoffs, we saw it. We heard it in 2025. He was starting to drop breadcrumbs in some of his postgame press conferences, even midweek press conferences, that he was not happy in Cincinnati, that he wanted to get back to enjoying football again in Cincinnati. Now you surround him with this. And you see that one little snippet, right, of about 10 seconds of video of him back at Paycourt Stadium, he's dancing, he's smiling, he's dapping up his teammates. That kind of stuff resonates. That matters. Joe Burroughs excitement to be back in Cincinnati comes through in that video. And that was the number one assignment for the offseason. If you're the Bengals front office, you have to create a roster

Starting point is 00:07:41 and a buzz and an energy for Joe Burroughs to want to play football in Cincinnati. They've done that. Now, as Mike is Sikki said when they started offseason workouts, they've done. their job upstairs. Now it's the job of everybody inside this locker room to go out and prove all the moves they've done were the right moves. I think they've got enough now to get back to a Super Bowl. I mean, you look at the AFC. I mean, the standard last year, the two teams playing in the AFC championship were Denver in New England. Two teams and two rosters. I mean, you kind to laugh a little bit, right? I mean, two teams and two rosters, I think the Bengals are better than, at least on paper. And, you know, we can make the argument.

Starting point is 00:08:21 that other teams might be on the come up or on the comeback, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Baltimore we expect to be there, even though Baltimore has a lot of change in its coaching staff. So when you look at the big picture of what the Bengals did, they had to create an energy for Joe Burrow to want to be in Cincinnati. Check that box. They've done it. Which is so important. If your franchise quarterback is happy, if your franchise quarterback is confident, and if he has that, Joel, that resonates, as you say, with the entire team. And what you just said about the Dexter Lawrence window and what you said about the Joe Borough, the middle three years of his career, the last three seasons, which have been

Starting point is 00:09:01 riddled by injuries. And those have had a major say in what the last four years have looked like. I said this the day after he got injured last year against Jacksonville. And I remembered that night in Baltimore when he sustained that wrist injury. I was at that game. And I remember the sadness, the devastation and the eerieness that followed the next day, the next 10 days, it was a Thursday night game of just, I thought this injury thing with Burrow was behind him. You know, yeah, he had the calf. Yeah, he had the ruptured appendix, which, you know, it's a major deal. But missing time during the season due to injuries was behind them.

Starting point is 00:09:40 Like he went through his rookie season behind that terrible offensive line, fine. But that wrist injury and then his first press conference in the office. offseason of 24. And I remember Austin Elmore said this on his show, where Joe Burrow was talking about his football mortality. And I was like, wait a minute, here's a guy who has said that the window to win a championship is his whole career, who never feels like an underdog, always seems to exude confidence, and the fan base and the team rally behind that. And then through 24 and 25, Joe, you were hearing Joe say like, well, we got to win seven of ten to make the playoffs. I guess that's doable and other things like that and, you know, talking about how he's got to have fun to play.

Starting point is 00:10:25 And those last three years in the prime of his career, we're hearing those things. We shouldn't be hearing those. But that's where the Bengals front office finally backed what he wanted and got him this improved team. He's posting selfies with Chase Higgins and Kisicki, Jody. He is at the Met Gallo looking dapper. I mean, this is the Joe Borough that Bengals fans got to know through those first three years. in particular, those two runs to the AFC championship and the Super Bowl. I can't crawl inside Joe Burroughs head, and we haven't heard from Joe Burrow.

Starting point is 00:10:56 We anticipate we'll hear from him in the next couple of weeks. But everything you said about his body language, what he's posted, what he shared, what he said in the article with Vanity Fair, sounds like a guy who is re-energized, rejuvenated. And the Bengals need that. They need him thinking football. They need him concentrating on getting back. to where I think a lot of people expect him to go. I think that's the expectation. And it should be with Joe Burrow and T. Higgins and Jemar Chase.

Starting point is 00:11:27 They should be in playoff games and winning playoff games and playing in AFC championships and having a chance to win a Super Bowl. That's the expectation here in Cincinnati. And doesn't this offseason feel so much like 2021? Not necessarily from Joe's perspective, right? Because Joe was a young player and he'd only played a year. and then the Bengals have this monster offseason where they rebuild the defense and boom. And I would argue if you go back and watch what the Bengals did in the playoffs that year,

Starting point is 00:11:59 it was much maybe even more about their defense that got them to the Super Bowl than anything they did offensively to get there to go through the Raiders and Tennessee and Kansas City to get the Super Bowl. It was carried by the defense. And that was a defense that was completely remodeled in the offseat. and through free agency. And the Bengals didn't do that in 22 and 23 and 24 and 25, but they've done it now. And this is a reset again. And that's why I'm calling these like these different eras of Joe Burrow. It feels like a different era of Joe Burrow because of what the front office did. Feels a lot like 2021, where they remodeled and rebuilt everything through free agency, sprinkled in some draft. That's what they did here in 2006. A little bit different.

Starting point is 00:12:48 because they did a lot in free agency and then they did the mega trade that they didn't do in 2021, but it's acquiring new guys to rebuild the defense. Again, it's not perfect. It's, there are still holes and we know where the holes are on this team, but it does to me feel a lot like 2021. And we know how that season ended. This team has pushed its chips in to do the same thing here and the trickle down effect going back to your original point is Joe Burrough should feel re-energized with the way this roster looks. You know, you say you can't crawl into Joe Burroughs head. I feel like you crawled into my notes that I have here on my phone because you literally took everything that I had written down for this show today, Joe D, and just said it. It goes back to

Starting point is 00:13:33 this point that you look at the last four off seasons prior to this one. In 22, that was about fixing the offensive line. They spent a bunch of money in free agency. They did that, the big signing L. Collins. was Orlando Brown Jr. In 24, the big signings were Mike Kisicki. They also signed Trent Brown in Free Agency. Then in 25, it was extending Jason Higgins. They did not really make that big splash on defense, the last four off seasons that they did in 21 in Free Agency

Starting point is 00:13:59 with guys like Hendrickson and Mike Hilton and Larry Ogun Joby, and even guys like Ricardo Allen and Eli Apple, Chiodobea, I forgot to mention him. This offseason, the trade for Dexter Lawrence. I said this on my substack. Frankie's features on substack. You can check it out. This is the Raven signing Derek Henry.

Starting point is 00:14:18 This is the Bears trading for Khalil Mack. This is the Patriots trading a fourth round pick for Randy Moss. This is a trade. This is the Packers training for Micah Parsons. This is the Bengals making that trade in the offseason that sends shockwaves through the NFL that gets the entire fan base going that makes the entire division rethink their approach and draft offensive linemen after offensive linemen in the NFL draft. That's what the Bengals did by training for.

Starting point is 00:14:45 Dexter Lawrence. It does feel like 2021 because I remember in that off season, Joe Burrow was recruiting free agents. He was taking them the dinner of Jeff Rubies. And now the Bengals for the first time since that season have a defense that on paper looks like a defense that

Starting point is 00:15:01 is going to complement whatever Joe Burrow and the offense are going to do. And the best part Joe is, now we know what they're going to do. In 21, we really didn't. Now we do. And it's interesting, too, that maybe the Bengals understand that and in life, right?

Starting point is 00:15:17 Everything is about time, whether it's work, whether it's personal relationships. And in this case of the Bengals, the timing here was, and we talked about all the breadcrumbs Joe Burrow had left, about him being unhappy with the state of the roster and how it looked in 2025. But also the timing of a division very much in flux. And what is the path for the Bengals to do what they want to do? ultimately it's to win the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns are all in transition with new head coaches. And now you have the continuity of the Bengals.

Starting point is 00:15:57 And I know it's become a bit of an eye roll buzzword in Cincinnati of continuity. But it matters. And the Bengals have that in spades over everybody else in the division at this point with a coaching staff that's back, with an offensive core that's been together now for several years. And then now you sprinkle in pieces that kind of fill in the gaps and help this defense go from bad to possibly good or really good in 2006. So I think the Bengals are in this space and time of perfect timing, of understanding that, okay, we need to refresh and reset and reboot whatever reword you want to go into, re-energize, rejuvenate their quarterback and their roster, but also at the same time, that's coinciding at a spot

Starting point is 00:16:48 here where other teams are doing that maybe at an even higher level. The Bengals are just adding players into a system that's been here, guys that have proven they can get it done on Sundays, and they have the continuity of coaching staff, where the other teams have a lot of questions about what they're going to look like, what the leadership is, can these new coaches get it figured out in year one. So the Bengals are in a really good position to take advantage of what feels like a division in flux and maybe the timing is lining up very good for the Bengals this year. It's why Zach Taylor did not make any changes to his coaching staff. It's why the Bengals chose the continuity route because they saw what was happening around the AFC North. The Ravens

Starting point is 00:17:33 parting ways with longtime head coach John Harbaugh. Mike Tomlin after 19 years in Pittsburgh stepping down. The Browns, well, they're the Browns and there always seem to needly. to be in transition. So even though it does feel like 2021 right now, Joe D, I'm still going to pose a poignant question that I heard three days before the first game of that magical 2021 season. I'll pose that question next right here on the Bangal Squad Show. Support for this show today. Today's episode of the Bengals Squad Show comes from Square, the system that helps fix one of the biggest headaches in running the business. Starting the business is exciting, but actually running it? Yeah, well, that's where things can get complicated.

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Starting point is 00:19:37 Or go to LockdownBengals. Supercast. Here on the Bengals Squad show with Joe Daniman, I'm Alex Frank, the twice a week long-form conversational supplement to the daily locked on Bengals podcast. So, Judy, I'm going to take you back five years ago. And this is when I still worked at I heart at 700 W with all the personalities over there. And on this day, September 9th, not this day, in particular May 8th, but it was September 9th.

Starting point is 00:20:03 It was opening night kickoff. And just like that, we will get him on here shortly. Coach Ard-Fillera going to join us as he does every Tuesday and Friday. Judy, I was producing for Gamble and Finn that night on 700 W-OW. remember Fred Finn and Tom Gamble, that show they used to do Thursday nights, nine to midnight, it was so good. But Fred Finn said something really poignant that night about the Bengals. It was three days before the first game against Minnesota,

Starting point is 00:20:28 where Jamar Chase proved that he could actually catch a ball. And Evan McPherson showed why he was the kicker of the future. Coach Arpa Lerra, welcome. We'll get to you in just a minute. Fred Finn said that night, coach, if not now, then when for the Bengals. I feel the same way about the Bengals going into 2026. Do you agree with that? You know what?

Starting point is 00:20:53 With the moves that they made, they have pushed all the chips in the middle, and I think this is it. You know, let's pray that they have no injuries. They can stay healthy throughout the season, and they can perform up to what the hype is going to be. Jody, what say you? I say it's a now or never window.

Starting point is 00:21:19 As we go back to what we said in our last segment, this new Dexter Lawrence window of three years of having Dexter Lawrence and a big three together. Now, you never know when it's your time. And as coach said, you never know when injuries might pop up. That's why you have to give yourself multiple years and multiple swings at whatever goal you are. And when you have a roster like this, the goal has to be winning the AFC North, getting to a Super Bowl, and winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history. We don't know if that's going to be this year. It sets up well for them with the entire division in transition with new head coaches.

Starting point is 00:21:59 There's a path now for the Bengals to win the AFC North and give themselves a great shot in the playoffs of hosting playoff games and trying to get back to a Super Bowl for the first time in several years. I think a lot of us didn't think it would take this long for Joe Burrow to get back after 2021. They went to an AFC championship the next year. And then three years happened of not making the playoffs. And that goes back to my original point. You just never know when it's your time, when adversity will hit. That's why you have to give yourself a window. But there's no doubt.

Starting point is 00:22:32 This organization has said, we get it. We understand the assignment. We've got this core. We've invested in on offense. We would not be doing. this moment in time justice if we didn't do everything we could in the offseason to surround that core with everything they need to have a window to go for it. The Dexter Lawrence window, the next three years, yes, it is now or never, I believe, for this team, but I don't think

Starting point is 00:23:00 we can pigeonhole it just to one year in particular. There's another part to this that has not but mention that I feel very strongly about personally. Next season, not this coming season, but 2027, is the 60th season for the Bengals. And there's going to be a lot of celebration, most likely, that goes into that season. Jody, I'm already envisioning what you and the flagship are going to do over at Fox 19 for that. That's going to be incredible. But you want to go into that season with the arrow pointing up. You want to have your fan base completely bought into what you're doing as an organization.

Starting point is 00:23:37 I'm not saying you have to win the Super Bowl this season, but you have to at least, at the very least, I think, get back to the playoffs and be in the conversation to win the Super Bowl this season. That will get fans incredibly enthusiastic about the 60th anniversary season. Coach, what do you agree with that? You know what I do. And I think that I think this year, perhaps not because you know what, you got to learn how to win, one, two, you're getting into, I think they're great.

Starting point is 00:24:13 They've got with the shakeup in the north, with the different teams having new head coaches, new schemes on offense and defense, I think it really suits the Bengals well. Now just win the division, that ought to be your number one goal. If you do that, you know you're in the playoffs. Then you know you have an opportunity to get hot, and to be able to show up in the Super Bowl. And I think that, you know, this is still a building service. You just hope that this year they can get to that point where they're in it.

Starting point is 00:24:48 So all of a sudden next year, and not looking at a brand new staff coming in and inheriting the same group because this group couldn't do it. Both of you must be looking at my notes. This is insane. Both of you seriously must have somehow act into my phone and looked at these notes because you're literally saying exactly what I wrote down. great. And I think coach is right because you talk about next season and the 60th season for the

Starting point is 00:25:12 Bengals. The big question is what will the coaching staff look like? Because if you talk about what the front office has done and coach, I mentioned this in our first segment, you know, some of the players inside the Bengals locker room have said, listen, upstairs, they've done everything we could ask them to do to give us everything we need on this roster. Now it's on us and the coaches to go out there and capitalize on this moment in time of having this roster and this moment where the AFC North is in flux. They get it. Now the question is, can they execute it?

Starting point is 00:25:45 And we don't know what it looks like. I think we'll know at the end of the year what it feels like, what it looks like, and we'll have a better idea because we can sit here on May 8th and say, okay, it's playoffs or bust. Oh, it's playoffs and win a game or two in the playoffs. Otherwise, Zach Taylor and this coaching staff needs to be changed out. We don't know what that means because we don't know what injuries might pop up, what adversity might happen. We have to know how it feels and how it plays out before we make those kinds of decisions.

Starting point is 00:26:14 But I think we can all say sitting here in May before the start of the season, before the schedule even comes out, that when you have a roster like this, and again, you have arguably the best player in the NFL at three different positions, quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive tackle. If that's not enough for you to get to the playoffs and be a difference maker and a contender in the playoffs, then yeah, you probably need to make a change in leadership. But until that happens, until we see a playoff, I don't think we can make hard and fast, cut and dried bullet point rules of what's going to happen with this staff going forward. And looking at 2007, as you mentioned, Alex, the 60th year of the Bengals franchise.

Starting point is 00:26:58 but certainly it's a question. It's a wonder. We don't know what it's going to look like. And that's part of the now or never. Yeah, it's now or never for this coaching staff, maybe not for the organization and for these players, but the now or never for Zach Taylor and this coaching staff definitely feels like this year.

Starting point is 00:27:19 What's the now? I don't think we can define that. The now doesn't have to be. He has to win a Super Bowl to keep his job, but certainly has to get back to the playoffs as an absolute minimum starting point unless there's some kind of adversity that we can't foresee with this roster. Absolutely. Reality is this, Joe, to your point, if the Bengals, gosh forbid, missed the playoffs for a fourth

Starting point is 00:27:45 straight season, all this talk about Zach Taylor has accomplished everything Marvin Lewis didn't. You know what it will go to? The fact that Zach Taylor will only have two playoff appearances in his first eight seasons with the Bengals, Marvin Lewis also made the playoffs two times in his first eight seasons with the Bengals. I don't want to be in that. I don't want to have that conversation come next January. I want to, Joe, you already blocked your schedule for next January. Yeah, I did the same thing. Because this roster to me with Joe Burrow, with Jamar Chase, with T. Higgins,

Starting point is 00:28:18 who's the best wide receiver two in the NFL, or as Jamar Chase calls him 1A, and Dexter Lawrence, who's the best nose tackle in the NFL, bar none. You have to, at the very least, get back. to the playoffs. And whether or not you are a Zach Taylor believer, and I'm talking to every Bengals fan listening to this, whether or not you are a believer in Zach Taylor, I'm telling you right now, you don't want the Bengals to make a coaching change or coaching staff change next off season, because then you go into that 60th season with more uncertainty, with a new coaching staff. I know what Joe Borough and Zach Taylor can do together. They've been to the Super Bowl for crying out.

Starting point is 00:28:52 They had the lead with less than two minutes to go, if not for a focus holding call. they may have won the Lombardi trophy. So I know what they can do together. This year, as you said, Joe, is about proving that again after the front office has given them so many more resources than they had the last three seasons. Yeah. And to your point, if they only make it to the playoffs two times in eight years, that's not good enough.

Starting point is 00:29:17 No. And everybody knows that. And that's why we can sit here and say with confidence that everything has felt different this offseason. And I don't think at the end of the year, any of us really thought the Bengals would get to the point after a season where Joe Burrow missed so much time with an injury that they would be able to justify. Well, maybe they could justify, but at least justify making those kinds of changes at coaching staff when you're missing your franchise quarterback for half this season. That's a hard way to get rid of Zach Taylor and a coaching staff, especially with the defensive coordinator who, only had one year and was quite honestly not given really enough to work with. And we all know

Starting point is 00:30:01 that. That's all changed. Everything has changed. Okay. We get it. Now everything's in place. There's, there's no excuse. And if the quarterback plays 17 games, they have to make the playoffs. Otherwise, I think everybody watching this would agree that new leadership would have to be needed for the Cincinnati Bengals because the front office has pushed their chips to the middle. This now or never window is open for the Bengals. And that's why it again, I'll say it again, it's a now or never season for the coaching staff. We just don't know what that now is. I think we can say now, right now, that it better be playoffs at a minimum. Yes. Because otherwise, you have to make a change. Let me ask you about this. Is it now or never for Duke Tobin as well? I think he already,

Starting point is 00:30:57 I think he already proved. He did it, right? I mean, and you think back, guys, too, right after the season, how things felt different. Putting Duke Tobin in front of the media right after the season ended, you can go back and you can wonder, well, why did the Bengals do this? And I don't think it was a punishment for Duke Tobin, but I think it was a moment for him to take accountability for a roster that was not good enough. And Alex, you and I talked about this in the first segment as well, the idea that in

Starting point is 00:31:25 2021, the Bengals went all in with free agents on defense and it paid off with a trip to the Super Bowl. And then they tried to supplement the high dollar contracts of Joe Jamar T. Orlando Brown, another offensive guy. They invested in and free agency and then tried to build a defense back up through drafting, developing, retaining. It didn't work. They didn't draft well enough for that to work. So Duke Tobin's, I can't say his seat is warm. I'm not part of those conversations. We all know that Duke Tobin is like family to the Brown family. But he understood the accountability he had to take for the roster not being good enough last year for this moment and time of having the court together that makes the Bengals a threat every time they step on to the field.

Starting point is 00:32:18 And he had to do something about it. And the Bengals, you have to give him credit too. when I say the Bengals, I say the ownership group and the Brown family, giving him the tools to go out and do it this offseason. That's a big part of it, too. It's not just Duke Tobin. It's the entire organization weaponizing him to go out and make these kinds of moves, whether through free agency or trading the number 10 overall pick to get Dexter Lawrence.

Starting point is 00:32:41 I think he's held up his end of the bargain. Again, it's not a perfect roster. There are always going to be spots on a team in the NFL where you don't feel just, awesome about. And the Bengals, linebacker, offensive line depth, we get it. It's never perfect. But what Duke Tobin has done and the Brown family as well as a whole, I think they've held up the end of the bargain. So if it's now or never, he's already done the now. You can never say, again, that he didn't go for it in 2006. They did. Now it's up to the coaches and the players to go out and get it done. Oh, so true. You know what? I look at it this way.

Starting point is 00:33:23 We will not know immediately or maybe not even until the end of the season about the draft choices that were picked. There's a lot of things that can happen with draft choices. You're hoping you hit. In free agency, I'm still waiting for some kind of linebacker to be in there just to give those kids some help. I think we all. But if I always, and I keep thinking about this all the time. You know, the talk now is now of a sudden you're putting the Bengals in that picture of playoffs, Super Bowl people were talking about, which is a long way off, with the Dexter Lawrence trade.

Starting point is 00:34:08 Two weeks prior, this one, I don't want to say, landed in their lap, but it was available. What if Dexter Lawrence wasn't available? Now what are we talking about? The same thing? I doubt it. And that's where I really, you know, and my hat's off to, you know, Duke Tobin for pulling that off and for management of paying the money that they paid. That's what we talked about back in the season, is you have to open up your checkbook and pay people and pay for quality people coming in. But, you know, over the last few years, they're kind of hit or miss on the draft choices.

Starting point is 00:34:47 And so I hope that this year, but you're never going to be able to tell until later on. in the season whether they actually pan out. So I'm not sure what kind of great I give him yet until I see it. I'm one of those guys. I need to see it. Show me. Joe, let me ask you this, because I thought it was really interesting how the Bengals had other members in their front office.

Starting point is 00:35:09 We don't hear a lot from Steve Radicevich, Mike Potts, guys like those that spoke to the media during the draft. How important was that for them to be in those situations? you know, give the media, give the fans a behind the scenes look and inner looking at how this front office works. I think for a long time, Bengals fans have been frustrated because, yes, for 31 years, they didn't win a playoff game, but also because they didn't really know a lot about what goes on in the front office. But now we're getting so much more of an inside. Yeah, I think there are small things that Bengals want to do to show the fan base.

Starting point is 00:35:49 They want to do things different. started with Duke Tobin, taking accountability after the season, started with more availability with Duke Tobin. And then to put some faces to names of guys who are part of what the Bengals have done this offseason, it's just small ways to show they're changing, they're improving, and also maybe to give these guys the opportunity that some of these guys in the Bengals front office deserve. I think you're going to see multiple guys move on in the next few. years and get jobs as GMs around the league, that that's how impressive they've been doing their job here in Cincinnati. And so they want to introduce them not just to the fan base, but I also think

Starting point is 00:36:32 to the rest of the NFL who these guys are inside their building. Because if you have guys who are doing the job well, who are having success, you owe it to them to help them continue on with their career and continue to climb. And obviously that the hope would be, because if Duke Tobin continues to do what he does here in Cincinnati, that means the Bengals are having success. And so there's a bit of a glass ceiling for some of these guys with Duke Tobin entrenched in Cincinnati doing what he does. So these guys need opportunities elsewhere. And for them to be such a big part of this process, for Bengals fans always to have questions about the scouting staff and who's helping Duke Tobin. Now there are faces to it. These guys have been impressive. And I'll tell you this, too,

Starting point is 00:37:22 it's not just putting them up in press conferences. You know, I was there at Bengal Jim's big celebration before the start of last season. And they had some of these guys there in front of the fans there as too. Yeah. So they've been doing this trying to get these guys introduced not only to the fan base, but I think to the rest of the NFL as well. By the way, if you have not been to Bengal gyms. I forget what it's called exactly. Happens in last year was in mid-July, right before training game started. I highly recommend going to that event. It is awesome what he does for the Bengals fan base. Jody, you said in the cold open that you believe the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders. Coach, you're talking about the Bengals being mentioned in those conversations.

Starting point is 00:38:09 I'm all in. No pun intended. Let's discuss that if the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders coming up next right here on the Bengal Squad Show. Today's episode of the Bengals Squad Show is brought to you by game time. We can stream anything, order food and minutes, do everything from our phones, and somehow buying tickets to live events still feels way harder than it should be. That's for darn sure. Long lines, confusing checkout prices jumping at the last second. It should not be that complicated.

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Starting point is 00:39:10 create an account, and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase terms of apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. Back here on the Bengals Squad Show with Coach Ard-Vallero and Joe Daniman of Fox 19, Alex Frank, with you. So here's something that I am going to say that Joe, you mentioned in the first segment. I'm going to expand on it a little bit. Why the Bengals, I believe, are Super Bowl contenders. If you look at who the AFC champion is, excuse me, from my phone blowing up,

Starting point is 00:39:51 By the way, the NFL schedule does come out next Thursday. The Bengals schedule will come out 7.30 p.m. They just posted that on the official Bengals app. So live show hopefully happening next Thursday night, coach, on the Bengals Squad show when the Bengals and the NFL schedule gets released, one of my favorite days of the year, so much so I'm going to be in St. Petersburg, Florida hosting the show. Anyway, think about the AFC, guys.

Starting point is 00:40:17 New England, their head coach has been in the news for news not related to football. this offseason. Disractions. Denver, I don't know how healthy Bo Nix is going to become training camp. I hope he is because he's a good player, in my opinion. I don't know if they're going to bounce back this year. I think the chances of them doing so are better than them not. The Ravens have a first-year head coach. The Steelers have a new head coach, although he's been a head coach for a long time. The bills have a first-year head coach. So the point is, the AFC is so wide open. I'm going to use a phrase that defined the 2021 season, why not the Bengals? Why not us?

Starting point is 00:40:57 You know what? There has been a lot of turnover in the league. I think it's a wide open AFC, I think, at this point. And I think it's the, why not the Bengals? Why not them taking one day at a time winning their division, which is wide open, as everybody knows. Getting into the playoffs, and boy, I mean,

Starting point is 00:41:23 they can, if they get in. The great thing about the playoffs is, it doesn't matter where you're seated because you have to perform. And playoff football, as we all know, is more full speed. I don't want to, it's just a higher level of intensity.

Starting point is 00:41:41 That's probably a better word to put it. And anybody can come out on top. And I think, hey, why not the Bengals right now? You know, they certainly have a roster of the probably their final 53 that's going to be put out there. They're going to be better on offense because of the defense. They're going to be better on defense because of the people that they've hired. And why not them?

Starting point is 00:42:07 You know, if the 7 and 9, 2010 Seattle, Seahawks could knock off the Defending World Champions and calls a beast quake in Seattle, any team can win come playoff time. There you go. Let me say this. If the Bengals played the Broncos or the Patriots, the two teams in the AFC championship game last year, they played them hypothetically. You put their rosters out of the field next week.

Starting point is 00:42:30 Would the Bengals be favored against those two teams on a neutral field? Yes. I think it would be. Now, let's not forget, Denver added Jalen Waddle. That's a difference maker, right? A wide receiver, big-time difference maker. The Buffalo Bills have got DJ Moore. That's a difference maker for them.

Starting point is 00:42:47 And if you look it up, and I just did real quickly, depending on where you shop, the odds are for AFC champion. This is in order to win it. Bills, Ravens, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Broncos, Texans, then Bengals. Wow. In ESPN, this week put out power rankings. They had the Bengals power ranked at 17th. I'm trying to figure out the disconnect between what we see from a team who watches the Bengals and understands what their roster is. compared to what people outside of the Bengals bubble think of this team.

Starting point is 00:43:23 Okay, I don't see that disconnect because the Bengals have had issues at quarterback injury. The Bengals have had issues on defense. And right now, they have fixed those the best you can, right? Joe Burroughs healthy. He's ready to go. Knock on wood. He's ready to have a normal offseason, a normal training camp and go into the season, healthy and ready to play great football. The defense has added, as coach said, guys who have proven

Starting point is 00:43:51 it on Sundays. This isn't just draft picks coming in to try to be better at different positions. These are ready-made proven guys in this league at safety, at detackle times two, and on the edge. And we can argue, too, that the Bengals have added another guy on the edge in Cassius Howell. And Shamar Stewart almost feels like a guy you're adding to the mix because we barely saw him last year. Maybe one of these guys hit and is a Trey Hendrickson type of impact here in Cincinnati. If you remember when Trey Hendrickson was signed by the Bengals in 2021, it kind of had the same arc as Boy A Maffei, a guy that was a little bit under the radar, wasn't at the top of the market when it came to edge, and then came to Cincinnati and Blossom. So to me, to have the

Starting point is 00:44:39 Bengals, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight on your quote unquote power rankings of teams with a chance to make the Super Bowl out of the AFC. I want that bet when I look at this roster and what they can do. That's not a guarantee of anything, but certainly the way they're constructed. And the phrase, if the Bengals defense could just be league average, they'll be fine. I hate that because if you look at the teams who do make the Super Bowl, they have elite offenses and they have elite defenses. that's how you get there. Not only get there, you win it. You look at the recent Super Bowl winners. They've all had top five defenses, top seven defenses. So just having an okay or better than it was defense is not good enough for what the expectation is. But I do think the top side of this defense can be very good. I think the top side of this defense could be top 10 or 12 in the NFL because as Duke Tobin said, pass rush is king. And the Bengals have gone to have gone to be.

Starting point is 00:45:43 for that, right? They've got Shemar Stewart. They've got Miles Murphy. Miles Murphy feels like an ascending player. They got Cassius Howell. They got Boye-Moffe. And then if you ask Joe Burrow and coach, you know this because you coach in this league, when you have pressure from up the middle, that's what really affects a quarterback. Joe Burrow talks about that all the time. Guys off the edge, yes, they're the high-profile guys. They make a ton of money. But when you pressure a quarterback right up the middle. That blows, plays up. And Joe knows that. He talks about that. The Bengals now have that better than anybody in the NFL with Dexter Lawrence. So to have the Bengals this low on their odds, to me feels like a disconnect from what we're seeing with this roster in our Bengals bubble to what

Starting point is 00:46:30 people outside of Cincinnati see. You know what we talked about is a couple of weeks ago that with the national media and their take on the Bengals, just in general, they don't know. They don't know. as much as everybody that covers the Bengals on a daily basis. They see the moves. They see the needs. They see the wants. They see the everyday. The other people, they just think that over the top of not only Cincinnati, but all the way on the other, on the Kentucky side, there's a black cloud. That's all they see. And they're saying they don't look at what they have. And when you're Crown Jewel is that quarterback, you're always in there because, you know what, he is dying to get in that competition with the Josh Allen's, with, hey, every week, every year he gets two times against Lamar.

Starting point is 00:47:27 You know, he is dying to get into that same competition bracket. And you know what? They'll always hold Joe Burrow down as great as he is until he takes them deep in the playoffs. and it's as if people have forgotten that he's gotten them there and or close before a few years ago. And they seem to have forgotten that. And now that they have loaded themselves up and put some new, they emptied the clip, they put the clip back in, and now they're ready to go. Yeah, I would rank them higher than eighth because you don't know.

Starting point is 00:48:08 I mean, other than Lamar, what? does Baltimore have? You know, they had one receiver last year. Yeah, they're going to get new guys. You don't know where Kansas City is going to be. They had a great draft. They had great, very good free agency. But you know what? Their crown jewel is still questionable. So you need that guy. You know what's interesting, Joe, the teams that you mentioned that are above the Bengals in these power rankings, Jacksonville has not proven that they can do it again after a breakthrough season like they had in 22, and then this past season where they went 13 and four, and it not be just a one year blip.

Starting point is 00:48:50 So, yeah, I would take the Bengals over the Jaguars right now. The Texans, I think their roster is actually very good, but how good is C.J. Strout? He has not gotten it done in the playoffs and has been up and down the last two seasons in the regular season. The Ravens have a lot of new and uncertainty. I'll also say this coach, they have an aging running back and Derek Henry, and I'm one of the biggest Derek Henry fans out there. I don't know if he's going to be where he was last year and in 2024. Here's something else, curfacy of action network.com when it comes to the Bengals 2026 schedule

Starting point is 00:49:25 says, quote, Joe Burroughs facing one of the softest schedules of his career by opponent win total 8.21. 2026 ranks as his second easiest year ever behind only 24. Now, we all know what happened in 2024. The Bengals started 0 in 3 with what we thought was an easy schedule. So how much does that matter? It should be an advantage for the Bengals. By opponent playoff rating 22.8, it's also second easiest behind only his 2020 rookie season. And by opponent's Super Bowl odds, his 2026 opponents have the longest combined championship odds of any slate he's faced.

Starting point is 00:50:00 Combined that with the fewest 2025 playoff opponents, the Bengals will only face five playoff opponents from last year, the lowest opponent quarterback score in the NFL 54.2, and you have a serious bounce back setup for the Bengals. Great. But as we talked about on this show today, as Mike Kisiki's talked about, the front office is giving them everything they need. Now it's time for them to go prove it.

Starting point is 00:50:22 The one thing that I'm going to look for in training camp, Joe and coach, the one thing I'm going to look for is this. Can the iron that sharpens iron? Can that have the Bengals, full systems go by week one, so they are ready to just come out and not fall flat on their face like they did in the second half last year against Cleveland somehow won, or against New England the year before or against Cleveland in 2023, one of the worst games I've ever seen.

Starting point is 00:50:44 Can they come out just ready to fire on all cylinders? Send that message in September that we're not going to wake up until September ends, and we're going to wake up when September starts 2 and 1, or better yet, 3 and 0. That's what my hope is. That's how you become a Super Bowl contender. Well, the Bengals were 2 and 0 last year. You know, they won their first two games, but we all know what happened in game 2, and that was that big dark cloud that coach is talking about that kind of stayed over Cincinnati

Starting point is 00:51:12 because of Joe Burroughs injury. One more point to make on the odds and the power rankings. I think it's sometimes too much skewed by results from the year before. I mean, let's think about what the conversations and the odds were this time last year. How many people had New England in their top five? How many people had Seattle in their top five? you had Seattle in your top well I can get that but yeah but here's the point even if you had them in your top five you didn't have one you probably didn't have a number two no and those are the teams

Starting point is 00:51:46 that played for the Super Bowl so I think a lot of times people that look too much at previous years results and not necessarily what the roster change looks like and I think that's a mistake people are making on the roster change the Bengals have made in 2026 to your point about training camp and getting out to a hot start. That's been talked about in Cincinnati now for multiple years, the idea of getting off to a hot start. And the Bengals did that last year. They looked ugly in Cleveland. They got the win. Week two, it was devastating because they lost Joe Burrow, but they got the win. And we don't know what that hot start would have led to, quote-unquote, hot start with the 210 start, would have led to because they lost Joe Burrow. And then they had to turn

Starting point is 00:52:32 to Jake Browning, who just wasn't ready to replicate. what he did previously when he came in for Joe Burrow. So every year there's going to be these storylines at training camp. To me, what matters for the Bengals at training camp? Yes, is the development of some of these guys that either are A young or B ascending. That's Miles Murphys. That's Shamar Stewart's. That's all of these rookies they brought in.

Starting point is 00:52:59 Everybody else, it's just get them to game one healthy so that they're ready to play. And if you have your guys and we could do this core of what are the top 10 bagels, you know, you have your big three, you have your Dexter Lawrence, you Orlando Browns. You pick out other guys on the team that you, Amarius Mims, that you think can be in this core of top 10, Chase Brown. If you get those guys on the field ready to go week one healthy, you're going to be in a spot to win any game you play in. And when you're in that spot and the timing of it is now with so much transition in the AFC North, the Bengals are going to be in a great position. You know what else would help him put the Bengals in a great position? Winning in the division. That interesting and yet fascinating conversation coming up next on the Bengals squad show. Here's something interesting when it comes to the Bengals in the AFC North that I was going through today compiling these stats. So we all remember 2021, right?

Starting point is 00:54:02 The Bengals beat the Steelers and the Ravens twice each. In those four games, the Bengals averaged 36 and a half points per game. four and two in the division. They lost two times to Cleveland. The week 18 game, I don't even really count because they didn't play their starters. So 36 and a half points per game. Three times he scored 41 points, including twice against the Ravens. Joe Burrow threw for 941 combined yards against the Ravens in those two games.

Starting point is 00:54:24 It was ridiculous. The next year they go three and three in the division. 29 points per game, still good, in those three wins. Plus, you got to count the playoff win over Baltimore with the fumble in the jungle. Then you get to 2023. This is where the numbers get really interesting. 1 and 5 in the division, terrible. 13.6 points per game.

Starting point is 00:54:44 13.6. Not good enough. Now, Joe Barrow didn't play in three of those games, but still, not good enough. 2024, they went 3 and 3. They averaged 29 points per game in the division. 36.7 in losses, 21.3 in wins. Explain that. I can't.

Starting point is 00:55:07 Last year, they were 3 and 3 in the division. 17 points per game, 10 points per game in their losses, 27.3 and wins. Let's call it for what it is, gentlemen. They have not been good enough in the AFC North. And the great quarterbacks, I was going through the great quarterbacks throughout NFL history, recent NFL history. Peyton, Drew Brees, Big Ben, Aaron Rogers, Mahomes, Allen, LeBar, Joe Flacco, all had winning records in their own division. Joe Burroughs record in the AFC North, 12 and 16. Last five years, 12 and 12.

Starting point is 00:55:36 Point blank end the period, they got to be better in the division. Well, it's tough because it's the best division in football. I mean, you could argue the NFC West pops up when the Niners are the Niners. Seattle, obviously, the Super Bowl champion and the Rams Super Bowl contender. And then Arizona is kind of a dead weight on the division. But certainly in the AFC, the AFC North, in the Joe Burrow era, Lamar Jackson era, has been the most consistently good division in the AFC. So that's part of the explanation of the numbers, but I'll give you an easier number to think about.

Starting point is 00:56:13 This is the path for the Bengals. The last 20 years, the Bengals have had a winning record in the division three times. Wow. Each of those years, they won the division. That's the path. You win division games. You win your division. You get into playoffs.

Starting point is 00:56:30 You host playoff games. That is the path for the Cincinnati Bengals. and not to belabor the point, but not only is the roster good, better in a different place than it was last year, but everybody else in the division is in a different place. It's in flux. You mentioned it. John Harvall, Mike Tomlin, guys who have been in their cities with those organizations for a long time, they're gone. You have to think everything is lined up for a team with the continuity of the bank.

Starting point is 00:57:05 with their coaching staff, with their front office, with their core players is lined up for them to take advantage of a division that's in flux in 2006. If they take advantage of it, that is the path to take advantage of the AFC North, win the division post-playoff games, and then you're on your way to getting back to where you want to go. Totally agree. I mean, you hit it right on my head. That is so true. And you know what? It's all out there. And that's why their number one goal. They just need to put, look at it very, very focused is to win the division. They win the division. They give themselves a great shot because they already know that they're in the playoffs. Now they're playing not only if you win those divisional games or you have a chance.

Starting point is 00:58:00 now you're talking about seeding in the playoffs and hey that that's a stepping stone to be in where you want to be you know you don't want to they don't want to make it via wild card teams they don't want to be a low-win conference champion or division champion to where now they're playing a week out so i think that's that is the key is for them to win their division it has to be i mean joe borough said in that sound bite in 21 when the Bengals were crushing the Ravens in Baltimore. If we can win this division, we can win at all. He's not kidding. I mean, Joe, you said it. The AFC North is still the best division in the NFL. You mentioned Harbaugh and Tomlin are gone. Also gone are Kevin Stefansky, but not only that Joe and coach, Jim Schwartz has gone.

Starting point is 00:58:51 And how many times the last three years have we talked about Jim Schwartz gave Joe Burrow fits when the Bengals particularly played in Cleveland? He threw for 82 yards in the season opener. 82 yards. It was so bad he got a haircut after the game. Last year in Cleveland, he threw for 111 yards. Oh, by the way, I think like 23 of those came in the second half. That's how good Cleveland's defense has been against Joe Borough and the Bengals. The Bengals have to be better in the division.

Starting point is 00:59:20 And one way you can do that is by running the football. Joe, what are the chances Chase Brown gets a contract extension this offseason? Complicated because there are so many other guys. that are on the books that they have to take care of as well. And we can list them, Miles Murphy, DJ Turner, Dax Hill. When I think about Chase Brown, and I said this when Joe Mixing got his second contract with the Bengals, I said, that'll be the last time the Bengals gave a second contract to a running back, because that's just the way the NFL has gone now, that you draft a running back, you play him for four years, and then you move on and restart the

Starting point is 00:59:57 process. I think it's more likely that Chase Brown gets franchised. tagged and kept in Cincinnati for a fifth year on that and then they let him walk thereafter. Here's why. They have to prioritize DJ Turner. To me, that's the guy you want to invest in, maybe even Dax Hill, because Dax Hill, the grades would show you the second half of last year. He was performing even better than D.J. Turner. And so if you can lock down that position at a price that is significantly less on the cap

Starting point is 01:00:29 when it comes to franchise tag. You're talking 20 million-ish, 21 million. If you franchise tag one of your corners, it's only about 14 million for the running back spot. So I would let Chase Brown play year four. I would franchise tag Chase Brown in year five for 14 million, and then I would look towards the draft to replace him after five years as the running back in Cincinnati.

Starting point is 01:00:53 Wow. How about that? I was not expecting that answer, Jody. I think that is actually a very, well laid out roadmap when it comes to Chase Brown and his future with the Bengals. Hey, that again, you runoffacks, Joe hit it. A lot of teams that look at running backs and say, you know what,

Starting point is 01:01:13 they're dime a dozen until they don't have one. They've got one in the building, and I think they're going to continue to look around and shop, and they've got a young guy in Todd Brooks, who they're interested in, and see if those two can go ahead and battle it out. it would be it would be interesting i think they spent an awful lot of money how much money he got left well i think it's just simple math at this point it's if you're in a franchise tag anybody

Starting point is 01:01:41 you look at miles murphy the going market now for a franchise tag for an edge would be almost 25 million dollars a corner would be 21 million and then as i mentioned running back would be 14 and so it's the math works there for the bangles now The question is, would they feel comfortable if they were going to let Chase Brown just go ahead and walk after this year and not franchise tag them to finding somebody in the draft that you feel comfortable, dropping right into what we all believe is a Super Bowl contending roster? We've seen how important Chase Brown has been to this offense. Again, that's another guy that still feels like he has another level to his game. It felt like at the end of last year, his ascension was. starting to do one of these, pointing forward, pointing up. And it feels like there's still just

Starting point is 01:02:34 another level to his game going forward. And the hard thing is, if you're any team that has drafted and developed, it's hard to let a guy walk when he's just now coming into the best version of himself. Now, we understand running bat. The drop off is quick because of how much these guys are used, how many hits they take. So I have no problem with an NFL team sticking to that draft play release and then let somebody else come in. But again, if you're going to have a guy like Chase Brown that you know can help and has helped them win and will help them win, it's going to be hard to let him walk after four years, his rookie contract, and say, okay, we'll just find his replacement in the draft.

Starting point is 01:03:19 We'll drop him right behind Joe Burrow and everything will be fine. Sometimes it's not that easy. And that's why I think they're going to have to either consider the franchise tag, which I think is probably the best option for them. And then you can draft a running back this year and let them work together for a year. And then that guy takes over when Chase is done after the franchise tag year. Or you can decide to give him a second contract, which just doesn't happen very often in the NFL with the same team. Unless you're a super special guy and it can be debated if Chase Brown reaches that level.

Starting point is 01:03:54 He's a great player. There's no doubt about it. fits really well with the Bengals and what they're doing. But is he that special kind of player of a Bejan Roberts and a Sequin Barclay, a Kenneth Walker who got paid by the Kansas City Chiefs? Somebody will pay him. I just don't know if it'll be the Bengals. I agree with that sentiment.

Starting point is 01:04:12 And I think you just igniting the conversation that will carry into next week and for sure the rest of this offseason. The NFL schedule comes out next Thursday. The Bengals schedule will get released at 730. Joe, I'm going to ask you, how many primetime games? do you think the Bengals will get in 2026? Well, I think we have to look at it a little bit differently because prime time games now,

Starting point is 01:04:33 the way the NFL looks at it, they look at prime slots. It's not just prime time games. The 425 slot to them also feels, quote, unquote, prime timeish when you're putting them on almost a standalone island for the whole NFL to watch. They had what? Six of those last year when you count 425 games

Starting point is 01:04:54 on top of their actual prime time games. One got flexed out in Buffalo because the Bengals had fallen off because of Joe Burroughs injury. I think it's right around that number, five or six, premium window games, whether that's prime time or 425. And I think a really good chance of going overseas and playing one of the international games this year. Joe Burrow has made it very well known. He wants to do that. And we've seen people in the NFL listen to Joe Burrough when he speaks up. So I have a feeling we're going to see the Bengals playing international game this year and probably get five or six premium window games, including the Kansas City game.

Starting point is 01:05:35 That's got to be one, right? It will be. The Kansas game has to be. I think, you know, CBS, Fox, they're going to be clamoring to get that game at 425 if it's not on actual prime time. Will they play on a holiday this year? Well, the thing is it's not necessarily just always a holiday. It could be around a holiday, right? It could be the Black Friday game or it could be the game around Christmas. I don't know how the schedule falls out this year. I would guess. I think the easy guess is no because they played on a holiday last year, but they might get one of the holiday adjacent games because they are a team. The NFL knows people want to watch. Look, people watch football for multiple. reasons. One of the reasons is it's their favorite team. A, B, they watch for gambling, right? And then C, they watch for fantasy football. And the Bengals have more fantasy football players on their offense than

Starting point is 01:06:31 maybe any other team in the NFL when you talk about the big three plus Chase Brown. So the Bengals get eyeballs because people want to watch the Bengals for whatever reason it is they watch football. And let's not bury our head in the sand and say that the Bengals aren't a team that fantasy football players want to watch because they have four guys, unlike a lot of different teams that people will be interested in, either on their team or whoever they're playing against. It's a big deal. That's why a lot of people watch the Bengals. They're exciting to watch. They got a celebrity quarterback, and they have people that they want on their fantasy teams, and that's a big reason the Bengals get a lot of eyeballs. No question about it. I have four primetime games in my mock schedule, plus a 425 game in week

Starting point is 01:07:13 nine, and a 425 game in week 16. You did a mock schedule of the schedule? Joe, I have box schedules for Sunday night football, Monday night football, Thursday and Fox. I can send you all. They're all my phone. I did them when I was getting an oil change in my car about two weeks ago. I did that while I had NFL network on in the waiting area.

Starting point is 01:07:35 Shout out to where I get my oil change at. Can you at least give me your Sunday night and Monday night games here on the show? Monday night, week one at Houston, Sunday night week two at home. the Ravens. Wait, you have them going Monday and Sunday night to start the year? I do. Outstanding, but that would be a banger. Bangles and Texans, I mean, you talk about two teams that I think right now that I would pencil in as serious contenders. Yes. Bengals and Texas. Bengals, Texans, if it's in week one, Ohio State, Texas is that same week in Austin. You can just put on that medal and run to Texas. Coach, I'm on a little dopamine right now from that

Starting point is 01:08:15 runners high from Friday at the flying pig. Maybe that's where I came up with this NFL schedule. But you know what? A man can dare to dream. Hey, you had too much time to think about it while you're, while you were running. I'll tell you what. When I was,

Starting point is 01:08:31 when I was hurting a little bit on those hills, I started going through like every AFC and NFC championship game since 1996. Don't worry, I memorized all of them. That is going to do it. Well, don't shake your head. You know, it's true. I have them all memorized.

Starting point is 01:08:42 Okay. All right. So good stuff today, gentlemen. That was really good. I tell you, and then the best part about this, guys, is we're live, hopefully, I should say, next Thursday at 7.30 when the Bengals schedule gets released, we're going to coordinate that with what James and Jake are planning to do. So, Coach, standby on that. We're either going to be live Thursday or Friday.

Starting point is 01:09:03 By the way, next Friday, I'm going to a journey concert in Tampa, Florida. That's going to be fun. Yes, it's going to be a good time. So I'll be in St. Petersburg, Florida, hosting this show, Coach. have you on. Joe D. We'll look forward to your next appearance on the Bengals Squad show. That's twice a week, law and form conversational supplement to the daily lockdown mangos podcast hosted by James Rapine and Jake Lisko. They're back next week. We're back on Tuesday next week. How much pressure exactly is on Zach Taylor? That question answered on Tuesday

Starting point is 01:09:32 show and then either Thursday night or Friday afternoon. Talk to you then. Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there. We thank you for all that you do. And we will talk you next week on the Bengals Squad Show.

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