Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: DJ TURNER EYES EXTENSION, Can Bengals' DEFENSE be the BEST in AFC NORTH?

Episode Date: June 9, 2026

Bengals' cornerback DJ Turner is coming off a spectacular season in 2025, his third in the NFL. Turner is now eyeing a contract extension with the Bengals, but should he be the No. 1 priority for the Bengals when it comes to a contract extension?   Alex Frank, Jake Liscow, and Coach Art Valero discuss how the Bengals and Turner can come to an agreement on a contract extension while still taking care of other players eligible for extensions.   Speaking of cornerback, the Bengals drafted one in the third round this past April in Tacario Davis. What are reasonable expectations for Davis, and what parts of his player profile stand out?   The Bengals completely revamped their defense this offseason. Can it be the best in the AFC North this season? The guys discuss how it's not a far-fetched proposition.   Joe Burrow is a great quarterback. But is there one part to his game that is concerning going into the 2026 Season? It's a conversation many Bengals fans may not want to hear, but it is worth talking about.   Photo Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images   Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengals   Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everyday...   Find and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0l...   Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...   Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-...   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now.   Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Alex Frank. DJ Turner and the Bengals are in talks about a contract extension, but is he the number one priority when it comes to contract extensions this offseason? I don't see who else is in that competition. I think it probably should land on DJ Turner. I think that, hey, he's part of one of the pieces of the great puzzle. They had the potential to be in one of the best defenses in the AFC North, but you've got to keep the band together. It's the Bengals Squad. Everything Cincinnati Bengals every week.

Breaking down all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Queen City, the way only the Lockdown Podcast Network can. From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad Show starts now. It is Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Welcome to the Bengals'Bengal Squad Show. We're live on Lockdown Bengals and the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day, the number one sports podcast network in America and the world.

We're brought to you today by Fandoul. And right now with the World Cup happening, the biggest stage in world soccer being here. Let there be goals on Fandul. Visit Fandul.com to get started now with Jake Lisco. And co-insured Fulero. I'm Alex Frank. So happy you're with us this afternoon,

so much to get to on today's show. DJ Turner and the Bengals are in talks about a contract extension. And most importantly, DJ Turner is in the building. He's putting in the work. You love hearing that. DeCario Davis, the Bengals third round draft. What can he bring? to the Bengals defense. Could the Bengals defenses coach you were alluding to in the open be the best

defense in the AFC North? It's actually not that far fetched for proposition. And then a Joe Burrow concern that's not injury related. We'll get to that. You'll want to be locked in for that second. But we begin with DJ Turner and his camp, his agent and talks with the Bengals on a potential contract extension. I think most importantly, guys, and coach, I'm sure you'll agree with me on this. He is here in the building, putting it in work. He's not worried about what kind of money he's going to get, he's worried about helping this Bengals team win. That's a refresher from the last three off seasons. Well, you know what? That is half of it. You know what? He showed up and he's there. You don't hear anything out of his camp and he's allowing his representatives to do all the work.

And he's focused on one thing or the other. If they don't sign him, he's auditioning for 31 other teams. So you have no control over that. You let your personnel or your people do the work. Then if it comes to agreements, you're having a great time, you go. It's obvious that by drafting the other young kid, shoot, they've made up their mind. It's now coming back on you. They won't get rid of you in order to keep going. So he's doing the right thing. Jake, you said that you don't know who else would be the number one priority for a contract extension this offseason, DJ Turner. Do you see the Bengals and Turner coming to an agreement, let's say, before training camp starts? I wouldn't be surprised. I think that's probably where the timeline

would be, and I think that that's a clear number one priority, or at least it should be. And I think that's kind of what the general wins are pointing to, but I am not really in a 100% camp, like this is definitely going to get done. It doesn't feel like that. it doesn't feel like it'll eventually get done like it felt like, say, with Jamar Chase or, you know, Joe Burroughs eventual extension that took right up until the regular season to finally get name on dotted line. I don't know if it'll be as certain as those things, but I do think that it makes a lot of sense for the Bengals to prioritize DJ Turner as the young priority leader of that defense deserving of an extension. You have a guy who's on the rise as a player in DJ Turner, 18 passes defensed. last year. A lot of guys locally, especially the cover of the Bengals were surprised, shocked that

DJ Turner wasn't at the very least a pro bowler, considering he played in all pro level from really like week six on. He started 16 games, played in all 17 games. He had two interceptions. He had one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles. He now has 33 passes defense in three seasons. So you have a player who's obviously eligible for a contract extension, but the question is, do the Bengals view that the same way? Do they view him as a rising player? Do they view him as a player that could be part of the core, the future for not only this upcoming season,

but future seasons after this one? I don't see how you wouldn't. I mean, he's the top playmaker on the defense in terms of the ability to get hand to football and disrupt the passing game. There will be other guys making plays on the team for sure. We just did an episode last week on lockdown Bengals. Joe Goodberry and myself,

who we talked about the Daniel Jeremiah championship checklist, essentially, and part of that is you need to have defensive playmakers that are not just pass rushers. And in the back seven for the Bengals right now, I think the DJ Turner is a clear leader in terms of a player who gets his hand on the football, whether it's past, breakups, interceptions, forced fumbles.

And you're hoping to see a little bit of that from some of the other guys back there as well, especially the linebackers. Can they start dripping in some splash plays to go along with the rest of what's going on, with their issues that they had last year on the field. If they can start having some splash plays as well, then you can add some playmakers there.

But as far as guys that are established and have shown the ability to do that, what DJ Turner did last year against really high-level competition, he was getting the assignment with opposing number one receivers more often than not, is deserving of a guy that should be part of the building blocks for this defense.

You need to have some players on second contracts. You need to develop and retain some of your own players. The Bengals let Jesse Bates go after they drafted and developed him, for example. And there are a few examples like that throughout franchise history. Obviously, this happens from time to time. And this is a little bit of a repeat of the Leon Hall, Jonathan Joseph era of the Cincinnati Bengals, or the Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson era of the Cincinnati Bengals, where they have two good players at the same position.

And this is a way that it could have gone with Dee Higgins and Jamar Chase, that where the Bengals end up only paying one of those guys. And if you're picking just one of them, I do think that DJ Turner should be the priority. Coach, how much value should a team put on a shutdown cornerback, especially a guy like DJ Turner? Well, tremendous value. You start building it.

I mean, it doesn't matter. Last year, he had two picks. He had no pass rush to force anymore. He had two, or at least one safety that was not even around. So he is going to benefit so much from this, from all the edge rushers they got. Because of maybe not perhaps this, well, definitely not the sacks, but the pressures that are applied to the quarterbacks, he's going to throw balls

when he didn't want to. And if you're a coverman, a shutdown corner, so to speak, you can't, they aren't out there. They aren't out there. So what's going to happen is you'll see, because of his ability, people will choose not to throw in his area, or they will want to see how good he is

and the pass rush will allow him to create, more turnovers and to make more plays. So without a doubt, you build it in modern day football, corners, edge rushers, safeties, linebackers. And I think that he's very much of value. He's totally a value. If you have a guy that can take away a whole half of the field, I mean, because you saw this in Seattle with Richard Sherman and we see it all across the NFL, if you can take away

one half of the field, it makes the quarterback's job. very, very difficult. And if you have a great pass rush, that's going to open his opportunity, as you were just saying, the opportunity to create turnovers. Jake, I love the point that you brought up when it came, when it comes to cornerback tandems, defensive end tandem, because for me, it goes to the point, if you have a great player, regardless of position on defense, which you've been struggling on that side of the ball for years and you've had so much turnover, why not change your philosophy? Why not change the way you do business? Coaches, you say, don't let him out of the building. If you got a player, regardless of position, regardless of level, pay him, pay him early,

and then go from there. Well, I think a lot of it ends up, you're going to find out how much they value him by how quickly they will agree to terms and get him in the building, getting locked up, so you don't have to worry about that one. And hopefully they've dispersed their money around enough to where he's not an immediate cap hit for this new contract. You can extend it down the road, and that's what you're doing. You're paying it forward. What I love about this, DJ Turner, is you're hearing things that he's saying that are a complete contrast of what we heard from Shemar Stewart last year, or Trey Hendrickson last year. Or even in 2024, there was the trade request from Hendrickson that year.

There was a terrific article written by Paul Daner Jr. in The Athletic this week where DJ Turner talked about what he's feeling and how happy he is to be here saying, quote, It's definitely a good vibe right now when talking about the Bengals and the defensive changes, saying, continuing, in quote, we did add a whole bunch of players on our side of the ball. And it's just exciting. Honestly, everybody wants to win. I was the last one here. This is my second day. And I could tell everybody was just on the same page, wanting to work, wanting to win.

That's what it all comes down to. Those two things, in quote. Jake, would you hear that? You've been covering this team for a long time. This is such a stark contrast from what we've been hearing. and it gives you that vibe going into the dead period of the offseason, but then going into training camp that these guys are committed to winning. And there's not really a lot of drama that's going to hinder their ability to do that.

Yeah, it will be interesting to get through a training camp in an offseason for the Bengals with minimal drama. We haven't had that for at least two years, maybe three years. Trey Hendrickson, obviously, Jamar Chasey Higgins, and you could even say Joe Burroughs extension that went right all the way up to week one. So I guess it's really been the last several years where there's been something in training camp that has been an off-the-field issue and off-the-field distraction. Shamar Stewart last year as well, as you mentioned. So just that that doesn't seem to exist, at least yet, this off-season should hypothetically lead to more focus.

Just there's no distraction. There's nothing lingering over the team. There's no regular questioning of, what about Trey? what about Trey? What about Trey? What about DJ? It's not going to happen this year. At least as it seems right now. We'll see if training camp, if anything changes, if there's any hold-in sort of behavior from anybody during training camp where guys aren't participating until deals get done. But as coach said, the team is probably interested in or should be interested in getting these deals done right around the time training camp starts so that this isn't

lingering over anyone going into the regular season. Coach, you know this being around NFL, being on NFL coaching staffs, when there's, when there are distractions, when there is drama, it can derail everything that you're hoping to accomplish. You know, they also say, coach, defense wins championships. And you have players that are saying the things that DJ Turner is saying, that Miles Murphy's saying the linebackers are saying Dexter Lawrence is saying, they're not hoping that something works out this season or they hope that they get breaks going their

way. You can sense, coach, they're going out there and they're taking it. That's a really good thing to have and to know as a fan going into the upcoming season. Well, if you look at it, okay, they've made a substantial upgrade all the way around, you know. And you're saying, okay, these new people that have come into the building, they are hungry. And yes, certainly they're getting paid. But they, as athletes, they want to perform and meet that challenge of what they've received. And now it's a matter of you see all the other Bengals who went through really a season of hell last year that they were definitely not satisfied with the way that they played or the way that the group played, that they see a new light.

And now it's a matter of staying healthy and going out and everybody doing their job and doing it to the best of their ability. And they feel, they don't feel the tension of, oh, shoot, we got a comfort for this guy. and this guy and this guy. We've got some dogs, some real dogs out there that, hey, if I do my job, I know that they're going to do theirs. And now we've got a chance. And with who we're facing every day in practice, you know it's going to be good. So, you know, right now, hey, take care of the back end.

It's as simple as the fact that this year there are veterans on this team that aren't in contract sagas that don't have any off-the-field drama or they're not signing their rookie contracts. That's what was the case last year. You don't have that this year. Now, Jake, I'm going to turn to you here being that you are the salary cap guru that you are for DJ Turner. When it comes to a potential contract extension, what are you hoping for that the Bengals and DJ Turner can come to an agreement on so that they don't overpay, but they also give him money that he could be deserving of? I think it's going to be near the top of the market, not necessarily at the top of the market for DJ Turner.

And when we look at corners as I get those contracts pulled up over here, the top paid corner in the NFL, Trent McDuffie with the Los Angeles Rams at $31 million. Derek Stingley and Sauce Gardner last year signed big deals to $30 million per year deals. And the Texans seem to be paying everyone right now as they're trying to capitalize on the end of C.J. Stroud's rookie contract. I think you're probably looking in the low to mid-20s range. Patrick Sertan's deal is $24 million at this point. That's looking like an absolute steal for the Denver Broncos.

But it wouldn't surprise me if with inflation, J.C. Horn a $25 million. That's roughly the range for DJ Turner is in that mid-20 million dollar range. But for the Bengals, what that looks like is practically speaking a little bit of a bump for DJ Turner in terms of the cap hit this year, a big cash outlay for DJ Turner this year. And then the cap hits really start. taking effect when the extension begins next year. And when you consider that the new money for DJ Turner, say it's a three-year, $75 million deal, $25 million per year over the next three years.

The way you can also see that is, well, now you get DJ Turner for the next four years, for four years, $79 million, because I think he's due about $4 million this year due to some player performance escalators that he's earning in the last year of his rookie deal. So when you think about it that way, you're thinking about four years just south the $20 million per year with a three-year extension that's worth the $25 million per year in new money. But since you do get to spread that out over the last year of the rookie deal, that's why it would behoove the Bengals to get that contract done now because it helps to spread out that expense and lower the per-year hits and per-year cash expense over the life of the deal.

Do you think the Bengals are going to have to overpay to extend DJ Turner? What's an overpay? I think that players tend to get market value in the NFL. when you're not letting them hit free agency, that market value is often a little bit suppressed. If you mean, like, do the Bengals have to go to the top of the market? I don't think they do. I don't think they have to touch $30 million. But do they have to pass Pat Sertans 24 that a few years later or a year later, however long it's been, looks like an absolute steal? Yeah, they might because that's the way that salary cap inflation works and player salaries tend to follow in suit.

And that's why I tend to benchmark as a percentage of the cap when the deal is signed rather than just against other deals. Because as a percentage of the cap, those numbers are much more stable. You don't see huge jumps there as often. You do see them from time to time. Tyler Linderbond. This offseason was an example of that where you saw a huge increase at the center position in terms of a percent of the cap at the time the deal was signed. But for the most part, those numbers are pretty steady. And I think that that will probably be the case for DJ as well.

I find that point that you brought up about the Texans and how they're paying everybody on their defense. And they obviously have a tremendous defense. We talked about that on Friday show. But they're paying everybody before C.J. Stroud's rookie contract is up. And then he's eligible for a contract extension. Coach, that's one thing that Bengals cannot do again. You know, Joe Barr obviously is now not on a rookie contract. But you can't do again where you have an opportunity to pay some players that could be part of your court.

or at the very least, you talk about players 11 to 53. If you've got good players at positions of value that can help you win a championship, pay them early, and then go from there. Absolutely. You know what? And the thing is, is they've still got a lot of their players out there that can still redo their contracts. So you've got extra money there. And I can see it if you've got a young man that's in the building and he's doing everything

you've asked him to do, even though the group has not been a solid group. But he has performed to your expectations. And you got to pay him. And, you know, I agree with there's a whole lot of numbers and some very creative work that people can do. And I hope that the Bengals do it, and they do it early. You know, that's the worst thing is if you don't sign those guys early, they have a tendency to get a little discouraged. And they end up starting to think more about themselves than they do the team or the group that they're with. And I think, hey, it would seriously behoove the Bengals

to get that thing knocked out. What you're saying is exactly what happened with Jamar Chase, exactly what happened with Trey Hendrickson. Now, Jamar Chase is obviously still here in a long-term deal. Trey Hendrickson is not. But you don't want to go through that again, because we've seen how that can derail an off season when it comes to DJ Turner. And the good thing is he's here.

He's in the building. But you want to get it done early. So you have him because if you don't, then you allow wiggle room. And you don't want players worrying about themselves when you're trying to focus on the ultimate team goal. Speaking of corner, when it comes to the Bengals, they took a corner in the third round this year in the NFL draft of Carrillo Davis. So we're going to talk about what he could potentially bring to an evolving Bengals corner. back room. This episode of the Bengals Squad show is brought to you by a fan duel. The biggest stage in world soccer is here in every match. Feels like it has the potential for a memorable moment. One goal

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From the opening whistle to the final kick, let there be goals on Fandual. Visit Fanduil.com to get started now. Don't forget to check out the Everyday Air Club here at the lockdown podcast. Never get your daily Bengals fixed completely. ad-free by joining the Everyday Air Club today. Start your seven-day free trial right now and get access to and get closer to your team without the interruptions. Check the link or click the link rather in the show notes or go to lockdown bangles.com to claim your free trial with Jake Liscoe and Coach Arfellar will get art back in just a few minutes. I'm Alex Frank here on the

Bengals squad. I show the twice a week long-in-form conversational supplement to the daily lockdown Bengals podcast hosted by Jake Liscoe and Joe Goodberry. Let's talk to Carrio Davis. Jake, when the Bengals drafted him, what were your initial thoughts? Were you impressed with the pick? Was he a guy? You were eyeing going into the third round. Which is kind of take me back to when the Bengals made the pick on the Washington corner. Well, when the Bengals picked to Carrillo Davis, it felt a little bit early to me.

It was a guy that my previous co-host on lockdown Bengals, James Rapine, was on. He thought the Bengals would have interest. They did have interest. When we talked about him in the week leading up to the draft, I thought that early interest was probably a little bit of a leap, a little bit of a departure from consensus. And he was a departure from consensus a little bit in that regard. But if he does hit, you've got a incredibly toolsy corner, the likes of which you really don't get in the NFL with the size and length that he brings to bear. If he can put that all together and control his movement in a refined

fashion, that's how you get some of the rare corners in the NFL. And we'll just see if he makes it to that point. And it'll be interesting to see what the role is that Al Golden has in mind for Ticario Davis in year one. And so far it looks like it's just going to be to be cornerback three on the outside as Jalen Davis and Jazeer Taylor have been reping early on the inside during OTAs. And maybe this is just to get Ticario Davis's feet wet. We'll see what training camp brings. Obviously he's a rookie. Got to learn that whole playbook. Got to catch up and figure out where he's comfortable. But right now it looks like he'll be backing up at outside corner unless he just goes out there and sets a world on fire and really

forces the Bengals to consider how to get him on the field as a rookie. But that is, I think, a pie in the sky scenario a little bit. That's great if it happens. It's not something that I think the coaching staff is counting on. It's not something that I'm counting on. But if he does live up to the tool set and put that together and develop it nicely, then you could have a long-term piece there. there are some questions for him, obviously,

that the level of play fell off a little bit from when he early in his college career was considered a future first round pick to where he eventually got drafted. There was a transfer in there, an injury in there as well. And so the transfer and injury, commonplace at this point for players coming out of college, right? Everybody's transferred at least once.

Injuries happen. But I'm not necessarily expecting huge things from Takario Davis in year one. I am excited to see if he does emerge in training camp and what kind of role is carved out for him. If they do carve out that Trey Flowers role that has been kind of written in pencil for him since they picked him and the matchup weapon to deal with the certain types of receiving threats, specifically tight ends or longer, you know, Joanne Jennings types receivers, the bigger guys that could give you matchup problems.

that's where you could see a role for him getting carved out if he is going to have a sub package rule to start. But right now, at least so far, through one week of OTAs and they're going to practice again today, maybe as we're talking about them, as we're talking about them right now, they could be getting out there on the field. We'll see if that role changes for him over the open practices over the next couple of weeks as well. Yeah, you know what, with this young man, it's great that they're keeping him outside for right now. So we can learn conceptually everything about the defense and where they, they're going to allow him to just play loose, play free. And when you think, and, you know, it's a whole different animal to play in the slot

because you're half linebacker half corner, really, and you have to learn so many different things, your eye placement, where they're going. And a corner, they can at least lay it and play right now to get involved in the, in the defense And in the scheme, it kind of learn everything, where your help is, all of those type of thing. It's just not saying, hey, you're a rolled up cover or a corner and cover two. You're a soft corner in quarters. Hey, your man, you can press or you can bail or whatever. These are things that he has to learn to know where his help is and it's great to keep him outside.

And then you can eventually, the more comfortable he feels, move him closer to the line of scrimmage or closer to the ball. I think the big thing with Ticario Davis for me, aside from his player profile, aside from what he did in college, the fact that he can come in and he's not going to be counted on right away to be a big part of this defense,

and maybe he is, but he's going to be counted on to be a role player or a rotational player. And when you have a guy like him that comes in and can only has to do that, then you're talking about a guy that can, you know, make the transition from college to the NFL as smooth as possibly. Think about last year with

Shamar Stewart, Barack Carter, Demetrius Knight Jr. All those guys, they were being asked to be major parts of the defense in their rookie seasons. Well, that just doesn't always work out, coach, as you know. So when you have a guy like Takario Davis who can come in, and I'm not sure exactly how much he's going to play this year at the Bengals cornerback room. We know they have DJ Turner. They've got Daxil, Jalen Davis. They signed a corner this offseason, Jazeer Taylor. So it's really interesting to see what Takario Davis is going to look like.

Coach, how's the transition for a corner from college to the NFL? What's that transition like? The speed and the consistency of the wideouts is so much different. How the whiteouts run their routes at the depth in which they run their routes. And the speed in which they run their routes is so much different. And then not to say even after they do catch the ball, it's just a difficult physical makeup of NFL white outs. So there's a transition that has to happen. There are very few that come in on our immediate.

Just you're built for this league and you're ready to go. You know, he's in a position that, you know, and as I was alluding to her in the first segment, But you know what? They're going to prep him because now if they sign DJ, they don't have to necessarily sign Dax if they've got a guy waiting in the wings that they feel very, very comfortable about. And he's playing on a rookie contract too. So they can spread that money out. So it's going to be interesting to see how he develops and how they play him the more and more as he starts to go on. 80-inch wingspan.

That's a long wingspan. I mean, we're talking about a corner who is six foot four, or almost six foot four, Long Beach, California is where he's from. He was a fourth year senior last year. And some key things to take away that Dame Bruegler mentions in his draft guy at the beast. He says intriguing, but needs to figure out how to turn the almost interceptions into turnovers. I kind of, I feel like that's how Jalen Ramsey was when he came out of Florida State back in 2016. I'm not saying to Cargo Davis is Jalen Ramsey. The coach, when you have a corner that's 6-4 and an 80-inch wingspan,

you're talking about a guy that has an incredible frame that makes it very daunting for opposing quarterbacks to want to throw to that side of the field. Is that accurate? Oh, it is. You know, because those contested balls are really contested now. You don't have those short alligator arm corners out there. Everybody's going for length.

They want length. And I think that him having that length and that size, You know, the last time you see a corner that big is you got to go back to the Mel Blunt days. You know, that's actually, I mean, a grown man sitting out there. Now, how does this body adapt to the speed, to the agility in the NFL as opposed to in college? Yeah, that's the big question. Jake, what are your expectations for Takario Davis in his rookie season? They kind of touched on it earlier, but like, what are you hopeful for that he can bring to this bangles evolving cornerback room?

Well, I think you're looking for development, the technical development, and trying to figure out ways to keep him in phase consistently and refining the technical aspect of his game to the point where you're not as worried about some of the change of direction at times that for a guy that's 6-4, you're going to have some change of direction stuff, where typically if you're 5-10, you're a DJ Turner-sized corner, you're staying in a hit pocket all the time, you're built lower to the ground,

you have shorter legs in terms of the proportions of your body Takario Davis. It's going to be a longer leg guy. So finding ways to help him develop and figure out how to stay in the places where he should be in coverage, just a rookie just coming along is really what you're looking for there. But in the NFL, your third corner does play. And it would be great if Takario Davis is the Bengals third corner beats out, I don't know, Josh Newton, I imagine, is the primary competition for quarterback three on this team right now.

And you go back over the years, the quarterback three. the cornerback three for this team has been in big spots. Go back to the last time this team was making playoff runs. And it was Eli Apple, who was a butt of a lot of jokes, but he made significant plays to help the Bengals win games, especially in the playoffs, thinking about tackling Tyree Kill on the one yard or so to keep him out of the end zone. So that cornerback three will play in some capacity.

And if it's beyond stepping in for an injury replacement here or there, then it'll be, like I said, interesting. to see if he takes on the Trey Flowers role with that rare size he brings to bear as a potential matchup weapon against tight ends as a rookie. You're hoping that Davis materializes into a guy that can play opposite of DJ Turner. Then you figure out what you're going to do at Slot Corner, whether that is Daxil or somebody else that you brought in this offseason. Or maybe that's something we talk about down the road is another cornerstone. But Dane Bruegler had this to say about Ticario Davis saying, quote, he has truly unique

measurable for a cornerback which work against them at times, but his size speed traits and ball skills are worth the gamble, though he has tools for press span teams. He projects best as a zone corner in cover three looks, and quote. I just am really intrigued by how long he is. And you have a long corner, because normally when you think of a corner, you think of a guy that's like what, 511, 6 foot, 6, 1, something like that, you want a corner to have speed that can match coach. You're saying the speed of the receivers in the NFL. But if he's got a long wing span, that's going to make for some really good battles on the outside, but some of the receivers the Bengals are going to face this season. And again, the key is he's not going to be asked to do too

much right away. And that coach, I'm sure you've been around this when you're a rookie, if you can just kind of, I don't want to say ease in, but if you can gradually learn life in the NFL, especially as a corner, that's going to make your job a whole lot more manageable on Sundays. Well, true. You know what? I think the thing that they're, is going will be interesting is as they get to camp and even through o tas and minicamp is how he when they wide outs and dbs go one-on-one how he plays versus big wide outs and t higgins and then smaller guys like like jemar chase you got a very quick the quickness would be the thing that you really want to pay attention do to see how he adjust versus the Jamar chases as opposed to the longer the strider types because at

six four you're probably faster than quick and you have to be able to play them both and not just be a zone guy you cannot you've got to be able to play man as well especially in this defense I think Algolden wants to run a lot of man I don't know that he wants to run as much man as he did at Notre Dame, but I think that he wants to run man, and I think that he's looking for corners that can execute on that part of the deal. And so it'll be fun to see whether Al Golden gets back to playing a little bit more man this year. We saw some of that come back up last year as things started to simplify.

But I'm also interested to see the schematic changes on the coverage part of Al Golden's defense in year two. Is that something that I think he's still trying to figure out exactly what's best suited to his personnel and was a process for him last year. So, Takario Davis, Grady, there's a fourth round pick by Dan Bruegler, third, fourth round pick by Lance Zerlind and NFL.com. He compared him Zerlind to Nishon Wright of the Chicago Bears. One thing he did mention in his Zerlind's draft report is Davis slams catch windows closed

when he's in the neighborhood. You love the fact that you have a corner with closing speed like Ticario Davis. And if he's that playmaker, that corner that the Bengals have one and DJ Turner, but if you can have two, I mean, you're talking about. cornerback tandems like, I mean, we see it with Patrick Sturtain and Marley Moss. We see it. I mean, we've seen it many times before Jalen Ramsey and AJ Boyer in Jacksonville, those early years.

So I'm not saying the Bengals have that right now, but I think there's a lot of potential, a lot to be excited about what Ticario Davis. He's going to be one of my key players to watch as we get the training camp and we get to the preseason. Speaking of which on defense, could the Bengals defense be the best in the AFC North this season. It's actually not that far-fetched for proposition. Today's episode of The Bangal Squad Show is brought to you by Square, the business platform that helps sellers become neighborhood favorites. Whether you're gearing up for a busy

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Alex Frank with you back on the Bengals Squad Show. The Bengals defense has undergone a complete revamp this off season. And it begs the question for me, can they be the best defense in the AFC North this season? I just want to get your two reactions. When I asked that, perhaps preposterous question, yet at the same time, there's a case to be made. It's not that far-fetched.

I don't think it's impossible. I don't think it's likely. I think that the Pittsburgh Steelers, honestly, I was going to name just a couple, but even in Cleveland Brown's post-Miles Garrett, I think all three of the AFC North teams, the AFC North Division rivals, have some good defensive bones,

some good defensive coaching, or have had good defensive coaching. We'll see what the transitions look like in the post-Jim Schwartz, in Cleveland, the post-Miles Garrett era in Cleveland. But Jared Verse is still a really good player. We spent some time talking about that on lockdown Bengals last week after the Miles Garrett trade.

Jared Verse actually had a higher true pressure rate than Miles Garrett did last year, according to Brandon Thorne, who charts every single pressure manually. And so it's not like that's a huge downgrade. It is a downgrade, I think. Nobody's Miles Garrett, but Miles Garrett. But still a lot of talent on that Cleveland defense. big thing there is to question whether they will survive. The Jim Schwartz, post-Gim Schwartz transitions smoothly as Todd Mocking gets going up there.

And I think Jesse Minter is a heck of a defensive coach landing with the Ravens. They've got a lot of pieces on that defense. If Namdi Matabike is ready to go for them this year, that's a huge difference. And he's a really, really good player. So if they get him back, that's a huge shot in the arm to go along with Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, to give the Ray, and Rochwan Smith, to give the Ravens real good. guys at every level. And the Pittsburgh Steelers just so stacked on that defensive front, Joey Porter,

on the outside of corner has been solid for them. They've made the acquisition, obviously, at safety. And so the competition is there. But the fact that we can ask this question and not immediately say, there's no way does indicate how far the Bengals have come. And largely that hinges on how our perception of the team changed after they acquired Dexter Lawrence to really be that anchor in the middle of everything. I think Jake hit it on the hit. You know what? They have a chance. But as you look around

the AFC North, the quality of defenses that are out there. And I think that, you know, if you look at it, they've upgrade tremendously. But I think there's still about 72, 75 percent being complete. And by say that is, I think they've made some additions that really help them out. But they don't have that guy. They don't have that recons or that linebacker group. They don't have Patrick Queen. They don't have a boy dog in the middle, Roquan Smith, who is it the Wilson kid from Pittsburgh, the other one. I think that those guys, that's where they drop.

And that's where I think it's going to show. I think it will show up. You can have all the hope. You know, wishes and nuts for candies and nuts went out by a great Christmas. You know, they needed to make, get somebody. That would have fulfilled that group. But I don't think by allowing these two young guys and you want them to make that kind of jump in one off season. Wow, that's putting a lot of pressure on those young guys.

The Brown's also with Carson Schwessinger at linebacker. He's looking like he's a great draft big for them last year, a defensive rookie of the year from 2025. So that is a concern of mine, coach. You hit it with the fact that the Bengals linebackers are still so unproven. But other than that, they have the best nose tackle in the AFC North and Dexter Lawrence. They may have the best corner in DJ Turner.

Maybe not right now because the Ravens have Marlon Humphrey. The Browns have Denzel Ward. Yes, the Steelers have Jalen Ramsey, but he's older. and overrated. So you look at what the Bengals defense, if it becomes what I think a lot of fans are envisioning, I think what the organization's envisioning, then yes, by the time we get to December,

put the statistics aside. If you watch the four defenses at that time, you may say, you know what? The Bengals defense gets after the quarterback in waves. They're creating turnovers with Brian Cook and DJ Turner and whoever else is creating plays in secondary, maybe Jordan Battle, who does have a knack for knowing where the ball is,

at times. So there is a case to be made that if the Bengals' defense comes together, the way that the hope is that, yes, they may be the best defense in the AFC North. And also, as we have mentioned, Miles Garrett now out of the division. The Steelers' best defensive players perhaps declining in T.J. Y. Cameron Hayward's older. Jalen Ramsey's older. Alex Highsmith is older.

Yeah, the Ravens still have Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey. But, like, I'm a little worried about other players on their defense, especially up front if they still have it. So it is going to be very interesting, given that we know what we know about the Steelers and the Ravens and maybe still the Browns, but the Bengals are like, wait a second, look at all the guys, we just got this offseason.

Why can't it be us? I think the big question is going to be the linebackers. The only way that you're getting to the top of the AFC North is going to be linebackers. I think the second biggest question is going to be pass rush. There are a lot of pieces that we like and waves that we're hypothetically thinking Al Golden can throw it opposing offenses,

but we do still need to see that come together on the field. We need to see whether the Miles Murphy Boy and Maffe Cassius Hal, Shamar Stewart combination to go with Dexter Lawrence, hopefully tilting things in their favor, will be enough to generate a consistent pass rush that leads to being the best defense because all these other teams just have pieces at every level.

I think that there are questions for these other teams as well. No one's perfect in the NFL, and that's also true for these AFC North defenses. But I do think that it, it is an uphill battle because of those two big question marks, particularly at linebacker and second on the edge for the Bengals, where again, we like the pieces they've collected there, but we do need to see how the pass rush is going to come together. I can't forget Nick Herbig, by the way, for the Pittsburgh Steelers, just signed that extension,

will be a bigger role going forward for him. One of the more productive pass rushers on that team actually had a higher pass rushing grade from pro football focus last year than did. J. Watt or Alex Tysmith just had fewer opportunities, but made the most of them. And so there's an up-and-comer there for the Steelers that just earned a lot of money. Again, not to say that these other teams are perfect, not to say that the Bengals done of a chance, but as we've discussed, ad nauseum this offseason with these linebackers, there's some unproven questions that need to be answered before you can really talk about

the Bengals' best defense in the AFC North. Point on. I mean, that is so true. Hey, every team's got warts. It's how well you can hide them. Unfortunately, at linebacker, hard to hide. You know, they will find you either whether it be in the running game or the passing game. And I think that they've made considerable upgrades.

And but now with those upgrades, you have a feeling that they've upgraded themselves equal to the Steelers and the Ravens and not beyond. And I think that that's the thing that the great thing is, is, yeah, those upgrades are great. Now you're to the show me stage. Now you get to go out and do it by how they play, what the game plans are like, how well they stick to them, and what they're actually capable of do as a group

and not as individuals. I think what you just said, Coach, applies directly to Al Golden. Because last year, the cover was so bare that we really didn't see what he hopes to do with this defense. I mean, he kept saying simplify vanilla. That's not going to be the case this year. But just like the pressures on Zach Taylor and Jake, you've talked about this with James and Joe.

Coach, we've talked about it on this show. We're finally going to be able to see what Al Golden can do as a defensive coordinator, but he's just, he says just, excuse me, he is under just as much pressure as Zach Taylor is. Okay. Al Golden, this coaching staff, Mama Zach Taylor, ownership is putting it on them. They've given them more pieces and resources to work with.

So if you're Al Golden, we're finally going to be able to see what he can do as a defensive coordinator. What is he going to be able to do with the linebacker? How can he hide those potential wards coach you talked about? You know, having that new look defensive line. What can he and defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery do? Yeah, Al Golden deserved a pass last year. This year, that's not the case.

we are going to expect him to put in some exotic looks, some wrinkles, to, you know, make sure that this defense is the reason why they're winning games, especially in the division. Well, yeah, you know what? I mean, it allows not only for them winning games, it's going to get the ball to a dynamic offense with short fields by having forcing turnovers with great field positions. football and not just being a bend but don't break defense but a a bend but then make a pivotal stop during the game you know as far as everybody wants to look it'll be very very interesting to see third down conversions on the defensive side of the ball how many stops hey all you got to do i've never lost the game zero zero and it's very very very very very difficult. Don't tell me you've been on the field forever because they only get three downs unless you allow them to have three more. And so, yeah, they gave them all the tools. Now show me.

Show me what you got. And that's what they have to do for the fan base and for this football team. That's exactly what that's, you're exactly right. I mean, they had an offseason very reminiscent of 2021 when they completely revamped the defense and it worked. So it can work. The question, is can they do it again? And I'll also say this, and we've talked about this a lot, too. There are so many more leaders on this Bengals defense veterans. But the difference between the Bengals and the Steelers primarily and maybe the Ravens to a degree is that the older players and veteran players on the Bengals defense, they're still in the prime of their careers. They're not declining. T.J. Watt, Alex Heismund, Cameron Hayward, Jalen Ramsey. Some of them,

if not most of them, are declining. The Ravens may be not as much. The Browns still have Denzel Ward, and they have some promising young players on their defense. Now they just added Jared Burr. So again, no Miles Garrett, but still very good. Bengals defense has a lot of veterans and a lot of key positions on defense that can help them be not just markedly better as a team from last year, but potentially up to par or above par with the Ravens and the Steelers. Switching gears to the other side of the ball for our last segment is Joe Burroughs something

Bengals fans don't want to actually admit he may be, and I'm not talking about injury bro. This is a very interesting conversation we're about to have about Joe Burrow. Because Bengals fans, including myself, often view him through a rose-colored lens because of what he represents, because of what he did so early on in his career. They're quick to defend him when the national media criticizes him, and I get that. There are areas of his game that need to improve. and most notably not turning the ball over in some key situations.

And I'm not saying he is turnover prone, but I am saying he's, quote, somewhat turnover prone. Jake, am I being accurate here or am I being completely delusional when I'm, when I say these things? Completely delusional. He's got one of the best turnover worthy play rates in the NFL over the last two years. You go back farther than that. That's been the case, really, since his rookie year, every year after.

that one of the best turnover worthy play rates in the NFL. Last year, he didn't fumble the ball a single time. And I've had fumble concerns about Joe Burrow over his career. As a rookie, I was concerned about how often he was putting the ball on the ground. Coming off of that wrist surgery, he put the ball on the ground in 2024, 11 times. Last year, zero fumbles. Outside of his rookie year in 2024, where he had 20 fumbles, he had seasons of last year zero, obviously missed some time, but he had plenty of snaps where he didn't put the ball on the ground.

2023, just two fumbles, 22, six fumbles, 21, five fumbles, not a whole lot of interceptions in those years either.

A little bit of a higher turnover-worthy play rate in 2024 because there are a lot of times where he's really playing hero ball. There are some moments where you might look at

Joe Burrow and say, man, that Christian Benford Pick 6 was a backbreaker. That's not really a play that I put significantly on Joe Burrow. That's a heck of a play

from Christian Benford. That is a reed that is in the Bengals offense where Burrow isn't actually thinking about anything. He's never going to see Christian Benford coming downhill on that play. He's just sees something pre-snap, thinks that's where the ball should go. That's where the ball went. I don't think that Joe Burrow is a turnover prone quarterback at all. And I think generally he's putting the ball where it should be.

He's very, very accurate with the football and compared to the rest of the NFL, which is all you can compare him to, right? One of the safest quarterbacks with the football and the NFL over his entire career. There's no question about that. He's one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history. He's one of the most precise quarterbacks in NFL history. But when he throws interceptions, and he doesn't throw a lot of them. But when he does, I think we get frustrated because it's like,

well, if he's so accurate and precise, why is he throwing interceptions at times in crucial moments? And again, you may not blame Burrow for the Christian Benford pick. I think it's a great play by Christian Bedford. I was at that game. I agree with you, Jake. But I also think about the interception borough through to Marlon Humphrey in week five of 24. I also think about the Steelers game, the first game that season when he threw two picks and lost a fumble.

I actually lost two fumbles and threw a pick. And you can say that Joe Burrow is the reason why they lost the game or not the reason why. I don't think he is because the defense was terrible that year. But there is a conversation coach, I think. to be had here because of what happened in Buffalo last year, because of the pick 60th, he threw against Cleveland at week 18. Now it was a meaningless game. Well, meeting this in terms of the standings and playoff implications, et cetera.

Obviously not for the Bengals, the Battle of Ohio. But I just do kind of wonder if you're nervous about Joe Burrow turning the ball over in a key moment. Because we've seen it happen the last three seasons. But is it also coach? because of the pressure to be perfect just gets to you. The hope is maybe the Bengals' defense being better is going to eliminate some of those potential turnover prone plays.

You know, he handles the ball every play. You know, between him and the center, they're the only ones that do. And when you look at a guy with his capabilities and his just overall, I'd like to find out of all those fumbles. Okay. Were they sack fumbles? well, that certainly wasn't his fault. Were they scambling, scramble,

getting blown up by somebody in space? Well, he had to scramble for a reason. Throwing picks? Well, you don't know what the communication was or how it went off or how the play was being taught to him. So, you know what? I'm not defending. I'm just defending the position overall.

And I think the quarterbacks in general, they don't get, they can throw the ball 50 times a game. A runnerback can carry the ball six times a game and have a fumble. And he can throw four picks in 50 games. And you're putting it on the on the runnerback for fumbling it in a crucial situation as opposed to the four or five picks that the quarterback through. You know what? That 14 inch little leather thing, it floats different.

And weather conditions and everything else. that would be the least of my Joe Burrow concerns, whether he can take them to the promised land is his ability to secure the football. I think that I would much rather have the ball in his hands and let him make the decisions than Joe Flackle, for that matter. I would rather him do it. And I have no concerns about that he's very aware of securing the football, very aware that they're probably doing drills every day in camp, in OTAs, mini camp, training camp about

securing the football. He's getting on time with his wideouts. And I think that Joe's going to have a great year. Why? Because he has put himself there to have a great year. He's talking about it. And, you know, Abraham Lincoln said, hey, you know, why is the chicken the greatest of all the farm animals? because it doesn't cluck until the eggs are hatched. Whoa. Well, I mean, we're talking Abraham Lincoln in the same segment as Joe. He's my favorite. That's your favorite quote.

Yeah, oh, yeah, because you know what? There's too many people talk about stuff at this point out. Don't talk about it. Talk after it. And I think that everybody wants to bring up this whole, this whole facade of things that, I mean, I read the paper every day and guys are talking about how great they're going to be And how did this is the time of year for optimism, coach.

Like when the chips are down, you know what? Chips are down. Players shouldn't be optimistic. Management should because they're trying to sell tickets. Players should just go about their business and get themselves ready. Well, you can credit the Bengals and their players for this. Every time they bring up how good the vibes are, how well everybody's getting along,

they all conclude those thoughts with, well, now we have to go do it. We have to go put the work in. We have to get it done on the field. and that mentality is very consistent throughout the line. Yeah, that is great. You know what I'd like to do is I watch a lot of those reels from guys, other guys, OTAs and mini camps. I've yet to see one from the Bengals. And I'd like to see some of those just to get the word out and let people see how this team is progressing, you know, just for advertisement purposes.

Yeah, that's a good point there, coach. and back to Joe Burrow and if he's turnover prone or not. Every quarterback is going to make mistakes. Every great quarterback is going to make mistakes. Tom Brady withdrew a pick six in the Super Bowl that they came back from now 28 to 3. I mean, it's going to happen to the best of the best in NFL history and even present. Patrick Mahomes makes mistakes. Josh Allen makes mistakes.

Look at the playoff game against Denver this past year. But I think Bengals fans make it concerned. I'm reading some of the comments from fans watching. this show right now. The fact that they're saying, well, Joe Burrow should hand the ball off more in the last few minutes and then he run the clock out. They lose games. They shouldn't. All right. Maybe we're nitpicking here. Maybe we're not. But again, this is also a conversation we're having at this time of year because we need to have content on these shows. We're in the dead period of the off season. We're least coming up on it. I do think that there have been plays

throughout Joe Burroughs career that suggests one of two things. One is that he's trying to force something that isn't there. The AFC championship game the Bang was won against the Chiefs was on NFL Network Sunday night. And there was the play before Joe Burroughs scrambled past Chris Jones for the first down on third and seven. He was rolling to his right.

And then he was, I don't know if he was trying to throw the ball out of bounds or trying to throw with the chase on the sideline, but he threw it right to a sliding chief's defender. And thank goodness for him, he dropped it. Like there was no play. to be there, just throw the ball out of bounds. Like I just wonder if sometimes, because he trusts his precision and accuracy so much, he tries to make plays that maybe aren't there, and that leads to turnovers.

He's going to throw interceptions. All great quarterbacks do, as I mentioned. Brett Farr, I think, holds the record for most NFL in reception's NFL history. And Brett Farr's a Hall of Fame. And Joe Barrow kind of reminds me of him in some ways. So there are plays that Joe Burrow was made throughout his career that I think he wishes he had back. I think we wish he hadn't made to play against the Ravens I mentioned in 24. There were other plays that season.

But turnover prone, I'm not saying he is, but you just worry after what you saw last year against Buffalo, which you saw against Cleveland, you just wonder if he can maybe improve in that area and salt away games the Bengals should win. Now, again, having a better defense will help you do that. I don't worry. I don't.

I don't worry. there are plays that happen. Every quarterback makes mistakes from time to time. Joe Burrow does it at a less frequent rate than just about anyone in the NFL. And that's been the case for his entire career. Joe Burrow, one of the smartest quarterbacks in terms of keeping the ball safe in the entire NFL. And I don't think that's changing anytime soon. In fact, I think it's trending only in a good direction for him. So where there are going to be some flu plays from time to time, I think. I don't have this concern that this is some issue. Now, you can look at, other nitpicks that you can make, and there are some throws that I wish Joe Burrow would make that he turns down. I think if anything I was going to criticize Joe Burrow for it, it would be that sometimes you got the seam against certain looks and you don't throw it.

And it's an alert throw that you don't always throw, that sort of thing. But putting the ball in danger on an infrequent occasion that it happens, I think it's easy to take for granted how safe Joe Burrow is with the football. and then when you do see those plays, they really stand out. And that doesn't mean they're happening at a frequent enough rate

that is something I think we should be concerned about. His confidence in his game planning and his abilities, you know, might, there's probably going to be one, you know, in terms of an interception. But, and knowing the type of the game and then last year, especially the frustration level was so high.

He was trying to almost do it himself at times. And I think that's when he got in the, you know, the batted ball pick against Buffalo. You know, that, that happens. But the other one, the RPO one, you know what, he saw the look. He was going to throw it. I have no concerns about whether he's going to turn the ball over.

Hey, and you know what? How resilient is he after the fact? pretty resilient. That's a great point there, Coach. He's pretty resilient because you look at some of the plays he has made, unfortunately, in his career. He always bounces back. He threw a pick against Dallas on Monday night football in 2024.

Comes right back, throws a game winning touchdown. So to your point, I mean, I've seen him win games when he's throwing two picks. I've seen him win games when he's throwing a pick in the fourth quarter. So, yeah, this just was a conversation to kind of see where you guys are at because I hear it from some Bengals fans. I hear, I've talked about it with my own family. we've had season tickets since 68, obviously. You know, and I figured, okay, let's make this a conversation.

It's going to lead to a very interesting conversation on Friday. Coach, you and I are back on Friday. Joe Burrow in the clutch gene, because it's a very interesting conversation. This was inspired by an article written by Mike Sando back in November of 2024. But before we conclude today, I did want to ask you both two wildcar questions. Not related to the Bengals. First question is this. What did you think of the Brennan Sorsby temporary injunction ruling yesterday?

Probably not great. I have not been keeping up with that story. It doesn't seem like a good thing. Good. The same here. You know what? College football at this point in time is out of control. And everything's a new precedent.

and you know what, haven't been following it diligently. It's been out of my scope. So, you know, I will read up on it and find out more about it. I think the most interesting question is that if the NCAA can't enforce a ban on a player for gambling, what can they enforce? Exactly. That's, in fact, what's happened here? That question posed was one of the more interesting points that I saw. around this conversation yesterday.

I was stunned. I mean, the fact that you could gamble on your own team and get away with it, what kind of precedent does that set for future players who obviously you hope don't commit the same violations, but the fact that you can get away with this and that the NCAA can't step in and say, this is not right. someone said it best yesterday. I think it was Scott Van Pelt.

College football has no commissioner. None. And it's going to be very interesting to see what the Big 12 does. Next question. Final question for the day. What is your interest level in the World Cup? And who do you think is going to win the World Cup? No idea who's going to win the World Cup.

Interest level definitely lower for me than it's been in past years. But I think that's just a product of being a little bit insulated from it where I am. Not a whole lot of conversation about it among my social circle right now. And so for me, I'll probably catch a few games here and there. I don't even know who's favored to win. I'm looking at ESPN right now. Apparently it's Spain, followed by France.

Who knew? Not me. Spain does have the number one odds also on fan duel. Coach, how interested are you in the World Cup? As long as we're playing in it, I'm all in for red, white, and blue. love the commercials with Arizioni on it. I think that is great. Yes.

Why not? Why not? And you know what the great thing is is the World Cup being in the United States, to bring a lot of money to a lot of cities and going to get a lot of visitors coming in. And it's about time that everybody in the world has a chance to see how we do things. Coach, you and I are back on Friday. Then Friday night, 9 o'clock Eastern time, 6 o'clock Pacific time, the U.S. taking on Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

They play Australia the following Friday, 3 p.m. Eastern Time in Seattle. And then they'll play Turkey on Thursday, June 25th, back in Los Angeles. That's a 10 o'clock match. It's exciting. It really is. I mean, the 250th anniversary of our country, combined with the World Cup being in the United States and the United States, having a chance, I think, to go somewhat far in this tournament. It's going to be a fun to watch.

That's going to do it for us on the Bengals Squad show today. Coach you and I are back on Friday talking about Joe Burrow and the clutch gene and whatever else we get to. Stay tuned next Tuesday. Our 10-year anniversary locked on podcast network special as relates to the Bangal Squad Show. We're looking forward to that. Thanks to Jake Liscoe, I check Liscoe, coach, Ruffalo, running backs coach of the Orlando Storm and the tight-ins coach of the 2002 Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm Alex Frank and Frankie underscore Natty.

Thank you for watching. Have a great rest of your day. Have a great week. Enjoy the NBA finals. Game four tomorrow night. Looking forward to a little nervous as a Dix fan, but I think they're still okay. I'm looking forward to Tuesday or, excuse me,

Friday show and the World Cup starting then and this week. Have a great week. We'll talk to you on Friday right here on the Bangal Squad Show, part of lockdown Bengals and the lockdown podcast network, your team every day.