Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: JOE BURROW with a BOLD STATEMENT about the 2026 Bengals

Episode Date: June 21, 2026

Joe Burrow said Wednesday that he feels the same way going into this season and about this team that he did about his 2019 LSU team. Uh... whoa! He's not just saying that just to say it.   Alex Frank, FOX19 Sports Director Joe Danneman, and Coach Art Valero discuss how Joe Burrow is going very bold with his expectations for the Bengals and what it means.   How good can the Bengals' cornerback room be this season? Could both DJ Turner and Dax Hill get contract extensions? Who is going to start at slot corner?   Zac Taylor has a lot of pressure on him coming into this season. But is his seat hot or just warm going in?   Dexter Lawrence no doubt sent waves through the NFL, especially in Cincinnati, when he was traded to the Bengals back in April. But what other move by the Bengals this offseason is the biggest standout from this offseason and which move could be the most impactful during the season?   Photo Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports   Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! Where you'll get updates directly to your phone and be able to text the hosts, check it out at: 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!   Rugiet Get 15% off your treatment → https://rugiet.com/lockedonnhl Rugiet. Performance medicine for men.   Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.   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.

Joe Burrow offered a bold statement about how he feels about this Bengals team and the rest of the NFL should be taking serious note. The Bengals quarterback compared this year's team to his national championship team at LSU. But who is he sending that message to I have a take? Well, hey, talking about just the offseason acquisitions or big things other than Dexter Lawrence, I feel that one is probably Brian Cook. Two would probably be the restructuring of Joe's contract. And number three would be Joe Flackle. Today, 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 Locked-on Podcast Network can. From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad Show, Starts now. Happy Thursday afternoon. Welcome to the Bengals Squad Show. We're live on Lockdown Bengals and the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in America and the world,

your team every day. Today's show is brought to you by Odu. Great organizations win because operations matter. And that's why you should get Odo. Try for free at Odu.com slash locked on. That's ODO.O.com slash locked on with Joe Daniman, Fox 19 Sports Director and Coach Art Valero. I'm Alex Frank. We got a great show coming up for you today. You may have heard Joe Burrow say something yesterday. That was rather bold. But hey, if Joe Borough's saying it, you got to believe it, right? Plus, the potential of the Bengals cornerbacker. DJ Turner, eyeing an extension. What's Dax Hill's future like? Where does Josh Newton fit in? Where does maybe Braylon Lux fit in? We'll find out. Plus, Zach Taylor, is he on the hot seat or is he on the warm seat and the biggest most impactful offseason move? Coach, you mentioned yours in the.

open. I've got mine. But Joe, let's go first to Joe Burrow saying that this team, he feels very similarly about this team, then he does the 2019 LSU team. Your thoughts on that? I believe, and I've said this many times about Joe Burrow, that everything he says at the podium is calculated, that Joe Burrow is a master of messaging. And Joe wanted to leave his teammates and his coaches with a message before they went on summer break before training camp that the expectation should be higher than ever because of the roster they now have here in Cincinnati. And I think what he said even more about comparing this year's team to the 2019 LSU national champions, what I thought he said about the idea of him now tapping into what he called mean leadership was a step forward

in the expectation of what not only this season is about, but what he's going to be like at training camp. I think you're going to see a very demanding Joe Burrow at training camp. I think he understands they're in a window now where it's not only getting to the playoffs. They need to win playoff games. They need to compete for Super Bowls. And there's this window they're in now, and he's going to be more demanding than ever.

I think of those clips you see sometimes guys of Tom Brady on the sideline and Peyton Manning on the sideline, yelling at teammates about the standard, about accountability. I think you're going to see that from Joe Burrow at training camp. So to me, I thought it was a message not to the NFL, not to his own fan base. I thought it was a message to his own teammates that when you come back here for training camp, this is the expectation. This is the standard. I'm going to hold everybody accountable to get on my level and go for that standard this year.

that's what I thought was the message behind that statement. Absolutely. I thought that him coming out just like Joe, you've got to read between the lines when Duraboro talks. And I think it was a very clear message to his teammates. And I'm sure if he came out and said it in the media, I'd like to be the fly on the wall in that locker room or in that team meeting room before they broke. and hear how he, Jamar Chase, because he was a part of that, and some of the other ones that Dexter Lawrence has got up and said,

okay, boys, time to buckle it up. Enjoy yourself for a while, stay in shape, and when we come back, it's for real. And that calculation and that calculating nature, Joe, that you mentioned, and the fact that the Bengals are going kind of on their one-month break, summer vacation, so to speak, before they come back for training camp. This is what it's going to be like when you come back, because we're not messing around. And I think this is a very confident Joe Burrow that we're hearing.

And it's also a very serious Joe Burrow. I think back to 2021 and 22, Joe Burrow first coming into the league. And he was confident. Borderline cocky, maybe. Definitely wasn't arrogant. But now that he's been through a lot of things, both himself and the team the last three years, you're seeing a very serious Joe Burrow understanding what this team needs to do.

While Joe Burrow thinks that they have the talent, And I agree with them. This team is talented, much more talented than they were last year. But understanding that there are jobs at stake, there are reputations at stake, there is so much at stake with this organization. Because next year is the 60th year for the Bengals. And you want to make sure that you go into that year with momentum going in the right direction and just maybe with a Lombardi trophy back in Cincinnati next year. One of the words he used guys was pressure. And it's a great buzzword in sports. And a lot of times it's people like us talking about teams and how they're going to handle the pressure of whatever moment they're in.

But Joe Burrow used the word himself. And I think it's something a lot of athletes like to pop their chest out about, have bravado and say, oh, I love the pressure. But how many of those guys do you really believe like the pressure? When Joe Burrough says it, I kind of believe it. He says, I love the pressure. And when he said, I want to see how other guys react to the pressure. again is another part of that messaging. And you talked about it, coach, the idea that these guys are going away now for five weeks.

How could that not be in the back of your mind when you're thinking about when I get back to Cincinnati, it's go time for this team. It's go time for an organization that needs to take a step that they haven't taken here in a few years. So that to me is, again, part of the master of messaging of Joe Burrow, leaving his guys with that thought. So it's on their mind the entire time that, okay, yeah, get away from football. Enjoy your five weeks because if everything goes well, you're going to be all football for six or seven months. But at the same time, when you step foot back here for training camp, you have to be ready to compete. And so what does that look like for how you spend your time the next five weeks ahead of training camp?

So the idea of pressure and burrow loving to be in that pressure cooker that is playing quarterback in the NFL and playing from the Cincinnati Bengals. I believe him when he says it. I don't know if I believe every athlete I hear say that, but I like that choice of words and how he said how much he loves it, how much he thrives in it, and how curious he is to see other guys and how they handle the pressure that comes with the expectation that is now this roster in Cincinnati. You know, it would be very interesting to find out how he felt a year ago, you know, how he approach you because you know one thing about Joe Burrow he's he's very cool I mean he is a cool customer and I believe him just like Joe that when he applies pressure he understands pressure

and he enjoys pressure but I think on the other hand he's got 10 other guys running around on him with him on offense that he wants to make sure that they're capable of handling the pressure and the pressure at practice and I'm sure that that that The coach staff has tried to turn up the dial because they've got new players there, and they're also warm as far as their seat goes. And so it's going to be a push all in from a football standpoint. And let's see, can you handle it? Can you young guys play like veterans the sooner the better?

When Joe Burrow first came into the NFL, I think there were things that he didn't even know, even though he was this very confident guy, and that rubbed off on the entire Bengals organization, especially in 21 and 22, because he redefined what was possible for this team and this organization. But you look at what the Bengals have been through the last three years, given how much Joe Burroughs been through with injuries, given the fact that the team wasn't very good last year,

and they were nine and eight the previous two years. I feel like not only are you getting the confident Joe Burrow again. You're also getting a more battle tested Joe Burrow, knowing what this team needs to do and what he needs to do to put this team in position. Because here's the thing. It's like a few years ago we were talking about how can they get the number one seat? How can they beat the chiefs in the playoffs? They haven't been to the playoffs in three years.

So he's got to understand, guys, we got to get back to the playoffs before we talk about going on a deep run when we get to the playoffs. And the way you do that is you start fast. You come into camp with a high sense of urgency. I expect this year's training camp to be extremely, extremely competitive, extremely physical. I'm expecting a lot of competition. I think you're going to see Joe Burrow a little more animated on the field than he's been. The other thing, too, guys, that I think that may be getting overlooked here. I think you're seeing Joe Burrow cater to all parts of the team.

You're seeing him in Iraq with Jamar, obviously, we know that. But at the same time, you've been hearing him how he's been kicking it with Dexter Lawrence because he knows he's got to make an impact too from a leadership standpoint on the defense, maybe had in the last few years, this year, that's going to hopefully change. Well, I want you to think back to last year and what Zach Taylor said midseason when this team was swimming, looking for defense and defensive leaders anywhere. When Zach was frustrated after a game, he said, we're looking for anybody to step up and take ownership of this defense.

And now you're seeing it, right? with Dexter Lawrence, with the guys they brought in this offseason, with as you mentioned, Joe Burrow and Dexter Lawrence hanging out outside of football. These are small things. And we understand that. But there's an idea here that this defense is now in better hands when it comes to leadership because of the guys they brought in that aren't just good players, the championship caliber players.

They brought in Boyo Maffei, who has a Super Bowl ring. Brian Cook has two Super Bowl rings. So you're looking at a defense now that has those voices of guys who have seen it done at a high level as far as a team. And on the offensive side, too, and I wanted to make this point about the idea of starting fast and the urgency of training camp and starting a season well, the Bengals are in this great sweet spot guys that I've thought about today of where guys are in their prime, but also have experience. And they have the experience together. You think about Joe Burrow, now entering year number seven. T. Higgins, entering year number seven.

Jamar Chase, year number six. Chase Brown, year number four. And you have all these guys, Andre Yoshibah, is another guy, and all these offensive linemen, they've been together. We've talked about continuity. And a lot of times we talk about continuity with coaching staff and no changeover in coordinator or head coach. But when you have this sweet spot marriage of guys very much in their prime, in their mid to late 20s, and have the experience of playing together now for multiple years, that lends itself to me to an offense that should start fast,

that should take a step forward this year. I think you would lose a bet if you ask Bengals fans, how many times have the Bengals been the top five offense with Joe Burrow? They haven't been. Now, Joe's been hurt a lot, but at the same time, you would expect this offense with the firepower they have to be a perennial top five team. It's hard to crack that. It's hard to be a top five offensive team in this league. But it feels like this marriage of guys in their prime and guys

having experience together over several years should lend itself to this team having its best shot they've ever had of being one of the, if not the best offenses in the NFL. Agreed. You know what? That's the one thing that they, that when he comes out and he talks about this, you know, and like Joe's talking, about all the veterans and the veteran leadership. And I think that they feel better about it because of the veteran leadership that they brought in on the other side of the ball. I can remember during the season on a couple of our podcasts that we were talking about who are the leaders, who has stepped up. And does everybody realize that the guys with the seat on their shirt aren't in the game

when it came to Troy Hendrickson and Joe Burrell for that matter at that time you're going to have your illustrated. Yeah. I said that's top. And now you've got some guys that are going to be there and you can count on to take over that

leadership. And you don't necessarily have to have the sea on your chest to be a leader. It's just do things right and do things as they're supposed to do and you will shine. And I think that that's the important thing is hey, and Joe

Right now he's standing on the table. Follow me. Follow me. And that's what you want. You need somebody that captains the ship. And right now, hey, you know what? In all season, it's going to be Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow had this to say about his leadership style and leadership this offseason, saying,

quote, I think this offseason, I really focused on trying to bring urgency to the room and try to just get everybody to understand the level of urgency that we have this year, the level of play that's going to be required from every individual who steps on that field. I've tried to communicate that. I've tried to be a little more vocal in a mean way, and that goes back to that mean style. Now, is it going to be literally in the literal sense of the word mean? I don't know.

Maybe it is, but I think you're going to see a more vocal, Joe Burrow. I think you're going to see a more sense of urgency from him, understanding what the last three years have been. Again, I keep bringing that up because this team, as you said, Joe, they have so much more experience in their primes. They know what they don't want to do so they can be who they want to be, what they were in 21 and 22. And that experience comes too on the offensive line. Orlando Brown Jr. well on his prime. Ted Karras well into his prime. Dalton Reisner well into his prime. And then he got Amaris Mims going into year three potential playing for a contract extension next offseason. And then Dylan Fairchild in here too. I think we haven't mentioned his name at all this offseason because he was just a rock solid offensive lineman last year for the Bengals. So you think about Joe Burrow and his leadership style. And you think about the experience that's on this team.

I mean, you have the opportunity to really take advantage of those two things, and this team should be ready to hit the ground running come the start of the regular season because you have a very tough schedule right out of the gate. And I think you could substitute the word mean. And Joe used that word at his press conference when he was talking about his leadership style, that it was going to be more mean. I think you could substitute that word for demanding. I think that's probably the better word.

I think he's going to be very demanding of this team at training camp. I can already envision in my head a young wide receiver running a wrong route and Joe calling him out for it, right there for everybody to see it. And that's the kind of accountability, I think, that comes with being quote unquote QB1, being Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. When you have everybody's respect, and if you take a microphone around to anybody inside that locker room, they'll tell you Joe's earned that. respect by everything he's done, the work he's done, the injuries he's overcome, what he's given to this organization. But the guy's given literal ligaments to the Bengals' organization. He's lost ligaments in his knee and his wrist. He's had internal organs taken out and to get himself ready to play football. I mean, this is the kind of stuff this guy has given to this city

and to this organization. So when it comes to respect, there's nobody in that room who has more of it who's earned it. And if he wants to be demanding, if he wants to hold guys accountable, he should. Now, I would push back a little bit on the idea that the Orlando Browns, the Dalton Reisner's, the Ted Karras is, are still in their prime. They might be past their prime. And that's part of it. And that goes back to the conversation. I'm sure as we continue and talk about the defense that you can't fill every single hole on an NFL roster. Not with the parody, not with the cap structure in the NFL. There's always going to be question marks for every team, no matter how good you are. There are question marks about the Seattle Seahawks,

and they're defending Super Bowl champions. But as a unit, the Bengals starting offensive line, Joe has said it, Zach has said it, is the best it's been since Joe's been in Cincinnati. Now, can that carry over another year? Can Orlando Brown turn back the clock and start performing at the most important position on the offensive line like he was earlier in his career. Can Ted Carus hold up now as many years as he's in the league? As Dalton Reisner, a guy that they can feel as solid about this coming year as they did last year. They should. He was one of the biggest, and people forget all the time,

he was one of the bigger offseason acquisitions was making sure they brought back Dalton Reisner and they checked that box and their offensive line looks good. But even outside of those guys, the biggest question to me on the team is what's the depth? Because what are the chances you're going to get your starting five playing all 17 games and then possibly three or four more in the playoffs? The chances are pretty minuscule. So you've got to have guys ready. And the question is, will those guys be ready for an offense that feels poised to be one of, if not the best in the NFL? Can the guys that are behind the starting five be good enough to get this team to where they want to go? That's a question that won't be answered.

until training camp in the preseason. That's it. You know what? And they, you know what, not only with those five, there are some other guys. And I agree with Joe that, you know, mean, okay, that sounds great. But Joe doesn't appear to be a mean guy. All right.

Demanding? Oh, you bet. And I think now, instead of having that individual conversation with those particular players that aren't, he will be very vocal and will call them out in amongst his teammates. Yep. Because there's no better pressure than peer pressure. And I think that when it comes to playing football,

I think that's what there's a good chance that that's what Joe is going to do. And then you know what? It's also going to be for those guys, those young players that are kind of trying to come in, for those older players to hold them accountable and to bring them along, not as if they're stealing my job or potentially, but hey, I need somebody. If I need to go down for a week or two, somebody can come in, but I'm not losing my job. Help them out.

It's all about team now. Yeah. We saw some of this in 24. If you watched the quarterback documentary last year, last off season, Joe Burrow before the Carolina game, he, uh, kind of cut into what Sam Puppert was saying before the game and said, hey, our backs are against the wall. Like he was being a little more demanding, a little more vocal than he's been.

We saw it after the Raiders game that year where Joe Burrow got up and said, hey, I know we just won. We had a great performance, but we got a game on Thursday. Like you saw that more sense of urgency come from him. And you want to talk about Joe, you brought up the respect that Joe Burrow has in the locker room. You'll remember this. In August of 2020 during COVID, the Bengals went on, they went on like a team trip. So was it, Joe, where was that in late August where Joe Burrough spoke? And the players asked like they wanted Joe Burrow to speak.

It was somewhere, it was like the underground something. I'm trying to remember quickly. Yes. And they had Joe Burrow as the face, a rookie. Yes. In front of the entire team. And you talk about an NFL team. It's guys from different races, different origins.

And they put Joe right up there front and center as the voice for this team at that moment, which was pretty powerful. It was. And that tells you the respect that he immediately, even in a year where you weren't really around your teammates during the offseason, immediately earning the respect. That tells you the presence that Joe Burrow has in the locker room and definitely has that this year. One more thing he said that I really enjoyed. He said, well, we will find out who else thrives on pressure. I know that we have the kind of people that want to be in that spot.

I want everybody talking about the Bengals. I want everybody talking about what I am saying in my press conference. quote. Whoa, that is good to hear. And he did it. Look what we're doing right now. We just spent 20 minutes talking about what Joe Burrough said in this press conference. Again, the guy is a master of messaging. Everything he says is calculated and he delivered because here we are talking about his press conference. And it won't be the last time we talk about some of his press conferences, I guarantee you, this month, this offseason, and the rest of this calendar year and this season. Up next. I'm going to give you something that I said last year about the defense that applies to another position this year.

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completely ad free by joining the Everydayer Club today. Start your seven-day free trial right now and get closer to your team without the interruptions. Click the link in the show notes or go to locked on bangles. com to claim your free trial with Joe Danneman and Fox 19 and Coach Arpaillera. Frank with you on the Bengals Squad show the twice a week long-in-form conversational supplement to the daily locked on Bengals podcast. So last year, there was a question posed by Dan Horde on his podcast, and it was the Bengals defense will be better if what. My answer to it, and I wasn't on this podcast, but my answer to it was if Gino Stone and Jordan Battle can be a good safety duo.

And we all know that didn't happen. This year, you can talk about that. Lawrence, you can talk about the linebackers. I'm going to say this. The Bengals defense will be good if DJ Turner and Dax Hill are the cornerback tandem that I think fans are envisioning and hoping for. How accurate is that? I would qualify it with this. The Bengals defense will be much improved in 2006 if DJ and Dax stay healthy. Because the drop-off after those two, their two starting outside corners, is one of the bigger question marks we have about this team going into training camp. They have Josh Newton, who they invested a middle round pick on, who was not good last year. Hey, made a nice play at minicamp. And they have Takario Davis,

a guy that they drafted this last year who comes in as a rookie. Outside of that, you have a lot of question marks, and I even have a lot of question marks just about those two guys right there. That's why to me, when you talk about the Joe Burrow restructure and what it gave this team was the flexibility that if they get to training camp and they look at corner, if they look at offensive line, if they look at linebacker and they say, this is not it, we need better, we need more. They now have that monetary flexibility to go out there and address that. And that to me was what the Joe Borough restructure was about. It wasn't just about trying to find a way to re-sign Dax and DJ or having the money earmarked to get the Dexter Lawrence deal done. It was to me about getting this team back to normal and giving themselves flexibility. Because if you think about last year, this time of year, and Duke Tobin said it when they traded for Dexter Lawrence that roster building doesn't end in the offseason.

And roster building continues all year long. Last year, the bank was brought in Noah Fant late. The bank was brought in Dalton Reisner late. The Bengals traded for Joe Flacco had to take on some money. So they needed some financial flexibility to make that happen. And to me, that's what the restructure of Joe Burrow was all about to give themselves that kind of flexibility. But to your point, yes, I like Dax. I like DJ.

I like those two as the bank was outside corners. but the drop off after that is concerning. And so, yeah, I think the Bengals defense will be a lot better in 2026. Yes, I think those two are a big reason why, but those two have to stay healthy. Because if they don't, then you're going to have a lot of question marks and concerns and uncertainties behind them. And that's not a good place to be considering how much pressure offense is put on defenses now with the passing game. You know what? I think that at this point in time, you look at those two and they are capable. The great thing about it is, is that they're both looking for new contracts, whether they be extensions and or, you know, by somebody else. So you can anticipate that their play this year is going to be top notch. And I think with the addition of Brian Cook and, you know, having battle back, again, I think that it really kind of solidifies the group, which will make, and the pass rush

that they've now acquired will help them in terms of we're now instead of just being on an island forever, it seemed like a year ago without quality pass rush and really, okay, how much safety help are they getting? They were stuck and they performed well. Now, I think that this year is because not only they competing for that salad for that new contract, they're also competing against each other in terms of, okay, who's going to get the better one? And so they want numbers. And I think bottom line, they're going to look at, okay, what do I need to do for generational wealth from here on out? Because this said contract's big. Yeah. If we're but talking about Brayland Lux right now.

To Joe's point, that tells you where this Bengals cornerback room is. DJ Turner is an ascending corner. And from what we've been hearing and what's been said, it sounds like he's going to get a contract extension before the start of the season, preferably before the start of training camp. Is that contract extension going to match what he did last year and the hope that the Bengals have that he can sustain that level of play? It's when you get to Dax Hill that kind of gets a little hairy because is he

going to be around long term. Joe, like from what you've been here and you've been in the locker, have you been at OTAs and minicamp and all that? When it comes to Dax Hill, what does his future look like with the Bengals beyond this season? Well, I think it's important to understand that Dax Hill wants to play outside corner. You know, he was drafted by the Bengals as a safety. He has shown the ability to kick inside and be a slot guy, but he's found a home on the outside. and he wants to play on the outside. And the Bengals are going to give him that opportunity again this year, and he likes that. But he wants to be paid, as coach said, that second contract is where guys really make their money,

even though he was a first round draft pick and he's made good money so far in the league, but he wants to play outside corner. And I think the Bengals would love to keep him here, but when you're trying to make decisions all over your roster and you have a guy like Chase Brown who's up, and you have a guy like Chase Brown who's up, and you have Miles Murphy who's up, and you have Dax Hill, and you have D.J. Turner. You can't pay everybody. And you have to think part of the reason they drafted Ticario Davis with a premium pick was to bring in a rookie to compete and prove that he can be one of those guys that if they don't get DJ and Dax both done, no matter who it is, I think they obviously are going to prioritize D.J. Turner. I think they like DJ Turner and his future upside.

So I think if they were going to prioritize, and this is just me saying this, I'm not reporting anything per se. Takario Davis has brought here for a reason, not only to give them depth this year, but to give them someone to turn to in case Dax Hill walks. I don't know. I don't know if Dax is going to be a Bengal after this season.

But to Coach's point, it's a big year for him to get paid. So he obviously is going to be motivated to play to get himself. paid. And that's good for the Bengals because if he's motivated to get himself paid, he should be motivated to play good football. And good football will then in turn help the Bengals win games. So I think they're in a decent spot, even if they don't get Dax Hill paid this year, I don't know if he's going to be a Bengal after this year, but I do like that duo this year going forward. And if we're going to call this an all-in year, and I don't think it's just an all-in one year. I think it's an all-in window. It's probably unfair to call it the Dexter.

Lawrence window because it's still Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase's team. But those guys are going to be here for a long time. Dexter's only here for three years. This window feels like the Dexter Lawrence window that they're really going in for. So it feels like everything I've heard seen that DJ Turner is the priority of the two. Certainly they would love to keep both. But I think Dax Hill is going to be looking to be paid like a number one outside corner. And if that's the case, that means he played great. this year and I'm not sure the Bengals can afford him with all the other guys they have to pay. Where does, just here Taylor, Joe, where do you think he fits in to the Bengals cornerback room? Because I feel like that that free agent standing kind of went under the radar a little bit, but you want to talk about depth? That's what he could bring. Yeah, that's what he is. He's he's a guy who's done it before, who's proven he can go out on a Sunday and give you snaps. and I don't think he's a guy that they're looking for to come in here. And I'm not even sure if, you know, Dax or DJ went down.

He would be the first choice. It kind of feels like it would probably be right now, Josh Newton, with the chance for Ticario Davis to go out and prove himself in training camp. But Taylor's here for a reason, death piece, and sometimes it's forgotten, right? When you start talking about all the other big time free agents, even Kyle Dugger is sometimes forgotten when we talk. about all the free agents the Bengals have brought in on defense. But he was brought in as depth. And he has talked about that way as depth, a guy that's there in case of. And in case of would be

Dax or D.J. missing time, missing games with injuries, that kind of thing. He's here for that reason to be a death piece. So the thing about D.J. Turner that really interests me is I don't think, and coach you can chat him in on this. I don't think he has to reset the market when it comes to cornerback market to get a contract extension. But I'm wondering what a deal, what, what deal would make sense for a guy who's ascending, but didn't really start ascending until that third season, and if he can sustain that production from last year to this year. Well, I think that, you know, I think when they, in terms of their their contracts, I think that they're looking at an an ascending player. So you pay him as if he's an ascending player. You, they may, the number may sound

big, but I know my time in the NFL, the number was really big. The number you're looking for is how much is guaranteed. How much is he getting up front? He may have a $40 million contract like some of these other guys. But then it gets, okay, you're going to make $100,000 this year and a $500,000 next year and when the top gets there, they renegotiate or they send you a packet. So what it is he gets in the bank, that will tell you how interested they are seeing his ascension into this league. And I think that, you know what, he is on the rise. And the other, I'm sorry, what you've got two of them in your building. You know, you've got two of them. That will compete and they are up for the challenge. And you know what? You just had a lot of people, you know, they'll redo other

people's contracts to make sure that there's more money next year for all of those players that Joe mentioned. The other option too is, and this will be discussed about a lot, is the idea of the franchise tag because a lot of these guys would be eligible for the franchise tag. Now, I don't envisioned the Bengals using that on the corner back position. I think it would be too high of a price. I've said on this show that I think Chase Brown is someone who's a really good candidate to be franchise tagged, given the price would be different for running back. It feels like if you get five good years out of a running back, then you probably,

for lack of a better word, recycle and go back into the draft and find someone to play that role. but I really like what Chase Brown brings to this team, how he fits with this offense and entering the final year of his deal. And you don't want a disgruntled player. I understand that. But if you're able to get a good year out of him again this year and then franchise tag him and have a fifth year from him, I think that is a great formula for this team to have a little stability at that position

without having to dip their toe back into the, second contract with the running back in the NFL that everybody just doesn't want to do anymore. The Bengals did it with Joe Mixing and it kind of backfired and I said many times. That'll be the last time the Bengals ever give a running back in Cincinnati a second contract unless he was a, you know, a Jamir Gibbs, a Bijan Robinson, a Sequin Barclay, those kind of guys. Everybody else feels like in the NFL they want to recycle and bring in someone new. I like Chase Brown enough that I would love for Chase Brown to be brought in for at least one more year after this year. Because you talk about ascending players like DJ Turner, boy, Chase Brown's an ascending player only got better as the second half went on last year. And a lot of that had to do with the offensive line.

There's no doubt Dalton Reisner stabilized that. They found their five and it was very good from then on out, especially his run and past catch ability combined. But I would love for that to be the formula here. Pay DJ, not sure about Dax, give Chase, the franchise tag, and then I would like to be part of those conversations of what they're thinking with Miles Murphy because they have a lot of options now at Pass Rusher with as much as they brought in both via free agency and in the draft. So the Miles Murphy conversation, again, another ascending player that wasn't productive his first few years in the league and then came on last year, kind of like a DJ Turner. Maybe not to DJ Turner's stature or success, but still kind of the same formula of slow start coming on now. And you hate to give away a guy that you've helped develop. And that's the hard part.

If you're an organization, you're a coaching staff, like, hey, we drafted this guy. We developed this guy. He's just now starting to play great football. Why do we want to let him walk and go be a great player for somebody else? That was kind of what Duke Tobin, if you remember, said about T. Higgins. Like, go find your own wide receiver. You know, go find your own corner. Go find your own defense event.

We drafted, we developed for keeping. It's always been the Bengals formula. It just feels like there's too many of those guys at once for them to keep them all. It's definitely a unique situation when you think about all the players, not just that corner. but the Bengals cornerback room definitely has potential to be a much better unit than it was last year. Thanks to T.J. Turner's Ascension, Dax Hill, if he can stay healthy and he can, you know, sustain the highs that we've seen throughout his career. And maybe somebody else, like Jazeer Taylor, steps up. We don't know, again, who's going to start at Slot Corner.

That's another question that we will discuss multiple times, I'm sure, on this show and elsewhere, heading into training camp and this season. Coming up, he may not be like Nick Siriani or Matt the floor, but to quote the great Elvis, Presley, I feel the temperature rising when it comes to Zach Taylor. Plus, Joe D's got his take. We'll get into that conversation next right here on the Bengals Squad Show. Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes, head coach Ron Brinimore and Captain Jordan Stahl on winning the Stanley Cup, their first in 20 years. You know, throughout the NHL Stanley Cup finals, every shift matters, every moment is intense, and everything comes down to execution when the pressure is at its highest. And just like athletes must be ready to perform when the puck drop.

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They want something that fits into real life and works without overthinking it. Right now, head to rougejet.com slash locked on NHL and get 15% off your ED treatment. That's RUGIET.com slash locked on NHL for. 15% off. Ruggiette performance for men. Going back to our cold open, Joe, you mentioned you have your hot take when it comes to what Joe Burroughs said about comparing this year's Bengals team to 2019 LSU and then the expectations and the pressure, the warm seat, the hot seat that comes for head coach Zach Taylor. What is that take you have? My take was that Joe was putting pressure on his peers, his teammates, and maybe trying to take a little bit off the coaching staff.

We all get it, right? The writings on the wall. In the NFL, if you don't make the playoffs three straight years, you typically don't come back as the head coach and your entire staff doesn't come back the way the Bengals have kind of lean into continuity. Now, if you do it four years in a row, then obviously a change has to be made. And we don't know exactly what the threshold of return is from within the Brown Blackburn family. Like is it just getting to the playoffs?

Is it winning games in the playoffs? Is it getting to a Super Bowl? And I don't think they have that threshold. I don't think it's written down in black and white. Okay, we must do this. We must get to this point. Otherwise, we're making a change at head coach. Because it's so much more nuanced than that.

And we know that. First off, Joe loves Zach Taylor. The Bengals offense is one of the best in the league and has been one of the best. And Zach Taylor's an offensive guy. And if Joe, and we've seen many times how much his voice moves the needle within the organization, if Joe likes Zach, Zach's going to get a long leash and he's gotten a long leash here because Joe likes working with him. But also at the same time, it has to be something that takes into account all the other factors. Joe getting hurt, Joe missing seasons, Joe missing time. what's the defensive coordinator and the defensive staff had to work with the last few years.

That's why it feels so different now, right, that the front office has done everything. And they put all of these pieces together. To me, even though Joe, and I believe what Joe was saying was that he's going to be demanding, he's going to be accountable, he wants to put pressure on his teammates to show up and be ready to go at training camp. But to me, the pressure is on the coaching staff. You can't have this roster and not go to the playoffs. You can't have this roster and not do damage in the playoffs. There's no coach that could go four years with Joe Burrow,

Jamar, Chase, T. Higgins, and now add Dexter Lawrence. And you can argue the Bengals have the best player in football at three different positions. Defensive tackle, wide receiver and quarterback. And you could argue Joe Burrow, who's the biggest star in Cincinnati, one of the biggest stars in the NFL, has the least case of, of any of those three to say he's the best at his position. I mean, Jamar is almost, you know, one or two, one or one A. Dexter Lawrence is one or one A. Joe was in that conversation with like four or five other guys. So you think about that, right?

You think about what this team has when it comes to its roster, it's, it's stars. It has all these boxes checked. And now the pressure is on the coaching staff, right, to get this team back to where they should be, to get them. winning the AFC North, winning playoff games, hosting playoff games, making runs. And again, I think we're going to have to see what it looks like. As the season goes on, there will be adversity. There will be extenuating circumstances that they'll have to take into account when making decisions going forward.

And made the Bengals go out and win the whole thing, and this is a moot point. So we don't know. But to say there's a baseline threshold of Bengals must do this, or Zach Taylor loses his job, I don't think that exists. I think if they don't make the playoffs, yeah, it's probably a change coming. But what that success looks like, playoffs and beyond for this coaching staff to be retained and brought back, we know the Brown and Blackburn family are very loyal. I just don't think we know what that's going to look like until we see it and how it plays out this year.

I think that's very, very, very true. I think it's way too early, but I do believe that it is now. You know, the pressure during the out season was obviously on the front of the, office and Joe Burrow was a big part of it even though he is very quiet about it. You know, he said it going out the door. And they follow through for the most part. They're fielding a very, very good football team. And now it's up to whether it be by schematics, whether it be by leadership, or whether it be by how they manage each of these new players that are coming in and that will show up on game day of how it does because there will be

there will be frustration there will be like joe talked about there will be adversity the season is so long and believe me i think it every game they're going to evaluate how the how uh camp went they're going to evaluate each game as though it's itself and then each of those duplicate games Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, as an example, how they did in the first game, and did they fix it for the second game? Yep. How did they prepare for big games, Kansas City, you know, how they did with Tampa coming in day one. Were you prepared? Were you in shape?

Were you, they're going to evaluate everything. And believe me, I think that everybody on that coaching staff, including the head coach, they will never say it. but they feel it. And you talk about pressure and how you handle pressure, the bullseys on them. Clearly you do read my show notes because that's what I have in there.

When it talks about pressure, when he talk about nuances, when he talk about situational football, and Mike Brown said this at the start of the offseason, when he wrote that letter to the fan base, acknowledging that Zach Taylor and Duke Tobin were returning, but that they were going to take a look at everything they are doing. And I think that one of those things has to be in coach.

I'm sure you'll agree with me on this situational football because that's what I'm going to be watching for this season. Zach Taylor has all the pressure to deliver this season as a head coach, a play caller, and a manager. And what I mean my manager is can he be the CEO of all these stars the Bengals have and all the expectations permeating from Joe Burrow? How can he manage this team and put them in position to win games when it matters, win championships, put them in positions when when it comes to situational football to execute and succeed. Focus on being that and being the CEO, and maybe the play calling will fall into place. Can Zach Taylor be the reason the Bengals win games?

And look, Joe Baruchimer, Jason D. Higgins are going to be the reasons why they do in Dexter Lawrence too. But can Zach Taylor be not just a reason, but one of the reasons why the Bengals are winning games when it matters? Coach, situational football, how much time would you guys spend? end in the off season, week leaning up to games throughout the season, because that's where football games are won and lost. 90% of the time. All right.

90% of the time, I'm sure. And you know what? I was a little bit disappointed that they canceled the last couple of days. They ended mini camp early. Yeah. So they get, I mean, that's great. That's a great candy bar for each of the players. But you'd like to think that, okay, so you have already worked on.

Two minute, four minute, third downs coming out. You've already established so the team understands on both sides of the ball and on special teams, how it is you're going to approach it. And I think that those things always come out. And I say 90% because the 10% of the other time is individual work, is getting them technical. sound as you see it, them being technically sound. And I think that that's important all the way through camp. That's what's going to be. And it won't start to come together. Now, I don't, Bengals fans don't get upset. If they don't win a game in the preseason, so be it. Yeah. He's, we're going to be able to tell Zach and his staff's thumbprint on this football team early. And I'm

talking about the first three games because there's no better way to capture a team than being three and one, two and one, and not the other way. Yeah. Everybody wants to win. But let's be honest, there's pressure on everybody. It's not just the coaching staff. It's, it's on the players. Mike Kisicki told me as much the week after they traded for Dexter Lawrence. he said this front office has given this locker room everything it needs. Now it's on us to go out there and execute it and do the job. And so as much as pressure is, yes, it's always on the coaching staff because at the end of the year, you can't fire the players, you fire the coaches.

Sorry, coach. You get it. Wow. Exactly. You get it, right? I mean, that's the lifestyle that you've chosen. You understand it when you get into it, what you're getting into. But the idea that there's no pressure on the players, I mean, come on, these are the guys on the field.

You know, it's on Sundays at 1 o'clock, it becomes a player's game. Now, schematics, play calling, all that stuff matters. But these are the guys who have to make the plays. And the Bengals have playmakers. And so to me, it's, yeah, there's a ton of pressure on Zach Taylor in this coaching staff. There's no doubt about it. But there's a lot of pressure on Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase and T. Higgins, guys who want to be Hall of Famers, guys who are on path to be Hall of Famers, who want to be legends, who have boxes on their resume, they want to check because when they

retire, you know, they're going to leave with all the accolades and comeback players of the year and offensive player of the year. And Joe might win an MVP. But it's the Lombardi trophy. And there's pressure on that. And these guys understand if you're looked at differently when you get that ring, when you get that trophy. And they understand that. And so, yeah, there's pressure on everybody. And Joe did that this week. He said, that this week. He wanted to put pressure on his own teammates to understand the urgency that when they get back to training camp, it's go time. Because every day matters for this team going forward as they try to do something special and do something that's never been

done here in Cincinnati. So it's there was pressure on the front office. There was pressure on the coaching staff. And that continues now. And now the pressure is on the players, too, to go out there and deliver on a roster that's good enough. If Joe Burroughs comparing it to a championship team that went undefeated if he's having the same kind of feelings about this team. Yeah, he believes. And he knows it too, right? Like I asked Joe this question. He knows what a championship team looks like, what it feels like.

He has seen it in college. He's been on the doorstep of it in the NFL. They were one or two plays away from winning a Super Bowl. There were one or two plays away from going back to the Super Bowl the next year. So it's a guy that knows what it feels like, what it looks like. And he said, this is the best roster. they've had since he's been in Cincinnati. That to me says, okay, pressure on.

Now it's time to deliver if you have everything you need. And Mike Ossicki and Joe Borough both have gone out of their way, or I shouldn't say out of the way, but they have both credited the front office for the moves they have made to beef up this team going into this season. That was not by accident. That was intentional and saying to the fan base, take, you know, ever criticism or pressure off of them, put it on us. We'll go out there and make good on what they've done.

this season. Speaking of the offseason, Dexter Lawrence, no question, the biggest acquisition. But what other move this off season was the biggest and or will be the most impactful? And mine is going to bring 31 years of vindication. And Jody's going to like this. We'll get to that next on the Bengal Squad Show. Today's edition of the Bengal Squad Show is brought to you by Odu. So running a business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together. an app for accounting, another for inventory, another for sales, and somehow none of them talk to each other.

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And that's true in sports, just like it is in business. I think about game for the NBA finals. When Mike Brown decided to have Jose Alvarado with Jalen Brunson on the floor at the same time, it was a game-changing decision. It got this first defense movement all over the place and the Knicks took full advantage of that. It was that strategic shift that improved results and brought the Knicks back from down 29 in the greatest comeback in NBA finals history. Everyone knew their role. They were on the same page and that's usually what separates good organizations.

from great ones. Great organizations win because operations matter. And that's why you should get O-D-O-D-O-D-O-com slash locked-on. That's O'D-O-O-O-O-O-com slash locked on. You know, we hear on all the time and life, make your layups, not like Patrick Ewing didn't in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals, but 31 years of vindication has been brought to him and New York, courtesy of this next title run. The Bengals throughout their history have had trouble making layups for whatever reason when it comes to player transactions or acquisitions. Well, on March 2nd, they said, to hell with that history,

they re-signed Dalton Reisner. March 2nd, boom. My thought at the time, as I was driving back from Florida, was okay, you made your layups. Now you can focus on three-point shooting and make these flashy acquisitions to get the fan base excited.

And woe have they done that. So for me, besides Dexter Lawrence, signing Dalton Reisner was the biggest move for the Bengals this offseason because it was a layup You got that out of the way. You got your offensive line solved. You got your offensive line back, your whole offensive line from last year.

And here's the other thing, too. You look at the first four games, now that we know what they are, and you need your continuity in the offensive line against Tampa Bay and Houston and Pittsburgh and maybe even Jacksonville. Yeah, you got that move done early. Kudos to the Bengals, and I truly mean that. Okay, before I answer who I believe outside of Dexter Lawrence was the Bengals's biggest acquisition. Jose Alvarado shouldn't been playing in game four fourth quarter.

Wow. Should have been ejected for trying to tackle Victor Wembe Gama. He tackled him better than Geno Stowe. Wemby should have been suspended long before then, but okay. But I want to, I want coach to go first because at the start show, coach said a name that I didn't think about that I thought was very smart. It was the last name you said, Joe Flacco. It was Joe Flacco. It's very interesting because we've seen, and how many times have we talked on shows like this about the season is torpedoed if you lose Joe Burrow. It doesn't feel that way now. Of course, you need him, right? If you want to win a Super Bowl, if you want to get to where you want to go, you probably need Joe Burrow. But bringing back Joe Flacco coach to me, I thought was a very

smart point. Well, you know, when I was looking at it and Alex had talked about, I said, okay, other than Dexter Lawrence, he's the obvious, right? For them, my next one, one was Cook. He solidified the secondary. You know, we just talked about two corners, one that's on the rising, and the other one's solid. And you've already got a solid safety in bad Jordan Battle. You know, I thought that the Cook kid was, boy, that was the biggest one that I saw. The second one was the ability to redo Joe's contract, which we had been calling for it

it. She's back way before the draft. That just gives them more money. And then the last one was, to me, was really obvious. Okay, you had a lot of choices. Okay, you had, you know, Jonathan Allen, you had boy Mafay, you had all these other guys. But you know what? The last guy, who you would have thought would have been a layup, wasn't and they drug it around, they got Josh Johnson in, and then you're saying, well, maybe not, maybe they're not going to go, maybe Joe wants to retire, maybe Joe Flacco wants more money,

maybe he's shopping it's over, but then they did it. And that gives that room led by Joe Burrell a quality, quality guy that you know is going to keep you in games. had Joe Flacco had this particular defense, I'm saying that they win a lot of those games because Joe Flacko certainly put up numbers. He is going to be a great addition to Joe Burroughs' mentality, makeup. Somebody he can come to the sidelines with and said, hey, let's look at them video, let's weigh in it.

Oh, did you feel this? Did you feel that? Somebody who has been there. And I think that that, to me, was very, very important that you had a, that every NFL team has a quality backup that you know you can win with. Now, it may go back on the defense. You win it for us. Well, if win and hopefully not, Joe Borough goes down. That's money well spent.

The 2025 Bengals defense, Rob Cincinnati and its fans. of what might have been the best story in the NFL last year. Thank you. Would have been Joe Flacco showing up midweek and taking over this team and looking functional, his first game at Green Bay, and then going on and playing the kind of football he was playing at his age for a team he had only been around for a matter of days and going forward that the defense was just functional,

they would have won games and Joe Flacco would have been one of the best stories of the NFL last year. The only one one game Joe Flacco started last year. You think about that. How well he played. The only game they won was the primetime game here in Cincinnati against Pittsburgh, which was a shootout between two 40-year-old quarterbacks, the Yunk Bowl in prime time. That was fun, but it would have been great to see this defense support Joe Flacco just a little bit,

and the story would have been awesome. My answer is Brian Cook. And here's why. Brian Cook obviously comes with the pedigree of a two-time Super Bowl champion. He comes with a great story of being from here, going to a small college, transferring to UC, going to Kansas City, blossoming into a great player, and then coming back to Cincinnati. I didn't realize how much respect he had from his peers in the NFL until I heard guys in that locker room talk about him. In particular, Joe Burrow, multiple times when asked about all. the acquisitions the Bengals have had, whether it be through free agency, through draft, through

trade. Brian Cook has been the name he has said multiple times first. And if anybody knows what Brian Cook brings to the table, it's the guy who plays quarterback against him in some of the biggest games of the year. And Joe Burroughs done that several times against Brian Cook. And so he knows what he's all about. That position had to be fixed. It had to be stabilized. And the Bengals went from one of the absolute worst in the league, if not the, to now have a really solid group and have one of the best safeties in the NFL. Joe Burrough said he was the best free agent safety in the league, and the Bengals went out and got him. So I'm going to lead on Burrow on this one. Now, I think Boy, Amafé has a chance to be kind of on the same career arc as a Trey Hendrickson,

where he was a really good player buried on a team that had other options and guys who would shine more than he did. I'm not saying he's going to come here and lead a league in Sacks, but he could have the same kind of career art where he could really blossom at a different city when he's featured more like he might be here in Cincinnati. And certainly Dexter Lawrence comes with huge expectations. But I'm going to lean on what Joe Burrough is saying, because Joe Burrough understands the game just a little bit better than I do. And if he's saying Brian Cook is the guy that he's pointing to and he's pulling him out of the group of all the acquisitions the Bengals made, I'm going to lean on what Joe Burroughs says about improving that room

the way they dramatically did with just one fail swoop. Bringing in Brian Cook, bringing him back home. And it's a guy who understands the organization too, right? He's from here. He gets it. He understands what it would mean to this place for them to go do the kind of things they want to do and expect to do this season. So outside of Dexter Lawrence, I like that Joe Flacco one.

That's a really good one. And Dalton Reisner, it's a good one, too. I'm going to go with what Joe Burroughs said and say Brian Cook. Brian Cook, for me, is the most impactful. Because I think about it this way. The Bengals signed Gino Stone in 24 in hopes of revamping the safety roof. Well, newsflash, Gino Stone wasn't the best player at his position on his previous team. He benefited heavily from having Kyle Hamilton alongside him.

Brian Cook was the best player at the safety position on the Kansas City Chiefs, without question. So you know what you're getting in Brian Cook, a guy that is going to keep the top on the defense. How many times up the last few seasons have we seen the top get taken off the Bengals defense by either a receiver or a tight end? That's not going to happen much this year because Brian Cook is on the back end. And with a deeper defensive line, he's going to be able to make plays that may be,

maybe safeties of the previous years weren't, and that's valid. But Brian Cook is also a very smart, instinctual player, two-time Super Bowl champion. Heck, he's played in three Super Bowls, and he's durable. So that's what you like. You're not going to have to worry too much. I mean, you should because it's just that you should in general about death, because you know he's going to be there every single game. He is going to be the one flipping plays or flipping games to the Bengals with plays that he makes

as opposed to the other way around. So for me, it is Brian Cook being the most impactful. Now, here's something interesting that I thought about. The day that Miles Garrett was trade to the, excuse me, the L.A. Rams. Can you guys imagine this? Okay. The Bengals play the Rams in the Super Bowl again. And I hope to gosh, this doesn't happen.

But to Coach's point, what happens if Joe Burrow gets heard in that game and Joe Flacco has to come in? But then Joe Flacco leads them to a Super Bowl victory. Can you imagine that story? It's Jeff Hostetler with the giant. When Phil Sims went down, how about Nick Foller? Nick Foll. It happens and has happened before in the league. And that's why I think coach makes a great point about having a guy there that if one injury doesn't torpedo your season.

Because when Jake Browning was playing at the level he was playing at last year when he took over for Joe Burrow, it torpedoed the season. It really did. Now, it wasn't just him. Obviously, the defense wasn't good enough for this team to be. a real contender last year. But when you have a defense that's been revamped, reworked, restructured, now you have a person in place that if Joe goes down, it doesn't torpedo the season.

So I'm changing my answer. I'm going with Flackle. I like coach. Wow. Great point. It's a really good point. Let's put it this way too with Brian Cook. The two leading tacklers on the Bengals a year ago were both their safeties.

Yeah. Why? Because the plays were coming to them. Yes. They shouldn't be your leading tacklers. No. On average, those linebackers, and one only was really a starter for, what, 13 games? Yeah. Four, 12 games?

Yeah. They average about seven tackles a game. The safeties had more than that. So that tells you, hopefully they're able to make plays in the secondary and not from the line of scrimmage to the secondary. And I think that that's where the linebackers, and that's where this D-line is really going to help them out. All three levels of the defense, my hope is that they are more connected, there's more synergy. And I think there will be. And that's going to allow guys to make plays. And if your safeties aren't your leading tacklers, that's a good thing.

Joe, on Tuesday, I reveal my top, my lists of top 10 Joe Burrow and top 10 Jamar Chase games in honor of the Lockdown podcast network's 10 year anniversary. We got a few minutes left. If you could give me your top Joe Burrow game and top Jamar Chase game, what would they be and why? I'm very interested to hear this. Well, the Jamar Chase game that comes to mind, there's two of them. It's at Baltimore, his rookie year when he had this big breakout. Remember when he caught just like a little 15-yard pass and spun out and went for a touchdown?

You had over 200 yards in that game. But it has to be the Kansas City game when the Bengals won the division at Paycourt Stadium. When he had more yards receiving than Patrick. MaHombs had passing in that game. And it came in a clutch environment where the Bengals needed it to win the division. And he delivered. And he was by far such the best player on the field in that game. That's the one to me that always stands out for Jamar Chase. When I think to Joe Burrow, and I needed to give me a couple of options here because some were popping into my head. the game at Arizona when he's coming back from the calf injury and he kind of told everybody

on back his performance there was incredible. The game out in San Francisco when it felt like the Bengals had kind of asserted themselves as a real contender that year before he ended up getting injured. That to me, I think about some of those plays when he escaped the pocket, got away from like three or four different guys and made plays down the field. The year he threw for nearly a thousand yards in two games against the Baltimore Ravens, the home game where they took the Niners to overtime. His second half performance in that game was some of the best quarterback play I'd ever seen before. If there's not one that I'm hitting on, that I'm forgetting, but some of those are the ones that pop directly into mind in big moments, great performances. What did you land

on as your number one for Joe Burrow? The Kansas City game and the regular season in 21. And I say that because you know. Chase game. Yes. So they were, so both that game was for both for Burrow and Chase for me. And I said it on Tuesday show. You knew then that the Bengals could, that the Bengals could win the Super Bowl with Joe Borough. And you knew the Bengals had a wide receiver in Jamar Chase who was going to lead highlight shows in Sports Center and you had the fun that Jamar Chase is. And for Joe Burrow, you knew he could go toe to toe with the Dragon Slayer, Patrick Mahomes, and he can make all the big time throws. Third and 27, F of Jamar is down there somewhere. That lives in Bengals lore. Your Jamar Chase game,

You mentioned the Baltimore game in 21. I did have that one on the list. Chris Collinsworth said it that night on Sunday night football, that Jamar Chase was the greatest wide receiver of Bengals history, just seven games in. And now, Michael's was like, wait a second. Didn't you play wide receiver for the Bengals? So I'm glad you brought that up.

I'm glad, Joe, that you were able to join us today. Coach, Joe, happy Father's Day to both of you this coming Sunday. And happy Father's Day to all the great fathers out there. We are back next Tuesday. We are in the dead of the off season. The next 10 shows. will be before training games. So we are going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel, literally,

to come up with some great content for all of you out there listening to us, who make us part of your listening routine, this twice a week, long-form conversational supplement to the Daily Lockdown Bengals podcast, hosted by Jake Liscoe and Joe Goodberry. For Joe Deneman, Fox 19, sports director for coach, Arfallero. I'm Alex Franke and Frankie underscore Nadi. Have a great rest of your week. Have a great weekend.

Have a great Father's Day weekend. We'll talk to you on Tuesday right here at Lockdown, The Bengals, The Bengals, The Bangle Squad Show, and the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.