Latest news with #AmariusMims
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rookie Fairchild making strides on offensive line as Bengals set to face Eagles in preseason opener
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Dylan Fairchild in April with the expectation that he would be their starting left guard when the season opens on Sept. 7 in Cleveland. During the first two weeks of training camp, Fairchild has looked every bit like a starter. Fairchild and the rest of Cincinnati's expected starters should get at least one quarter of action during Thursday's preseason opener at Philadelphia. 'If you're gonna be in there with the ones, you better be up to par. So we better just expedite that growth and learning curve," offensive line coach Scott Peters said about Fairchild. 'For most of the guys from college, it's like they got to forget about what you did there. It like two different games, checkers and chess. Don't go out there like a meathead and try to head bang somebody because it won't work. So he's done a really nice job getting those things corrected." Fairchild started 14 games at Georgia last season and was a Associated Press All-America second-team selection. Fairchild was a teammate of Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims at Georgia from 2021-23. The consensus among scouts during the draft process was that he was a physical pass protector, which was sorely needed after Joe Burrow was sacked 48 times last season, tied for fourth most in the league. Fairchild — who admitted he is still adjusting to the speed of the pro game and refining his footwork — has embraced the expectations for him to contribute immediately. 'I love being here to provide value for this team. They believed in me and I believe in them,' Fairchild said. 'Now, it's us together working for one common goal. It's just continuously improving. You better come here with your head on straight every single day because if you don't, you get exposed. The stakes are shown." Lucas Patrick signed with the Bengals in free agency and is penciled in as the starter at right guard. Of Patrick's 64 career NFL starts, 37 have come at guard with 17 on the right side. He started 11 games at left guard for New Orleans last season. Cordell Volson, who is entering his fourth season, has 51 starts in three seasons with the Bengals, but struggled at left guard. Cody Ford offers versatility at either tackle or guard. In addition to the guard spots, right tackle is a concern as Mims has battled a wide array of injuries since being drafted in the first round last year. Rookie Jalen Rivers, taken in the fifth round in April's draft, should get plenty of snaps on Thursday. Coach Zac Taylor has stressed for the past eight months that his starters will receive plenty of playing time in the preseason in order to try and prevent another slow start. Cincinnati was 9-8 last season but dropped four of its first five games. Taylor said on Tuesday the first unit could play into the second quarter if there is a long drive on either side of the ball in the first 15 minutes. 'We don't have this targeted for our biggest play time for all of our guys. We picked (Aug. 18 at) Washington to be able to do that,' Taylor said. 'I think just those 11 guys being in the huddle on both sides of the ball and all the communication that's got to occur. It's just a good opportunity for those guys to get some additional reps.' ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Rookie Fairchild making strides on offensive line as Bengals set to face Eagles in preseason opener
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Dylan Fairchild in April with the expectation that he would be their starting left guard when the season opens on Sept. 7 in Cleveland. During the first two weeks of training camp, Fairchild has looked every bit like a starter. Fairchild and the rest of Cincinnati's expected starters should get at least one quarter of action during Thursday's preseason opener at Philadelphia. 'If you're gonna be in there with the ones, you better be up to par. So we better just expedite that growth and learning curve,' offensive line coach Scott Peters said about Fairchild. 'For most of the guys from college, it's like they got to forget about what you did there. It like two different games, checkers and chess. Don't go out there like a meathead and try to head bang somebody because it won't work. So he's done a really nice job getting those things corrected.' Fairchild started 14 games at Georgia last season and was a Associated Press All-America second-team selection. Fairchild was a teammate of Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims at Georgia from 2021-23. The consensus among scouts during the draft process was that he was a physical pass protector, which was sorely needed after Joe Burrow was sacked 48 times last season, tied for fourth most in the league. Fairchild — who admitted he is still adjusting to the speed of the pro game and refining his footwork — has embraced the expectations for him to contribute immediately. 'I love being here to provide value for this team. They believed in me and I believe in them,' Fairchild said. 'Now, it's us together working for one common goal. It's just continuously improving. You better come here with your head on straight every single day because if you don't, you get exposed. The stakes are shown.' Lucas Patrick signed with the Bengals in free agency and is penciled in as the starter at right guard. Of Patrick's 64 career NFL starts, 37 have come at guard with 17 on the right side. He started 11 games at left guard for New Orleans last season. Cordell Volson, who is entering his fourth season, has 51 starts in three seasons with the Bengals, but struggled at left guard. Cody Ford offers versatility at either tackle or guard. In addition to the guard spots, right tackle is a concern as Mims has battled a wide array of injuries since being drafted in the first round last year. Rookie Jalen Rivers, taken in the fifth round in April's draft, should get plenty of snaps on Thursday. Coach Zac Taylor has stressed for the past eight months that his starters will receive plenty of playing time in the preseason in order to try and prevent another slow start. Cincinnati was 9-8 last season but dropped four of its first five games. Taylor said on Tuesday the first unit could play into the second quarter if there is a long drive on either side of the ball in the first 15 minutes. 'We don't have this targeted for our biggest play time for all of our guys. We picked (Aug. 18 at) Washington to be able to do that,' Taylor said. 'I think just those 11 guys being in the huddle on both sides of the ball and all the communication that's got to occur. It's just a good opportunity for those guys to get some additional reps.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘We need you.' Amarius Mims shares message to Shemar Stewart as Bengals open camp
If there's one player who understands the importance of training camp practice in Cincinnati, it's Amarius Mims. The Bengals selected Mims with the No.18 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of Georgia. Mims went on to start 13 games for the Bengals last season. Cincinnati's first-round pick from this year, Shemar Stewart, didn't report for training camp due to an ongoing contact dispute with the team. Stewart has yet to take a snap with the Bengals because he has yet to sign his contract and opted not to sign the participation waiver agreement that would have allowed him to practice during the voluntary offseason program. The Bengals have made their stance clear on Stewart and that is he needs to be in Cincinnati with his teammates practicing. He is missing invaluable reps and as Mims said, even more importantly, the luxury of being around veterans to help learn the playbook faster. 'You don't want to not know what to do, that's worse than giving up a sack,' Mims said. 'It shows lack of preparation.' Mims made it a point to pick the brains of Trent Brown and Orlando Brown Jr. at every moment last year. So much so that Mims said he felt he probably 'aggravated him to the max' when talking about how many questions he asked Brown Jr. He also said there was nothing more valuable than being able to spend time with former guard Alex Cappa. Mims credits his 1-on-1 time with Brown Jr., Cappa and Brown as the main reason he was able to win a starting job heading into last season. 'People don't realize what helped me stay with the 1s (starters) other than Trent going down was (Alex) Cappa beside me helping me with the playbook,' Mims said. 'He sat down with me every day and made sure I knew the plays so going into camp I knew all of the plays. I didn't want to get out there and not know what I was doing.' Mims refrained from commenting too much on the situation with Stewart stating it's hard because he has a different agent and a different situation than he did coming into the NFL. He did tell The Enquirer he's reached out to Stewart multiple times and is focused on his friendship with Stewart while also emphasizing how much the team is relying on him. And while their situations were different, they are similar in the fact the Bengals drafted Stewart hoping he can have a rookie season similar to the one Mims had. 'Whenever he does come back, I just hope he hits the ground running,' Mims said. 'I know he's a great football player; I watched his film. No team is going to pick you at No. 17 if you can't play football. I just hope he's got this mind right when he comes in and attacks the playbook because we're going to need him. He's going to be a very valuable piece to our defense, I know that for a fact. I pray he gets his deal done quick; we're going to need him.' This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Amarius Mims gives message to Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart
Fox News
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Bengals' first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart leaves minicamp amid contract dispute
The rift between the Cincinnati Bengals and first-round pick Shemar Stewart has reached a new level, as the Texas A&M product has reportedly left the final day of mandatory minicamp with his rookie contract still not signed. Pro Football Talk reported Stewart leaving minicamp wasn't because of the contract disagreement he has with the Bengals, but rather "he didn't want to be a distraction" for his teammates who are participating. Still, Stewart's contract situation has baffled many in the football world, and is the reason behind him not being on the field with his teammates. Stewart, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in April, publicly addressed not being on the field during the Bengals' minicamp practices due to not having inked his rookie deal. "I'm 100% right," he told reporters on Tuesday. "I'm not asking for nothing y'all (the Bengals) have never done before. But in y'all case, y'all just want to win arguments (more) than winning more games." The Bengals are reportedly trying to change the way their first-round rookie contracts are done, which would allow the team to void future guarantees. Stewart doesn't feel his contract language needs to be different, with Pro Football Talk pointing out Amarius Mims, the team's first-round pick last year, not having that language in his deal. Stewart was a higher pick than Mims as well. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he had "good communication" with Stewart before leaving camp. Given the Bengals' contract problems with other players – star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has his own issue with his deal in Cincinnati – Taylor gave his thoughts on Stewart's situation. "There's a first for everything," he told reporters. "Every year, you kinda learn something new in this position, and this is just one of those things that the players have managed really well. We keep the team moving, and when he jumps on the field, that'll be great for our team." Prior to leaving, Stewart was attending team meetings and studying his new playbook. But he knows how much being on the field makes a difference. "You gotta get your body somewhat prepared to play football, especially me coming from college. The NFL is a way physical game, even though I played in the SEC, which is very physical. Nothing compares to actually playing in the NFL. I thought I'd be on the field by now," he said. Stewart was considered a raw prospect coming out of the Aggies' program, someone who possesses tremendous athletic ability but needs to shore up the technical aspects of playing outside linebacker. He's hoping to do that for years to come in Cincinnati, and though the contract situation is less than ideal, he doesn't have any ill will for the franchise. "I'm still new here. We still have a long future ahead of us," he said. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
USA Today
31-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bengals' x-factor for 2025 NFL season flying under the radar
Bengals' x-factor for 2025 NFL season flying under the radar When it comes to x-factors in 2025, the Cincinnati Bengals have a few who come to mind. Think, someone like rookie Demetrius Knight being able to step in and help on the defense right away. Or the front office when it comes to solving the contract standoffs with both Trey Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart. Somewhat joking about the front office aside, another key x-factor is second-year offensive tackle Amarius Mims, who just found himself spotlighted as such by Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman: "The Bengals had the second-lowest-graded offensive line in the league, finishing above only the Patriots. The unit remains mostly the same from 2024, and the player whom most are expecting to make a jump is right tackle Amarius Mims. The 2024 first-round pick mostly had a rookie season to forget, placing 67th among all tackles with a 57.8 PFF overall grade. If he doesn't experience a sophomore breakout, Cincinnati's offensive line could struggle mightily once again." RELATED: Bengals UDFA is already turning heads at OTAs The Bengals are certainly counting on Mims to make a second-year leap and stay on the field. They could also trot out two new starters at guard with free-agent arrival Lucas Patrick and rookie Dylan Fairchild. Arguably more than anything, the Bengals hope that a new-look coaching staff overseeing the offensive trenches offers a big solution too, helping to get the most out of their guys while finally developing some of their own draft picks properly. RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals players missing OTAs list ahead of training camp
