Will Bengals Add Veteran Defensive End Following Myles Murphy's Injury?

the end of the preseason is right around the corner we'll break down what we're looking for in the preseason finale and we're going to start with Miles Murphy avoiding a major injury after Tuesday's scare you are locked on Bengals your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what up Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the locked on Bengals podcast I'm your host Jake lisco he's your host James rine we are part of the lockdown podcast Network here on lockdown Bengals covering your team every day on YouTube and everywhere you get your podcast welcome back to the every dayers glad to have you here shout out to all of you out there who make us your first list and appreciate all of you so very much and if you're new you can subscribe and join one or both of those esteemed groups of individuals who make us part of their everyday routine or make us their first Listen by making sure you don't miss a beat here on lock on Bengals today we get into miles Murphy's injury not as bad as it could have been that is good news and we'll take a look at that edge room that has really been tested this preseason for the Cincinnati Bengals this episode is brought to you by game time you can save $20 on your first purchase of tickets with promo code locked on NFL in the game time app terms apply and James we got good news on Wednesday morning regarding the status of Miles Murphy's knee a non-con injury that often when you hear those words is followed by some very scary stuff but miles Murphy avoided the worst he did it's it's really good news and he was the first notable thing is he was at the facility for for hours after the practice ended you know past Joe burrow and a lot of notables and and one of the last guys out and I assume it's because he was getting treatment but uh in undergoing the MRI and all of those things but we're talking about an MCL sprain you know a knee sprain that is weeks it's not necessarily months it's certainly necessar not necessarily season type situation and that's I think where you go and part of it was he spent as much time as he did on the field like down and then he gets up and he's really Ginger I'm sure people have seen videos our listeners have seen videos I know you did Jake of him slowly moving off the field and then the the one hope and I think it it really is a a clear indicator and so we're gonna monitor every golf cart from now on the fact that he wasn't on the long bed and he was sitting shotgun and he bent the knee I Game of Thrones reference I think uh that that was certainly a a good sign and so we're talking weeks not months and hopefully those weeks are just these next few weeks before the start of the regular season 18 days as we record this maybe he'll be able to to suit up week one you want to rush him back and that leads into the other conversation of do they have enough death if they don't need to rush him back say it's week two and not week one got the Patriots in week one the Patriots are not good on the offensive line it would be great to have miles Murphy for that game because it would be great to be able to feel like you could rotate Joseph osai and Miles Murphy into the game against a Patriots offense that does not have high expectations let's say this year but the more important thing would be having that depth available for week two against an offense that is a little scarier in the Kansas City Chiefs on the road so yeah you lose cam sample you face the prospect of wanting to get miles Murphy as close to 100% as possible for week two and then you look around that edge room Jeff Gunter retired not that he was necessarily making the team but he had a shot Cedric Johnson shoe in to make the team at this point with the injuries they've had there but as we mentioned yesterday there's really nothing beyond that that makes you feel very confident that you could get actual NFL contributions from these guys in a regular season game they have similar depth issues right now on the interior defensive line mck Kinley Jackson still dealing with that knee injury off crutches good good movement in that sense there's a step in the right direction but still in a brace and he's just off crutches so that doesn't necessarily spell spell imminent return so you're looking and you're thinking do they need to make a move here can they make a move here that actually moves the needle at this point in the game late in the preseason I would think the answer is yes but I I do think that becomes an interesting conversation where finding the move that makes sense and actually helps the team get better is challenging at this point in the preseason sure and that's that's why I think it would be surprising to hear anything and watch it ends up happening as we record this on on Wednesday afternoon but anything until after Thursday they're still evaluating miles to an extent obviously they they have a really good idea of what he's dealing with and I'm sure they're taking a closer look today but one you don't want to rush him back two you're not going to rush into trying to add a veteran especially someone that you may need to contribute like if you are missing miles you're going to need someone someone else that you're banking on even if it's for a couple of weeks and so hopefully it's not hopefully we're talking about a a two- week thing maybe a three-week thing and then he's ready to go for Kansas City week two or maybe it's a week three against Washington you have that extra day by the way it's a Monday night game and now we're talking about a full month if that's the case of actual time for him to heal but in those scenarios where he does Miss regular season time can you roll with who you got Jake I I think that that's that's a tough ask just because of how short-handed they are at defensive end right now and it would be really nice if Jeff Gunter didn't retire for that reason right or Cam sample uh obviously the the Andre he suffered the Tor ailles out for the year like those you really start the feel those now that you have another guy go down and one guy you're banking on as your third defensive end especially if miles Murphy it misses a little time is Joseph osai and it's not like Joseph osai hasn't had a lengthy injury history I mean he's been hurt each and every year of his NFL career so you definitely need some depth there yeah and it's hard to figure out where they find it waivers will certainly be something they're looking at on the defense line on the whole I don't think it's just Edge I do think it's also the defensive interior but that's hard to find impact players at this time of year we were excited about JT a few years ago and he made his plays but now he's on the roster bubble again and I would say currently on the outside looking in and unless McKinley Jackson needs a trip to the IR that would open the window for him and a rule change this year would allow the Bengals to put McKinley Jackson on the IR on cutdown day which gives teams more flexibility when cutting down they don't have to carry them to the initial 53 and then put them on ir and have them eligible to return anymore there's a rule change this year that allows teams to do that on cutdown day so there's a chance that t makes the team that way maybe Travis Bell is a preferred option for them as a fifth interior defensive lineman but it's not just at the edge to me where they added these two rookies and and you've got Zack Carter but we were still thinking they should add another veteran there after the draft and that didn't really happen so we'll see if there is a waiver claim on the defensive line for this team best case scenario is you swing another BJ Hill style trade and I mean talk about a pipe dream right that that is the best case scenario but the fact that the Bengals were able to do that the first time is still crazy and and being able to pull it off again would be uh very challenging but if they do it kudos to the front office because they could use that kind of move right now in in a pretty big way yeah the in the other element from a free agency standpoint because you could say oh we'll just go get a defensive end you know yanuk and G or whoever right it's tough if if I'm yanuk and G do I did I wait this long and I'm sure they've gotten inquiries or he's gotten inquiries about signing but did I I wait this long now miss camp now to join and play for a few weeks until miles Murphy gets back potentially you know that's that's the hard part too is the Bengals they want miles to to be a huge Factor this year and I don't think this injury changes that obviously osai is in the mix as well behind Hubbert and Hendrickson so a veteran at least a proven veteran it might be a little harder you'd have to almost convince them that there's a long-term role as well and not a once 99's back your butts on the bench they could use rotational pieces there we would like it if they had a more functional rotation we would like it if Sam and Trey the starters Hendrickson and hover didn't have to play so much and and they had a more viable rotation there to keep those guys fresher and healthier as they've both dealt with their own injuries too I mean you're starting to get a pretty hefty list of injuries that these Edge players have suffered in the last 365 days when when you think about it that way but on the topic of Joseph osai is he going to see preseason action in week three let's talk about what we're looking for as the Bengals gear up for their final preseason game against the Colts and the Colts are playing their starters which blows my mind we'll get to that conversation coming up next Today's Show is brought to you by game time game time is the app you need to get right now maybe you want to get and go to uh preseason game number three a game that I will be at Bengals Colts to potentially see Joseph oide to certainly see Anthony Richardson who might be the the biggest quarterback I've seen and I've seen Cam Newton in person it's pretty close Anthony Richardson was just insane to look at as just a a human the the other day on Tuesday during the joint practice well you can get up close and personal with the Bengals and Colton the preseason finale with game time and by the way game time has a new feature called Game Time picks that makes getting tickets for your favorite Live Events even easier game time picks filters out all the fluff to show you the incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time going through thousands of tickets and game time has a 50% off Labor Day offer for multiple baseball games so maybe you're listening across the country and you're thinking about going to a Dodgers game and you want to watch show he Otani well they have a special offer for you all you have to do is download the game time app today and take advantage of game time picks they're all in pricing and of course their panoramic views right from your seat so download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code l c k d o n NFL locked on NFL for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed preseason game number three the preseason finale traditionally a time for practice squad players and roster hopefuls to make their Mark and get their last film out there for NFL evaluators across the league and let's St on Joseph osai for a second here before we get to the rest of what we're looking for I am looking for Joseph osai to be in Street close on the sideline not on the field not with us asking again man why is Joseph oai still in the game haven't we seen enough isn't he going to be an important role player for this team why are they playing him deep into this preseason game hopefully at this point they've seen what they needed to see ver mosai who I think also had a really nice rush in that joint practice a very clean win in one-on ones of that joint practice that I saw a fun clip of as well but like he also had some off sides he also had some off sides apparently I didn't see it but uh got got drawn off sides like four times in one-on on I was told I mean great I I actually don't care like at all because the risk of of getting another injury to this unit has to overcome over over I'm just saying I'm just saying he sucked in the one-on ones even with the clean win you saw that's all I me it was do that it was within a second and a half from The Edge which is a great rep maybe he was off sides I don't know I I'm not talking about that one I'm just I'm just saying in general so it was a tough period for him in general that's all I don't want to paint the rosy picture if it's not all Rosy well you're really painting a grim picture instead regardless neither of us want to see Joseph oai play in this game and let Cedric Johnson and Justin blazic and Andre Carter and Joshua prior get their refs in and and get those guys a ton of run honestly I wouldn't even play Cedric Johnson for that long if I think he's making the team and I think he's gonna be active in week one yeah I think with Johnson you probably want him to get some reps i' probably play him for a half especially because it's starter level reps at least as long as the cult starters are in there you can get him some really valuable reps but to your point and I think think our listeners are going to notice a theme here this is when you you play the the guys that are trying to Showcase their stuff for the rest of the league and you know yeah this guy like even even some of your guys that you're thinking all right we're gonna get them to the practice squad I'm not saying take them out in the first quarter because you can't you you got to play a certain amount of guys I get it but you don't need to like how much do we need to see Cody Ford and we'll get to him but I'm just picking out a guy like how much do you need to see and he'll probably start right um need to see really any I would play Jackson Carman I would play um just sticking with the defense we'll stick on defense I would play Justin blazic Andre Carter and Josh prior a ton those guys would get they'd be pretty darn tired at the end of Thursday night by the way that's what they should want they should want reps in film so you you you mix both of them together there and yeah I'd play Cedric Johnson but it wouldn't be for for more than a half and there's no chance Joseph osai would be suiting up he'd go through an extensive pregame warmup probably a bit more than he would normally like hey get go get a workout like that's good sure but I I I wouldn't say Hey you need 58 to suit up I don't really think he needs to we'll see if that occurs again same thing on the defensive interior JG fet Travis Bell Dominic Davis Carlos Davis probably playing a ton of snaps maybe Chris Jenkins get some work against the Indianapolis starters get him those reps against Quinton Nelson sure but how long do you want to run a guy out there who you're going to be counting on to play significant snaps for you this year in a final preseason game when there's not a whole lot you need to learn anymore about these guys there is some valuable experience to be had for Chris Jenkins I get that especially with the Colts playing their starters and maybe you want to get him some exposure to those starters but the theme you're going to notice is when we're talking about guys that can contribute to this team and this is true for excuse me for Josh Newton as well probably for some safeties as well guys that are going to be part of your rotation how much do you want them to play answer is probably not much if at all and that includes the second string guys that's where I'm at right now yeah I so let's use linebacker right ran Jong met Devin Harper start start like that's where I'm starting Joe Bachi is dealing with an injury he's not going to play AE Davis gai are battling a little bit too why would you play them so start with the third string guys go from there Shaka hward Aaron Casey those guys should play a ton like those are your four linebackers which is fine four linebackers for a game makes a ton of sense and I I would do the same thing all the way down a guy like Tyson Anderson I don't need to see him why would I play him he's making the team he's coming off of the ACL maybe they'll get him out there just to give him some reps early but I'm not having him play a ton because I I don't think it's it's worth it and at the same time who do you play at some of these positions like you're not going to go out and play Lance Robinson the entire time but I think Lance should get a lot of run I think that a guy in in Jaylen Davis who could be on the bubble I think he's going to play a decent amount as well that would be interesting if if Davis does play if the Bengals are of the same mindset we are we they're looking to to try to keep guys out of the game that they know what they have there and and they know whether or not those guys are making the team but you're right they can't just dress three corners so Allan George might play the entire game we've seen that sort of thing from them with Allen George in the past Nate Brooks might play a ton Lance Robinson probably will play a ton PJ Jules Michael da will play a lot at safety dejon Anthony you think he plays I think he plays he's a seventh round pick and would expect to see him but what are we looking for as far as guys that could make the team like if Chris Jenkins is out there that is the Marquee attraction to me on defense going against the Colt starters and and he's a rookie you could expect him to potentially get some run Muma Jang meta definitely an interesting player on the defensive side of the ball just since we started there we can stay there if Josh Newton plays a little bit against the ones that would be good experience for him as well these would be guys that I would be interested in watching and and then down roster you know if jell plays can he make a a last minute push for a roster spot or or is he destined for the practice squad these are things that I think on the defensive side of the ball could be some of the more interesting guys to watch for sure and Chris Jenkins clear improvement from week one to week two of the preseason you want to see it more got to get him some reps you just do these guys need reps and so like dejon Anthony of course because the reason Jaylen Davis could be on the bubble and I don't know if he is but could be on the bubble is because of a dejon Anthony because of a potential fifth safety that can also handle nickel quarterback duties if you need him to and the versatility that he brings so you want all of these guys Josh Newton obviously an up and down week two of the preseason strong Camp over all you want him to get rep so hopefully a lot of these guys do I agree with you eyes on Chris Jenkins he's a guy that I'm expecting to make an impact right away and uh that pretty much does it for the the defense I think Muma Jang meta still fighting here still on the bubble not uh not one way or the other could see him not making it could see him sneaking on he's gonna have to have a big Thursday night as well so another guy that I know a lot of people pay attention to and have paid attention to and have heard his name um Jang meta's got to go do it again on Thursday night if he wants to make it now let's talk about the offense and skill guys I can't believe we got 20 minutes in and didn't do that we will do that coming up next Today's Show is brought to you by FanDuel you've heard us talk about FanDuel a ton and they're America's number one sports book for a reason well we have something a little different for you right now because between now and September 22nd so you have just over a month all FanDuel customers can bet five and get a three week free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV then with a YouTube TV base plan you'll be able to watch every regular season afternoon out of Market game all you need is a Google account in a current form of payment and you can cancel any time I'm gonna say it again now between now and September 22nd all FanDuel customers can bet $ five and get a thre week free trial NFL Sunday Sunday ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV all you have to do is go to fanduel.com lockon that's fanduel.com lockon to download America's number one sports book skill guys skill guys maybe if you're gonna twist my arm about it how much is Germaine Burton going to play in the season finale the whole game go on I I'm not serious but I also am not against the idea of a guy who's clearly playing and you know maybe you take him out second second half like midc like early second half but they clearly think he needs reps so if that's the case just play him just play him the whole damn game and just get him put him in those positions that he's in and or that you think he's going to be in in the year in the season so he can learn and help you at some point sooner not against playing him the whole game and and there's a delicate balance there but it's one if the hay is in the barn like Charlie Jones do do I need to see Charlie Jones like I don't think so he had the knee a few weeks ago like there's really no reason to risk him I know he's a punt returner I know he's comfortable back there I know he's not their third receiver necessarily he's rotating in that mix see you week one Germaine Burton is on the outside of that mix right now and so yeah I would play him a lot the whole game might be a bit strong but he'd play a lot if if it was up to me he's had one of the weirder pre-seasons for a third round rookie that honestly had pretty high expectations even though we we weren't expecting him to be on their draft board once they picked him we thought after the offseason program especially before training camp like this guy has a real shot to be the third receiver and run away with the third receiver job and training camp rolls around and he's working with the threes and you're hearing things about him being behind in the Playbook and needing to stay in the Playbook and you're hearing that from him you're hearing that from Joe burrow you're hearing that from the coaching staff it's not really a secret that he's catching up to the rookie learning curve but when he's been on the field in the preseason he's made plays he just hasn't been on the field all that much in the first preseason game he notably didn't get targeted until late in that game ends up with three catches for 82 yards and a touchdown winning on two vertical balls one of them a contested catch one of them absolutely stacking in dust Tampa Bay Corner who probably won't be on their roster but still he did it it's on tape he led them in receiving both weeks from a a longest catch perspective longest catch yeah 19 yard catch against Chicago on a nice play for for No Doubt Logan Woodside stepping up in the pocket and finding Burton downfield on a third down but he's only played 34 snaps and he got in early against Chicago but then didn't play all that much and maybe this has to do with the field conditions as Zach Taylor talked about as a reason for his Corners not playing longer in that game but 20 snaps in week one against Tampa only 14 against Chicago and for a guy that has shown his talent both at Alabama and in the preseason and has the athletic toolkit that he has it's been a weird preseason for him still having a lot to prove at this point in preseason week three compared to where you thought we might be at this point which is yeah he can be a real threat for you with Joe burrow T Higgins and Jamar Chase on offense right away now it feels like there's probably some cooking time still left for Burton yeah and fortunately or unfortunately you can look at it both ways one they're not banking on him or don't need to bank on him so that's the fortunate part the unfortunate part is man he does something that these other guys don't necessarily do and and stretches the field uniquely and that that's why it's like all right well if I'm the coaching staff I figure out can you get him to a spot where he can contribute right away and they probably already have that answer or no or hopeful one way or the other or have a plan if you can like if he's a guy that comes in and takes eight offensive snaps and he's running go routes on seven of them I'm fine with that because that gives them an element that these other guys aren't necessarily bringing certainly the their top two receivers are the only ones bringing that downfield threat the the way Burton would so it would be nice to have that and and that complement everything else so hopefully they can get him there like if you can start week one with that and that's your Germaine Burton rookie third rounder you take it all day long and then it gives him time to develop you just don't want him to get lost in the shuffle and be a healthy scratch for six weeks and just be on the outside looking in because once the season starts it's really tough to catch up yeah you at some point need to shift the conversation from he's behind in the Playbook to these are the things that we can get him up to speed on in ways that he can contribute to this team like you're saying right like you need to find the ways to use that skill set that he has that vertical ability and and I'm talking about jumps because he had great jumping testing at the combine ran a solid 40 was clearly a great vertical receiver at Alabama find a way to utilize that skill set on your team that lacks for vertical plays obviously Jamar Chase exists obviously T Higgins has his ability to win balls downfield with his ability to play Above the Rim as well in his size but having a third guy that can do that with those two guys on the field does add an element there even Mike ceki throwing the mix for a more vertically inclined tight end than they've had in Joe Burrow's era finding a way to get those pieces into your offense should probably be the priority at this point point but seeing him in this third preseason game maybe he can just show that he's more comfortable with more of the Playbook and for sure earn a lot of trust that's a big opportunity for Jermaine Burton here this week and that's why I would play that's why I would play him a ton I know you're gonna move on but that's why I'd play him a ton is because there would be a potentially a chance to salvage this get his confidence up and get things moving in the right direction with a couple of weeks before the opener yeah build that trust build that confidence that that would be a fantastic outcome for this game for Germaine Burton spent a lot of time on Germaine Burton the the rest of the receivers behind him are going to play Kendrick pry still dealing with an injury that's a bit unfortunate for him gonna be a lot of shedric Jackson kwami Lasser hem Butler Cole Burgess great for all them we'll see which of those guys lands on the practice squad because at least one of them will probably multiple on the offensive line should expect to see a lot of Jackson Kirkland Matt Lee Nate Gilliam Jackson Carman Trey Hill Eric Miller Devin Cochran how much we need to see Cody for to your to your point I do Wonder does mat Le get the entire game per I hope not I I honestly hope not whether or not he does kind of tells us or might give us a clue as to what they're thinking about those roster cutdowns if they move Trey Hill to Center in the third quarter and Trey Hill finishes a game at Center well there's your answer and that's what happened during the joint practice Trey Hill worked some at center with the third team yeah with Rocky Lombardi and so there you go I would play a ton go ahead I I I hope Trey Hill is still in the organization I do I just I think he's more of a a practice squad candidate for me like he's someone that it's would be great on the practice squad and he could certainly make it there I I think that's very possible we'll see how these guys shake out I think the offensive line feels pretty set Jackson Kirkland Matt Lee Cody Ford along with whichever tackle Trent Brown and Mario smims isn't starting will be the backups most likely on the initial roster and we'll see how things shake out from there big opportunity for the tight ends on the back of this roster Tanner mclaughin in particular to show that he can do a little bit more than catch a ball on the flat get more opportunities he's looked really good with the ball in his hands looks like a really smooth athlete looks like a solid receiving threat but it's hard to say that he has a roster spot judging from where his snaps have come and he doesn't have that third round uh draft pedigree that Germaine Burton carries on the other hand the Bengals really don't cut sixr draft picks very often so if you wanted to make an argument for them keeping Tanner mcclin that would be where I would start yeah I think gotta show a little bit gotta show me something and I had him on my 53 man earlier this week we'll see if that happens I'm sure we'll have time looking ahead probably our Sunday show Monday show will be a a a cut down day uh prediction 53 man for for here on lockon so we'll see I think he's one of those bubble guys that can go either way and and could really use a nice preseason finale to to solidify his spot on the roster because he might be I don't know this but he might be on the outside looking in right now it's going to be really interesting to see which tight ends play a bunch if our theory about the guys that play a bunch being firmly on the bubble or outside the bubble does hold true not expecting to see Jake Browning of course he's dealing with that rib injury Zack Taylor kind of talking about it as a precautionary thing giving him as much time as he needs to heal where rotation could aggravate the injury throwing could aggravate the injury so gonna be Logan Woodside Rocky Lombardi again and I think that's really everything of note for me on the offensive side of the ball there are running backs that well play I'm still looking outside the organization for potential running backs we've talked about this throughout the offseason I don't know that the third preseason game changes anything for me there but a good challenge for these guys on the offensive line some good pass rushers for the Colts it's going to be exciting to see those matchups when the Colts have their starters out there good work for the tight ends good work for Jermaine Burton on offense and there will be some things that inform roster decisions and tell us where certain guys are going to end up on the depth chart that will take away from this third preseason game and you know what Zack Taylor did also say that some starters might play so it'll be interesting to see what that ends up meaning like it was was no starters are going to play and then maybe here or there we'll see if that ends up being anybody starting because that'll be interesting to see as well yeah maybe he ends up wanting to see Dax a little or wanting to see DJ a little and and that's the the one that he didn't want to do maybe Zach Moss once one series because he hasn't played he was sick in that week one matchup and and didn't play hasn't taken a snap in a Bengals uniform um not that I would necessarily need to see that but that's the other one I would think of maybe Jamar I'm just kidding um the other one would be Ryan Rico yeah like maybe he's a a starter by default and in with Brad recovering he I I I don't think they really know when Brad's going to be ready to go ready to go what I would say is Ryan Rico's been pretty inconsistent and hasn't run through the door even though the door has been opened up for him and so Thursday's a a big big night for number eight big opportunity there for Rico to once again show that consistency that has been elusive for him so far we will have your takeaways after the game Thursday night conclusion to the preseason for the Cincinnati Bengals at home against the Indianapolis Colts right here on locked on Bengals for you after that and until then if you're looking for a second listen of course you've got locked on fantasy football you can find the link in the description below thanks for listening though to this episode of the lock on Bengals podcast and until next time time HUD day and have a good one