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NFL

Bears vets lift up QB Williams after tough practice

  • Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterMay 23, 2024, 06:29 PM ET

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      Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — An up-and-down day for the Chicago Bears’ offense during the third practice of OTAs ended with an encouraging message for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

Nine-year safety Kevin Byard, who joined the Bears in free agency, approached Williams at the end of Thursday’s session with feedback after a stretch of inconsistency during the red zone period.

“I said something to him at the end of practice like, ‘Keep it going. We’re going to keep making you better,'” Byard said. “And not necessarily saying he had a terrible day, but days like this are going to make you better.”

The Bears’ defense, which has operated the same system since 2022, got the better end of an offense that is learning a new scheme under first-year offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

“We had a good day,” Byard said. “I’m not going to sit here and lie about that. But to be honest, it’s to be expected. You have a returning top-15, top-10 defense, obviously going against a younger rookie quarterback who’s getting acclimated and learning things. That’s what it is supposed to look like.”

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Wide receiver

“It’s frustrating, but we also know that we’re learning a new system,” Moore said.

Moore said he felt he needed to relay that reality to Williams.

‘Yeah, you’ve got to because our defense can get pretty rowdy, as you all know out there,” Moore said. “Just calming everybody down in the huddle and just refocusing is the best thing.”

Byard noted that the offense “kind of got after us a little bit” during the first practice of the week and came away impressed by several of Williams’ throws.

“Every week is not going to be great,” Byard said. “Some weeks we’re going to have to be on two-minute drill, he’s going to have to go win us a game. Some weeks we’re going to blow people out. Sometimes it’s not going to be like that. So I would just kind of tell him like, hey, days, like this just keep fighting, keep going, watch the film, get better. And that’s for everyone on the team. Everything is not going to be peaches and cream. You know what I’m saying? But like I like his confidence and he kind of just looked me straight in the eye and said ‘of course I will,’ and that was good to see.”

Coach Matt Eberflus emphasized the growth he saw Williams make during his first week of true practices against NFL competition.

“This is the first time going against a pro defense, and a pretty good one,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “It’s going to be learning for everybody. They’re getting everything together. It was progress. I saw progress from the first day to the second, the second to the third. So it’s good.”

Williams’ ability to process the information given to him from Bears coaches and execute it during practice has been “very impressive,” according to Eberflus. As the Bears gauge Williams’ development through the spring, easing him into the offense isn’t part of the plan.

“We’re not holding back,” Eberflus said. “We’re giving him a lot of information. We’re giving him the offense and you want to be able to go through the whole offense before the off-season gets done, primarily most of it, and work it into the summer.”

NFL

Hendrickson committed to Cincy after trade ask

  • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMay 14, 2024, 02:10 PM ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports.
      He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs.
      A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — Trey Hendrickson was all smiles after Tuesday’s offseason workout.

After a tumultuous offseason that featured a trade request, the Cincinnati Bengals’ star pass-rusher was firm in his desire to play for the team this season.

“That’s a no-brainer,” Hendrickson said. “I mean, I love this team. I’m in great shape. It’s good to see the guys.”

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The three-time Pro Bowl selection rejoined the group this week for the team’s voluntary offseason workout program. Hendrickson, who was second in the NFL in sacks created last season and tied for second in total sacks (17.5), had asked for a trade after the Bengals declined to give him a long-term deal. Last summer, he added an extra year to his contract through the end of the 2025 season.

The move netted him an extra $5 million in salary last year but didn’t have an impact on his 2024 salary or alleviate concerns about the future. Hendrickson said that when he and his agent, Harold Lewis, met with the Bengals to inquire about either a long-term deal or a trade, the answer from Cincinnati’s front office was “pretty firm.”

“You kind of hope for the best,” Hendrickson said. “[In], football, you get what you earn in some ways and in other ways, there’s a business side of it.”

The 29-year-old has been one of the league’s best edge rushers since the Bengals signed him in 2021 to a four-year deal worth $60 million. He has 40.5 sacks since, the fifth-highest total during that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Bengals defensive tackle

“You just can’t take it personally,” Hill said. “You got to remember there’s also the business side of it as well.”

Hendrickson said that like others inside the building, coach Zac Taylor was supportive as he navigated the contract situation. He also said he understood why Cincinnati’s front office stood firm in keeping the current terms of his deal intact.

And on his side of things, he had no regrets about taking the one-year extension last season.

“My goal was to play here longer,” Hendrickson said. “So, when they offered me a chance to play for Cincinnati another year, I took it. I would take it again.

“I’m not asking for a great business decision. I know that asking ownership, there’s not a lot of ways to cut it. I just know what I can do and how I can do it. And I think my tape has proven that over the last four years as a starter.”

NFL

Bengals' Hendrickson back in facility for workouts

  • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2024, 05:01 PM ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports.
      He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs.
      A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is back with the team after missing the first three weeks of the offseason program amid a trade request.

In a video posted by the team Monday, Hendrickson was seen going through position drills.

It’s the latest development in Hendrickson’s offseason saga. He has been seeking a trade as the Bengals have been unwilling to issue him a long-term deal.

Hendrickson, who initially signed a four-year contract with Cincinnati in 2021, has developed into one of the league’s best pass-rushers. Last year, he tied for second with 17.5 sacks, the most in Bengals history since sacks became an official stat in 1982.

After the NFL draft in April, Bengals coach Zac Taylor sounded optimistic that Hendrickson would be with the team this season.

“We want Trey to play here next year for us,” Taylor said April 27. “He’s going to play here next year for us. He’s going to have success, we’re going to have success and I’m excited for that.”

Hendrickson’s trade request comes a year after the Bengals gave him a one-year contract extension. According to financial data via OverTheCap.com, that deal included an $8 million signing bonus, which increased his 2023 salary by $5 million but left his 2024 salary the same.

Since he joined the Bengals in 2021, he ranks eighth in pass rush win rate as an edge rusher, per NFL Next Gen Stats, and is fifth in total sacks during that span.

NFL

'Oh Yeah!' Kool-Aid McKinstry adds flavor to NFL nickname game

  • Brianna Williams, ESPNApr 25, 2024, 10:35 AM ET

The 2024 NFL draft places an immense spotlight on college football’s biggest stars.

Some players are used to the attention. For obvious reasons, Kool-Aid McKinstry is one of them.

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The New York Jets star cornerback was selected fourth overall in the 2022 NFL draft, but he always had the “sauce.”

Born Ahmad Gardner, the Detroit native was dubbed “A1 Sauce Sweet Feet” by a youth football coach due to his elusiveness.

He memorably donned not one, but two chains brandishing his moniker for his draft day outfit.

“When I’m on and off the field, I make sure I’ve got the sauce. That just keeps me going,” Gardner told The New York Post. “When I’m in my little calm mood, it’s just me being Ahmad. The Sauce is within me, so I’m always Sauce. I have to know when to flip the switch up and turn the switch off.”

In his rookie season, he signed an endorsement deal with Buffalo Wild Wings and his own signature condiment called “Sauce Sauce,” described as a smoky sweet and spicy barbecue.

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Deebo Samuel explains how his name was inspired by the movie ‘Friday’

Deebo Samuel says his father named him Deebo after the bully in the movie “Friday.”

If it was up to the San Francisco 49ers receiver, he would’ve been known by his legal name: Tyshun.

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Oklahoma’s Mayfield’s 5th TD pass goes for 77 yards

Baker Mayfield throws a 77-yard strike to Marquise Brown in the fourth quarter.

The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver received his nickname much later than his aforementioned peers.

In November 2017, TV announcer Gus Johnson coined the name during a legendary call of Brown’s 77-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown in Oklahoma’s 62-52 win over Oklahoma State.

Johnson was referencing Marquise Brown’s hometown, Hollywood, Florida.

“It kind of just stuck,” Brown said. “Everyone started calling me it.”

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