Bengals, Boyd agree to extension
Receiver Tyler Boyd signed a four-year contract extension Tuesday, coming off his breakthrough season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Boyd was a secondround pick out of Pittsburgh in 2016 and was entering the final year on his rookie contract. The extension runs through the 2023 season.
He had a breakout season in 2018, when A.J. Green was sidelined by a toe injury. Boyd led the team with 76 catches and 1,028 yards receiving, both career highs. He also tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns.
The Bengals also are trying to work out a contract extension with Green, who is entering the final season of a fouryear, $60 million deal. Green has fully recovered fromthe toe injury that required surgery.he also missed six games in 2016 because of a hamstring injury.
Green turns 31 on July 31, an age when some receivers begin to decline or have injury issues. Owner Mike Brown said the Bengals are interested in signing him to another extension because they think he can play at a Pro Bowl level for an extended time.
“One thing I’ve learned is that great players have a tendency to keep on longer, they just have more in the tank,” Brown said. “And I think that applies to A.J. Yes, he’s going to be in his 30s and we can all count and we know that eventually things end, but I don’t think it’s now for him.”
Patriots’ Edelman spotted with brace
Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman was seen wearing a brace or splint on his left thumb at a youth camp he organized last weekend and will reportedly be limited for three weeks.
According to published reports, Edelman will be limited for the first three weeks of training camp, which starts Thursday.
The Patriots declined to comment.
The 33-year-old Edelman missed the first four games last season after violating the NFL’S policy on performanceenhancing drugs. In a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, he caught 10 passes for 141 yards and was the first receiver to earn MVP honors in 10 years.
Falcons defense hit by injuries again
The Atlanta Falcons’ defense, which was devastated by injuries in 2018, already has lost two players in training camp.
Coach Dan Quinn confirmed Tuesday that safety J.J. Wilcox will miss the season with a right knee injury. Also, defensive tackle Michael Bennett suffered a broken ankle and will miss the start of the season. Both were hurt on Monday’s opening day of camp.
The injuries follow defensive end Steven Means’ season-ending Achilles tendon injury in organized team activities in May. Means started four games in 2018.
Wilcox worked with the first-team defense this offseason while Keanu Neal continued his rehabilitation from a knee injury.
To help bolster the defense. the Falcons and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey agreed to a two-year, $10.5 million contract Tuesday.
Bailey, 30, had a career-high six sacks for the Chiefs in 2018.
Vikings cornerback gets suspension
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Holton Hill was suspended for an additional four games, this time for violating the NFL’S policy and program on substances of abuse.
Hill will be out of action for the first half of the season, having previously received a four-game ban the league handed him in April for violation of the policy on performanceenhancing drugs.