Bengals lock down cornerstones on ‘D’
The Bengals agreed to contract extensions Tuesday with defensive tackle Geno Atkins and end Carlos Dunlap, their top pass rushers who were entering the final years on their deals.
Dunlap tweeted about the “Back to Back” deals before they were confirmed by the team. Atkins’ agents confirmed on Twitter he got a four-year deal, while Dunlap was extended for three years. The deals reportedly could be worth a combined $110 million if all terms are fulfilled.
The Bengals made extensions for their top two defensive players a priority. Dunlap didn’t participate in some offseason team activities, forcing the issue before the sides got immersed in extension talks.
The Bengals cleared some salary cap room for the deals when they released receiver Brandon LaFell and safety George Iloka during training camp.
Atkins, 30, made his sixth Pro Bowl and led the Bengals with nine sacks last season, the most by an NFL interior lineman. He has 61 sacks in his eight seasons, the most by a Bengals interior lineman.
Dunlap, 29, finished third on the club with 71⁄ sacks last season. His best year was 2015, when he had 131⁄ sacks, second-most in club history.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson says he probably won’t reveal whether Carson Wentz or Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will start the season opener until 90 minutes before the game.
Wentz has been recovering from surgery last December to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. He is practicing but hasn’t been medically cleared for contact.
Foles struggled in two preseason games and won’t play Thursday night against the Jets. The offense didn’t score any points on 14 drives with Foles under center in the preseason.
Pederson indicated he would make a decision Friday, but he doesn’t plan to disclose which quarterback will line up against the Falcons on Sept. 6 until game day. Robert Ayers’ stint with the Lions was a short one.
The Lions released the veteran defensive end, with their announcement of Ayers’ departure coming about 28 hours after the team said it had signed him.
Earlier Tuesday, coach Matt Patricia described Ayers as “another guy that obviously has some good experience that we could bring in.”
Ayers made 10 starts in each of the last two seasons with the Buccaneers. He has 35 sacks, including a career-high 91⁄ for the Giants in 2015.
The Titans acquired linebacker Kamalei Correa from the Ravens for an undisclosed draft pick.
Correa played the last two seasons for Dean Pees, who had been the Ravens’ defensive coordinator before coming out of retirement to work for first-year coach Mike Vrabel on the Titans.
Correa was the 42nd pick overall in 2016 out of Boise State, and the 6-foot-3, 241pound linebacker started four of his 25 games with the Ravens.