Bengals center Matt Lee was designated to return from injured reserve, opening his 21-day practice window.
Lee, a second-year player, landed on injured reserve on Oct. 28 with a knee injury.
He has played five games this season, seeing action on 16 special teams snaps.
A seventh-round pick in 2024, Lee played all 17 games as a rookie, including one start. He saw action on 27 offensive snaps and 86 on special teams.
The Bengals play the Cardinals on Sunday before closing out the season against the Browns.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow rebounded in a big way in Week 16.
Burrow had one of the worst games of his career in a Week 15 loss to the Ravens that ended any playoff hopes for his team, but he was back on track against the Dolphins last Sunday. Burrow was 25-of-32 for 309 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-21 win over the Dolphins.
The game was Burrow’s fourth since returning from the toe injury that kept him out for two months of the season.
The NFL announced on Wednesday that Burrow has been named the AFC offensive player of the week for the eighth time in his career. It’s the first time he’s won the award this season.
The AFC and NFC rosters for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games were announced on Tuesday morning.
Votes from fans, coaches and players were used to select the teams. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce led the fan vote and was named to his 11th Pro Bowl. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, and Bears safety Kevin Byard were the other leaders in that vote, but Williams is not on the initial NFC roster.
Chargers tackle Joe Alt did make the AFC roster despite playing in only six games before being shut down with an ankle injury.
Three teams — the Jets, Saints and Vikings — have no Pro Bowlers. The Broncos, 49ers, Ravens, and Seahawks each had six players selected.
The Pro Bowl Games will be held in San Francisco on February
The full rosters appear below with starters indicated by an asterisk.
AFC
Quarterback: Josh Allen*, Buffalo Bills; Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers; Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Running back: De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins; James Cook, Buffalo Bills; Jonathan Taylor*, Indianapolis Colts
Fullback: Patrick Ricard*, Baltimore Ravens
Wide receiver: Ja’Marr Chase*, Cincinnati Bengals; Nico Collins*, Houston Texans; Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens; Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Tight end: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders*; Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Offensive tackle: Joe Alt*, Los Angeles Chargers; Garett Bolles*, Denver Broncos; Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills
Offensive guard: Quinn Meinerz*, Denver Broncos; Quenton Nelson*, Indianapolis Colts; Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Center: Creed Humphrey*, Kansas City Chiefs; Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens
Defensive end: Will Anderson Jr.*, Houston Texans; Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders; Myles Garrett*, Cleveland Browns
Interior linemen: Zach Allen, Denver Broncos; Chris Jones*, Kansas City Chiefs; Jeffrey Simmons*, Tennessee Titans
Outside linebacker: Nik Bonitto*, Denver Broncos; Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers; T.J. Watt*, Pittsburgh Steelers
Inside/middle linebacker: Azeez Al-Shaair, Houston Texans; Roquan Smith*, Baltimore Ravens
Cornerback: Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots; Derek Stingley Jr.*, Houston Texans; Pat Surtain II*, Denver Broncos; Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
Free safety: Jalen Ramsey*, Pittsburgh Steelers
Strong safety: Kyle Hamilton*, Baltimore Ravens; Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
Long-snapper: Ross Matiscik*, Jacksonville Jaguars
Punter: Jordan Stout*, Baltimore Ravens
Place-kicker: Cameron Dicker*, Los Angeles Chargers
Return specialist: Chimere Dike*, Tennessee Titans
Special-teamer: Ben Skowronek*, Pittsburgh
NFC
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford*, Los Angeles Rams; Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks; Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Running back: Jahmyr Gibbs*, Detroit Lions; Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers; Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk*, San Francisco 49ers
Wide receiver: Puka Nacua*, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba*, Seattle Seahawks; George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Tight end: Trey McBride*, Arizona Cardinals; George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Offensive tackle: Penei Sewell*, Detroit Lions; Tristan Wirfs* Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers
Offensive guard: Tyler Smith*, Dallas Cowboys; Joe Thuney*, Chicago Bears; Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
Center: Drew Dalman*, Chicago Bears; Cam Jurgens, Philadelphia Eagles
Defensive end: Aidan Hutchinson*, Detroit Lions; Micah Parsons*, Green Bay Packers; DeMarcus Lawrence, Seattle Seahawks
Interior linemen: Jalen Carter*, Philadelphia Eagles; Leonard Williams*, Seattle Seahawks, Quinnen Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Outside linebacker: Brian Burns*, New York Giants, Jared Verse*, Los Angeles Rams; Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams
Inside/middle linebacker: Jack Campbell*, Detroit Lions; Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
Cornerback: Jaycee Horn*, Carolina Panthers; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Free safety: Kevin Byard III*, Chicago Bears; Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Strong safety: Budda Baker*, Arizona Cardinals
Long-snapper: Jon Weeks*, San Francisco 49ers
Punter: Tress Way*, Washington Commanders
Placekicker: Brandon Aubrey*, Dallas Cowboys
Return specialist: Rashid Shaheed*, Seattle Seahawks
Special-teamer: Luke Gifford*, San Francisco 49ers
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been raising eyebrows with some of his recent press conference comments.
But at least for one day, Burrow was able to have some fun playing football.
The quarterback finished Sunday’s victory over the Dolphins having completed 25-of-32 passes for 309 yards with four touchdowns and no picks. His 146.5 passer rating was the second-highest of his career.
“It was fun,” Burrow said in his postgame press conference. “I’m having fun playing football. Not playing football is not fun. Sitting in the locker room rehabbing all day, that’s not why you do it. This is why you do it right here.”
Particularly after Burrow’s Week 15 performance in the 24-0 loss to the Ravens, Burrow felt better about Sunday’s result.
“I thought I played a clean game,” Burrow said. “I thought I protected the ball for the most part. I got greedy with one over the middle, but that’s how I have to play — play within the scheme and then take my opportunities to try to make a play when I can. But going to limit that for the most part at this point, I was just happy with how we all executed today.”
Though the Bengals have been eliminated from postseason contention, they’ll have two more chances to have fun playing football with home games against the Cardinals and Browns to end 2025.
Joe Burrow passed for 309 yards and threw four touchdown passes to lead the Bengals to a 45-21 rout of the Dolphins.
Miami led 14-10 with 2:24 remaining in the second quarter, but Cincinnati scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives, not counting a one-play kneel down to end the first half. Running back Chase Brown had three of the touchdowns on a run of 12 yards and receptions of 9 and 5 yards.
Brown had 12 carries for 66 yards and four catches for 43 yards.
The Bengals ran a 28-0 run to open the second half, with drives of 34, 35, 53 and 52 yards. They gained 221 yards in the first half and 186 in the second.
Ja’Marr Chase caught nine passes for 109 yards. He went over 500 catches for his career, leaving him as the only wide receiver with at least 500 catches, at least 6,500 yards and at least 50 touchdowns in his first five seasons.
Tee Higgins had three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Dolphins rookie Quinn Ewers, who has replaced Tua Tagovailoa as the starter, made his NFL debut and completed 20 of 30 passes for 260 yards and two interceptions. Both picks, one by Barrett Carter and one by Jalen Davis, came in the second half, and the Bengals converted both into touchdowns.
De’Von Achane had 15 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 9 yards, and Jaylen Waddle caught five passes for 72 yards.
Malik Washington scored on a 9-yard run and Jaylen Wright on a 3-yard run.
Quinn Ewers has not thrown his first touchdown pass yet, but he has the Dolphins competitive with the Bengals.
Ewers, who has replaced Tua Tagovailoa as the team’s starter, is 10-of-12 for 109 yards in his NFL debut. He had the Dolphins out to a 14-10 lead over the Bengals before Samaje Perine ran 4 yards for a touchdown with 1:24 left in the half.
The Bengals lead 17-14 at halftime.
The Bengals have outgained the Dolphins 221 to 194, with Joe Burrow going 16-of-22 for 193 yards and a touchdown. He threw a 9-yard score to Tee Higgins, who has three catches for 53 yards.
Ja’Marr Chase has seven receptions for 58 yards, giving him more than 500 catches, 6,500 yards and 50 touchdowns in his career. He is the only player in NFL history to accomplish that in his first five seasons.
De’Von Achane scored on a 48-yard run and has 65 yards on nine carries. Malik Washington had the Dolphins’ other touchdown on a 9-yard run.
Jaylen Waddle has four catches for 54 yards.
Last week, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase became only the second player in NFL history with at least 6,500 receiving yards and at least 50 touchdowns in his first five seasons. Randy Moss is the only other wide receiver to accomplish that feat.
This week, Chase became the first in history with 500-plus catches and 50-plus touchdowns in his first five seasons.
Moss had 414 receptions for 6,743 yards and 60 touchdowns in his first five seasons.
Chase, who has five catches for 46 yards today, has 501 catches for 6,618 yards and 51 touchdowns in his career through four-plus seasons.
The Bengals scored first against the Dolphins on Tee Higgins’ 9-yard touchdown reception from Joe Burrow. The Dolphins tied it 7-7 on De’Von Achane’s 48-yard touchdown run.
Quinn Ewers is 4-for-5 for 45 yards in his NFL debut thus far.
The Bills will try to wrap up a playoff berth without the help of wide receiver Keon Coleman on Sunday.
Coleman is inactive for Buffalo’s game in Cleveland. Coleman was not on the injury report at all this week, but will miss his third game of the season. Coleman was scratched for disciplinary reasons earlier this year, but Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media reports Sunday’s deactivation is solely a coach’s decision. Coleman was a 2024 second-round pick and he has 36 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Mecole Hardman, who was activated from injured reserve this week, is active.
The Bills need a win and a loss by either the Texans or Colts in order to book a playoff berth. A win will also help their chances of ending the season as the AFC East champs for the sixth straight season.
Bills at Browns
Bills: WR Keon Coleman, WR Gabe Davis, DT Jordan Phillips, K Matt Prater, OL Tylan Grable, DB Darnell Savage, DT Larry Ogunjobi
Browns: CB Denzel Ward, RB Dylan Sampson, DT Mike Hall Jr., G Wyatt Teller, WR Jamari Thrash, TE David Njoku, DT Sam Kamara
Buccaneers at Panthers
Buccaneers: QB Connor Bazelak, TE Devin Culp, G Elijah Klein, WR Sterling Shepard, DL Elijah Simmons, LB Anthony Walker, S Rashad Wisdom
Panthers: WR Hunter Renfrow, LB Trevin Wallace, S Demani Richardson, DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, OT Ikem Ekwonu, TE James Mitchell, DT Tershawn Wharton
Jets at Saints
Jets: QB Justin Fields, TE Mason Taylor, DT Mazi Smith, LB Kiko Mauigoa, DT Payton Page, DE Eric Watts
Saints: RB Alvin Kamara, OL Cesar Ruiz, OL Asim Richards, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, S Ugo Amadi, CB Rejzohn Wright, DT Khristian Boyd
Chiefs at Titans
Chiefs: WR Rashee Rice, CB Trent McDuffie, OT Jaylon Moore, WR Tyquan Thornton, RB Dameon Pierce, OL CJ Hanson, DT Derrick Nnadi
Titans: OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, OL Garrett Dellinger, OL Drew Moss, DL Cam Horsley, LB Cedric Gray, S Erick Hallett
Chargers at Cowboys
Chargers: WR Derius Davis, S RJ Mickens, EDGE Bud Dupree, OL Branson Taylor, OT Trey Pipkins, TE Tyler Conklin
Cowboys: DT Quinnen Williams, WR Jalen Tolbert, CB Caelen Carson, RB Jaydon Blue, DT Jay Toia, OT Tyler Guyton
Vikings at Giants
Vikings: LB Austin Keys, DT Javon Hargrave, OT Walter Rouse, QB John Wolford
Giants: LB Caleb Murphy, WR Ryan Miller, WR Jalin Hyatt, LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, G Jon Runyan, DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches, QB Russell Wilson
Bengals at Dolphins
Bengals: QB Jake Browning, WR Charlie Jones, DB Brayln Lux, S P.J. Jules, DE Joseph Ossai, TE Noah Fant, DT Jordan Jefferson
Dolphins: S Minkah Fitzpatrick, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, CB Isaiah Johnson, T Kendall Lamm, WR Tahj Washington, DT Matthew Butler, QB Tua Tagovailoa
Sometimes, old news that becomes new news becomes new news for a reason.
A Saturday Preview! of a Sunday Splash! report from Adam Schefter of ESPN.com dusts off the well-known reality that the Dolphins tried to trade up from No. 5 to No. 1 in 2020, with the goal of drafting quarterback Joe Burrow. Given the current circumstances, the resurrection of the dated report is significant, to say the least.
To be fair, the new report advances the ball, a bit. As of late January 2022, when the Bengals were preparing to play in the Super Bowl that capped Burrow’s second season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that the Dolphins were willing to give up each of their three 2020 first-round picks “and potentially more.” The Bengals, however, refused to engage.
Schefter now reports that the Dolphins offered four first-round picks for Burrow.
Whatever the Dolphins offered, the Bengals were determined to take Burrow. Given Burrow’s recent comments about his current lack of happiness playing football and the possibility of eventually playing for another team, it’s a given (as discussed during Thursday’s PFT Live) that one or more teams will call the Bengals in the offseason to assess whether Burrow may be available.
Here’s what I think, as explained both during PFT Live and a recent appearance on Pardon My Take: Burrow doesn’t want to demand a trade, but he’d like the Bengals to decide to make the move on their own. That would allow him to exit Cincinnati without being regarded as a villain in his home state.
The fact that he grew up in Ohio is significant. The Playmakers book (which can be purchased for a mere $18.99) reported that, if Burrow had been from Athens, Georgia, and not Athens, Ohio, he would have made an Elway-Eli-style power play with the Bengals in 2020.
Six years ago, the Bengals refused any and all offers from the Dolphins. If another team makes the Bengals a big offer for a quarterback who has made his feelings abundantly clear, what will the Bengals do?
In leaking to Schefter the fact that the Dolphins offered four first-round picks, someone seems to be trying to speak into existence a fresh effort to trade for Burrow. And even if Burrow won’t publicly say he wants out, what is he privately saying to the team?
That’s something we don’t know, and something we won’t know. Perhaps until the Bengals stun the football-following world by trading Burrow without Burrow ever having to stand up and say, “Carson Palmer was right.”
At this point in the week, it’s still unclear whether or not Tee Higgins will be available to play the Dolphins.
Via multiple reporters, head coach Zac Taylor said on Friday that Higgins (concussion) will be listed as questionable for Week 16 as he still has one hurdle left to clear the protocol.
Higgins has missed two of Cincinnati’s last three games due to a concussion. He’s been limited in practice this week.
Taylor also noted that defensive end Joseph Ossai (ankle), defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (ankle), tight end Noah Fant (ankle), and receiver Charlie Jones (ankle) have all been ruled out.
Jenkins is set to go on injured reserve, which will end his 2025 season.
Additionally, defensive end Shemar Stewart will be activated and is set to play on Sunday. Stewart mentioned earlier in the week that he planned to play. The Bengals will need to officially get him on the 53-man roster on Saturday.
