In The Trenches with Dave Lapham

New Cincinnati Bengals Center Ted Karras Goes In The Trenches with Dave Lapham

The Cincinnati Bengals wasted little time addressing their most significant need for the 2022 NFL season when they went out and signed free-agent center Ted Karras away from the New England Patriots, a two-time Super Bowl champion.
In addition to Karras, the Bengals signed guard Alex Cappa and tackle La'el Collins replacing three-fifths of the offensive line that struggled during the 2021 season that ended with a Super Bowl loss.
Karras comes from a family with a long NFL history. Grandfather Ted Karras Sr. won a championship with the Chicago Bears, and great uncles Lou Karras and Alex Karras also played in the league during the 1950s and 1960s. 
Ted's father played for Washington during the player's strike in 1987 as a replacement player and enjoyed a long college coaching career.
Karras joins Dave Lapham In The Trenches, presented by First Star Logistics, to discuss his high school, college, and NFL career, along with his excitement of joining the Bengals with Cappa and Collins to help protect quarterback Joe Burrow going forward.

Dave Lapham In The Trenches Initial Impression New Cincinnati Bengals Tight End Hayden Hurst

Dave Lapham In The Trenches, presented by First Star Logistics, looks at the change at the tight end position for the Cincinnati Bengals as C.J. Uzomah signed with the New York Jets leaving a significant gap in the locker room and on the field.
Lapham gives his initial impression on the signing of new tight end Hayden Hurst, a former first-round selection (25th overall) by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Hurst signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 2012 MLB draft, turning down a baseball scholarship from Florida State. Hurst's baseball career lasted two seasons before he returned to football, walking onto the South Carolina football team.
After an impressive junior season, Hurst was impressive leading up to the draft, becoming the first tight end selected in the 2018 draft. In 2020, the Ravens sent Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons. During his four-year career, Hurst has played in 57 regular-season games with 18 starts and posted 125 receptions for 1,304-yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Falcons declined to exercise the fifth-year option on his contract after the 2021season with Hurst signing with the Bengals for a one-year deal with a base salary of $1,300.000 and a $2,000,000 signing bonus. Also part of the contract is a roster bonus of $76,466 and a workout bonus of $100,000. The total contract carries a cap hit of $3,476,466.

Dave Lapham In The Trenches: Alex Cappa - Ted Karras Will Bring Instant Impact to Cincinnati Bengals

The free-agent signings of offensive linemen Alex Cappa and Ted Karras by the Cincinnati Bengals will immediately impact a team that reached Super Bowl LVI.
The goal was simple for Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin. Protect franchise quarterback Joe Burrow after watching the opposition sack him 70 times in 20 games last season.
Cappa and Karras have ties to Tom Brady and proved their ability to help establish a front to protect Brady and help him win Super Bowls with the New England Patriots (Karras) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Cappa).
Dave Lapham In The Trenches, presented by @FirstStarLogistics, gives his thoughts on both players and why they'll provide an instant impact on the success of the Bengals next season.

Cincinnati Bengals OL Coach Frank Pollack Talks New Offensive Line Additions with Dave Lapham

The Cincinnati Bengals entered the offseason following their appearance in Super Bowl LVI knowing they needed to make changes along the offensive line to protect quarterback Joe Burrow.
At the very start of the NFL free agency period, the Bengals wasted little time in signing two proven offensive linemen in Alex Cappa (Tampa Bay) and Ted Karras (New England) to deals.
Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack returns to In The Trenches with Dave Lapham presented by First Star Logistics to discuss both new linemen along with a quick look at tight end signee Hayden Hurst and more.

Andrew Whitworth In The Trenches with Dave Lapham Talks Family, Retirement, Super Bowl and More

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth returns to In The Trenches with Dave Lapham presented by First Star Logistics after an eventful week that has seen the standout offensive tackle announce his retirement from the NFL and the game of football.
Whitworth talks more about his decision to hang up the cleats, his family, ending his career with a Super Bowl LVI win over the Bengals and earning the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Also discussed is why players in the NFL will look to head to the Bengals because of quarterback Joe Burrow and the player (Derrick Barnes - Lions) he played against last season that he mentored while spending time at the Boys and Girls Club during his Bengals career.
What is next for Whitworth? 
Could he be enticed to unretire if Sean McVay would call and say the Los Angels Rams needed him? Or, if released, and Zac Taylor called with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals being in need?
And more discussion about his time in Cincinnati and his overall football career.

Solomon Wilcots Part 2 on In The Trenches with Dave Lapham - How Will Bengals Needs Be Answered?

In Part Two of our in-depth conversation with Solomon Wilcots, the former Cincinnati Bengals standout talks with Dave Lapham In The Trenches about how the Bengals need to fill any voids as they look to build the 2022 version of a team that will have a bullseye on their back from Week One.
Will the Bengals look towards NFL Free Agency or the NFL Draft to fill their needs?
Talk has centered on Ryan Jensen, but what about Alex Cappa or James Bradberry?
Are there players currently on the roster to step forward to fill significant roles?
Solomon and Dave look to answer those questions and more in Part Two of In The Trenches with Dave Lapham, presented by First Star Logistics.

Part 1 of 2: Solomon Wilcots On Bengals Super Bowl Run - Combine & Draft with Dave Lapham

Part 1 of 2: Solomon Wilcots with Dave Lapham In The Trenches presented by First Star Logistics.
One of the best in the business makes a return appearance to In The Trenches to discuss the Super Bowl run by the Cincinnati Bengals along with the NFL Combine and the thought process the Bengals could look to be taking in working back to an AFC Championship and a Super Bowl with free agency and the NFL Draft.

Part 2 of 2: Duke Tobin - Dave Lapham In The Trenches on Building 2022 Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals Director of Player Personnel, Duke Tobin, continues with Dave Lapham In The Trenches presented by First Star Logistics in Part 2 of 2 discussing how the Bengals plan to build the 2022 edition of the AFC Champions.
The Bengals headed to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine with fans wanting them to go after offensive linemen to protect star quarterback Joe Burrow.
However, is the offensive line the team's direction when they select at Pick 31 of the NFL Draft?
Or will they look at edge pass rushers or cornerbacks? In Part One of our conversation with Tobin, he talked about a couple of areas of interest. In Part Two, Tobin talks about the team's success picking later in the first two rounds over the past few years.

Part 1 of 2: Cincinnati Bengals Duke Tobin - Dave Lapham In The Trenches: Jessie Bates III - NFL Combine and More

Cincinnati Bengals Director of Player Personnel, Duke Tobin, returns to Dave Lapham In The Trenches presented by First Star Logistics from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Tobin discusses being named The Sporting News, NFL Executive of the Year for the Bengals success that led to them reaching Super Bowl LVI. 
Also discussed, The NFL Combine, the future of standout safety Jessie Bates III, building the 2022 Bengals through the upcoming draft, free agency, trade, and more.
This is Part One of Two with Duke Tobin.

Jimmy Burrow - More Still To Come From Joe Burrow - In The Trenches with Dave Lapham

Jimmy Burrow, the father of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, returns to In The Trenches with Dave Lapham presented by First Star Logistics following the Bengals 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.
The father talks about watching his son play in the Super Bowl in this episode. Getting knocked down, wondering if he'll get back up, along with what the future holds as his son has taken the NFL by storm, making the Bengals one of the more exciting teams to watch in all of football.

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo In The Trenches with Dave Lapham Talks Super Bowl - New Staff Hires and More

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo took a few minutes out of his vacation to return to In The Trenches with Dave Lapham presented by First Star Logistics to discuss a handful of topics.
Anarumo talks about the Bengals defensive performance against the Rams in Super Bowl LVI and the overall play of B.J. Hills, D.J. Reader, Sam Hubbard, Germaine Pratt, and others. Also discussed are the departures of linebackers coach Al Golden and defensive backs coach Steve Jackson and their replacements James Bettcher (Linebackers) and Charles Burks (Secondary/Cornerbacks), the retirement of Ricardo Allen, and more.

REPLAY: Dave Lapham In The Trenches Live Stream from Feb 22, 2022

If you missed the Dave Lapham In The Trenches Live Stream presented by First Star Logistics, never fear as we have you covered with the audio from the event right here.
We answered many questions submitted during the live stream, including early talk about the NFL Draft, Bengals free agents, and possible free-agent targets.