Amarius Mims has already looked like one of the NFL’s most punishing right tackles this season, but now the Bengals rookie has a very different problem on his hands: his cleats keep giving out.
Mims has been flattening elite edge rushers all year, handling names like Ruben Bain Jr., Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter and T.J. Watt.
The football part has come fast. The shoe part, not so much.
It came up again in Week 5 in Miami, when Mims had to deal with another busted cleat. It was the same kind of issue he ran into in Week 2, when he left the game after one of his cleats essentially split apart and he needed a new pair.
That latest incident left him calling for help.
“Mims is rightfully fed up with the situation. When he explained what happened to reporters after the game, he called on shoe manufacturers to step up and find him a solution.”
Elsewhere around the Bengals, the team moved quickly after losing a linebacker and special teams contributor, acquiring Jack Kiser on waivers while Swayze Bozeman went on the Reserve/Injured list. The move gives Al Golden a player he knows well.
Cincinnati also heads into its early bye riding a win in Miami and sitting at 3-2, one game behind Baltimore in the AFC North. The Bengals’ first matchup with the Ravens comes in Baltimore on Oct. 25.
The rookie class is still waiting for more of its members to make noise, too. For now, Cashius Howell is carrying the load.
“Nobody expects a fourth- or sixth-rounder to turn into an All-Pro overnight. The Bengals are playing the long game with Lew and Parker, and that makes a lot of sense. But until somebody else from this group actually gets on the field and makes a play, this rookie class is riding on Howell’s back.”
And after the Dolphins win, Joe Burrow made sure to single out Samaje Perine, calling him “Mr. Reliable” after another key contribution.
“For Perine, his quarterback’s evaluation highlighted the trust behind those opportunities. When Cincinnati needed to finish a lengthy drive, Burrow turned to a classic target.”
In Other News...
Bengals Linebacker Move Puts Al Golden's Influence In Focus
The Bengals made a notable linebacker move this week, adding Jack Kiser after his brief run with Jacksonville and turning to a player who already has familiarity with defensive coordinator Al Golden from their Notre Dame days. Kiser arrives with some college credibility and a built-in connection to Cincinnatis staff, the kind of detail that can matter when a team is sorting through midseason depth and trying to find players who can absorb the system quickly.
His arrival also comes at a time when the Bengals needed reinforcement at the position, with Swayze Bozeman sidelined after the forearm injury he suffered in Week 5. Cincinnati is clearly looking for a workable answer at linebacker, and Kisers background gives this claim a little more intrigue than a typical waiver move, even if the real test now is how fast he can translate that familiarity into a role on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]
Zac Taylors Dexter Lawrence Remark Says Everything About His Bengals Impact
Zac Taylors praise for Dexter Lawrence II after the Week 5 win over Miami fit the way the Bengals have talked about the defensive tackle since bringing him into the building. Lawrence has given Cincinnati the kind of interior presence that changes how an offense has to play, and his early production has backed up the hype with 14 tackles and three sacks so far this season.
The move to acquire him from the Giants was already viewed around the league as a sharp offseason pickup, and the Bengals made it clear they wanted more than a short-term boost by working out a one-year extension. For a defense that needed more disruptive power up front, Lawrence has quickly become one of the most important additions on the roster, even if there is still a bigger long-term cost attached to the trade that Cincinnati will have to live with. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Win Couldnt Hide One Frustrating Draft Reminder
A win can soften a lot of edges, but it does not erase the kind of draft-night reminder the Bengals got in Week 5. Miami linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was around the ball all day, piling up tackles while still being part of a defense that allowed two touchdowns, and Cincinnati had to watch rookie Cashius Howell struggle to make much of a dent on passing downs. For a team trying to build real depth on defense, those contrasting performances land right in the middle of the larger conversation about what the Bengals have and have not added in recent drafts.
The concern is not just one game, either. Cincinnati has been looking for more certainty in its linebacker room and more reliable impact from young defensive picks, and this latest look only sharpened the issue. Even in a game the Bengals could celebrate in the standings, the tape served up a frustrating reminder that the middle rounds are supposed to produce answers, not more questions. [Read more 🡒]