The Bengals’ newest receiver knows what it looks like to get knocked off track and keep moving anyway. Dohnte Meyers joined Cincinnati this offseason after his run with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and he opened up about the injuries that cut short his 2024 season. He said he leaned heavily on the people around him to make it through that stretch.
“We all felt it together, and it was just like ‘we’re going to get through this, this isn’t it,'” Meyers said, via Michael Hull of the team’s site. “We didn’t come this far just to come this far.”
Meyers eventually worked his way back from a separated shoulder and turned in a strong 2025 season for Saskatchewan. He said the response mattered as much as the production.
“We saw a glimpse, we got a taste, we’re not going to let that define me,” Meyers said. “We’re going to do the real version now.”
That year ended with a Grey Cup title for Saskatchewan, and Meyers chipped in with four catches for 76 yards in the championship game. Looking back on the path that brought him to the NFL, he said the whole experience changed how he views the game.
“Football is not always friendly,” Meyers said. “ That was just mentally refreshing to experience, not just all the good stuff but coupled with the story, the journey to get there…I feel like I developed a healthy relationship, not only with myself but with the game and the craft.”
In Baltimore, the focus is on a different kind of battle: the one for the starting center job. Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn are both in the mix as the Ravens work through offseason program reps, and Lamar Jackson likes what he’s seeing from both candidates.
“Those guys are competing well. They’re doing a pretty good job to me,” Jackson said, via Ryan Mink of the team’s site. “I’m liking our choices, for sure.”
Ravens head coach Jesse Minter described the situation as even at this stage, with the pads not yet on and both players still settling in.
“I would say it’s a pretty balanced competition right now,” Minter said. “ I think Danny and Jovaughn both have done a great job. … With that position especially - because we haven’t had pads on yet, and they’re new - that will definitely sort itself out a little more as we get pads on.”
Minter also had strong praise for Jackson, saying, “There’s no one I’d rather have as the quarterback, the leader of this team. He’s been everything.
”
Pittsburgh is dealing with its own quarterback competition, and Steelers QB coach Tom Arth believes it can sharpen everybody involved. Third-round pick Drew Allar and Will Howard are pushing each other, and Arth said that dynamic should help both players grow.
“ I think it’s really good. I think it’s really positive to have two young guys together, ” Arth said, via the team’s website.
“ Obviously, they’re at a little bit different stages and different players, but two guys who are going to be very competitive with one another. They get along well.
They’re both great, great people - smart players - but they’re ultra-competitive. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t.
I’m very excited to see how that plays out as we get into training camp and get into the preseason, just how the two of them bring out the best in each other. ”
Arth said the Steelers’ veteran quarterbacks have also been part of the teaching process, with Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph helping guide the younger duo.
“ They’re able to help each other, number one, first and foremost, ” Arth said. “ Aaron is incredible with the entire group, especially Will and Drew as young players.
But even Mason has had an incredible career. He’s played almost a decade of football.
That’s pretty rare and pretty special, so he has some great experiences. Those guys have an opportunity to learn from him, as well.
”
In Other News...
Bengals Finally Have The Interior Force This Gamble Demanded
The Bengals spent a premium draft asset to get Dexter Lawrence, and the logic behind the move is easy to see. Even with a statistical dip in 2025 while playing through an injury, Lawrence still carries the kind of reputation that keeps him near the top of leaguewide conversations among executives, coaches and scouts, and Cincinnati clearly believes he can change the feel of its defensive front.
What the Bengals are buying is not just production, but gravity. Lawrence has long been the sort of interior force offenses have to account for on every snap, the player who can occupy multiple blockers and open up space for everyone around him. ESPNs 2026 preseason survey still placed him seventh among defensive tackles, a reminder that the league has not forgotten how disruptive he can be when healthy, and now Cincinnati is betting that reputation will translate into something bigger on its own line. [Read more 🡒]
National Analyst Just Put Bengals New Safety Duo In Elite Company
The Bengals spent part of the offseason trying to stabilize a defense that has too often carried too much of the load, and the addition of Bryan Cook was one of the more direct moves in that effort. Cook arrived from Kansas City on a three-year deal after finishing his rookie contract, giving Cincinnati a proven veteran to pair with Jordan Battle as the secondary tries to take a real step forward in 2026.
Sports Illustrateds Matt Verderame took notice, slotting Cook and Battle among the leagues best safety tandems and putting Cincinnati in the same conversation as some of the NFLs most established back-end groups. Battles heavy workload and production last season already gave the Bengals a foundation, and Cooks championship background adds another layer of credibility, but the bigger question is whether the pairing can turn that recognition into the kind of defensive consistency that helps push Cincinnati back into the playoffs. [Read more 🡒]