Substack Live: Inside the Cincinnati Bengals' blurred lines of business and football, with Paul Dehner Jr.

Joe Burrow is 100 percent correct: the Super Bowl window is always open as long as he is the starting quarterback.

Now, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are secured long term.

A new defensive coordinator should help young talent grow on that side of the ball.

We’ve explored the team’s brilliant offensive mind on staff, too. Dan Pitcher is a wizard and should be an NFL head coach in 2026.

So, why do things still feel… off? The business has a way of spilling over to the football field in Cincinnati. The organization is butting heads with its top draft pick (Shemar Stewart) and the NFL’s reigning sack king (Trey Hendrickson) still wants a new deal. At 30, he knows the time is now to cash in. To dissect it all, we place a Substack Live call to our friend Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic and The Growler Podcast. He’s the best of the best on this beat. In fact, our chat with Paul back in March was one of our most-watched episodes of the year.

A lot has happened since then.

This team has more issues to sort through, but there’s a path toward success… even on defense.

Video and audio is accessible above. (H/T to

Matthew Coller

for the new guitar riff in the intro this season!)

Be sure to download the Substack app and flip those notifications ON to join all future live videos. Love fielding any questions you may have.

Miss our first 2025 NFL Season Preview feature? Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid opens up on that fourth and 5 at Arrowhead, his two knee injuries, his total transformation and thinking “Super Bowl” this season.

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ICYMI:

Here’s my chat with Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News on everything Bills-Chiefs, Brandon Beane, Sean McDermott, Dalton Kincaid, AFC East.