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The door for the Cincinnati Bengals to potentially bring back veteran cornerback and fan favorite Eli Apple as a depth piece officially closed on Saturday, July 29 when the former first-rounder signed a one-year deal to join the Miami Dolphins.
His signing comes in the wake of three-time First-Team All-Pro selection Jalen Ramsey having to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in practice on July 27, 2023, which will knock him out of commission until December according to a report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
Apple spent the past two seasons with the Bengals where he started 30 of 31 games and helped the team win a pair of AFC North division crowns as well as make a Super Bowl appearance all while playing the role of a pestering antagonist to his opponents and their fans.
One player that he infamously got into a social media beef with was his new teammate and four-time All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill who took to Twitter shortly after the news of Apple’s signing broke to express his excitement to get a chance to compete against him in practice.
Apple was asked about how he expects things to go between him and Hill now that they’re on the same team a day after he signed and expressed that both players have put the past behind them.
“His locker is literally right across from mine. I saw him earlier today in the locker room and we was chopping it up a little bit at the breakfast table,” he said. “We’re all good. It’s all love. We’re on the same team so it all love.”
Apple will be competing with Dolphins second-round rookie Cam Smith out of South Carolina to fill in at Ramsey’s starting spot opposite four-time Pro Bowler Xavien Howard. Meanwhile, back in Cincinnati, his old starting spot has been taken over by another second-round rookie in DJ Turner out of Michigan.
Bengals Sign Former XFL QB to Help Offset Joe Burrow’s Absence
With their Pro Bowl franchise quarterback currently sidelined for “several weeks” after suffering a calf strain that resulted in him getting carted off the practice field on July 27, 2023, the team is adding another arm to help them get through training camp and the preseason.
On July 30, 2023, the Bengals announced the signing of free agent quarterback Reid Sinnett and to make room for him on the roster, they placed offensive tackle Devin Cochran on the Reserve/Injured list.
Sinnett was one of two quarterbacks that the team worked out over the weekend with the other being Drew Plitt. He played collegiately at San Diego University and went undrafted in 2020 but would sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After getting waived during the final roster cuts, he briefly rejoined the team on the practice squad, only to be cut again a day later.
From there, he would later sign with the Dolphins on their practice squad and get several call-ups during his rookie season. Sinnett repeated the process in 2021 before being released by Miami in October and was claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles where he would spend the remainder of the season on their 53-man roster.
Last year, Sinnett bounced between the Eagles and Dolphins during the 2022 season and most recently played for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He made one appearance in the league’s third relaunch where completed 13 of 19 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown and one interception before going down with a broken foot, his season.
Burrow’s Week 1 Status ‘Doesn’t Appear to Be Concern’: Report
The Bengals will open the 2023 season with a road match with their division and instate rival Cleveland Browns on September 10, 2023, and while the star signal-caller is expected to be out for “several weeks”, according to Rapoport, availability for the game “doesn’t appear” to be in jeopardy.
“It does not sound like anyone here is worried about Joe Burrow missing Week 1,” Rapoport said on a broadcast on July 29, 2023. “I think that is the most important thing.”
He went on to say that Burrow will most likely miss the entire preseason for the second straight year but that the feeling around those on the team and in the organization is that he will be back “sooner rather than later.”
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