Voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) have started for the Bengals and all but one player showed up to participate.



Defensive end Carlos Dunlap, entering a contract year, decided to stay away and train under his own conditions while sacrificing a $300,000 workout bonus in doing so. Since these workouts are “voluntary,” this absence isn’t officially a holdout, but you can call it exactly that, even if head coach Marvin Lewis says it’s “not a big deal.”



Dunlap and the Bengals agreed to a five-year extension in 2013 worth nearly $40M with just $11.7M in guaranteed money. With one year left on his previous deal, Dunlap’s contract is essentially a six-year deal at just under $7M per year. This is a complete steal for a top edge defender in today’s NFL. Dunlap’s contract has been the best bargain on the Bengals’ roster for a few years and now it’s time to open the checkbook and pay Dunlap what he’s...