NFL Notes: Bengals, Chargers & Giants

Bengals

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said he wouldn’t necessarily call 2016 a make-or-break season for DE Margus Hunt.

“I don’t know that I would say that necessarily to him, but it should be a year where he gets the opportunity to show what he really is,” Tobin said, via Bengals.com. “Whether it’s our fault or his fault, he hasn’t been on the field a bunch. He had an untimely injury and when he has been healthy he’s been a pretty impressive guy. I never like to put that kind of pressure on anybody for a make-it or break-it year, but he’s certainly a guy we’re counting on to be in the rotation. We think that he has some rare physical traits that we can work with and use. I think he’s bonded pretty well with our new defensive line coach Coach Burney and hopefully he’ll be a valuable part of what we do because he certainly has the ability to do it and the desire to do it. We’re hoping that he comes on for us for sure.”

Chargers

The San Diego City Clerk found that the Chargers’ Citizens’ Initiative “has been verified and found sufficient in signatures to qualify the ordinance to be submitted to the City Council for adoption, or for rejection and submission to the electorate.”

Chargers owner Dean Spanos issued the following statement regarding the news:

“The entire Chargers organization is grateful to all of those who helped qualify our initiative for the November 2016 ballot. We gathered more than 110,000 signatures in less than six weeks, an extraordinary result that demonstrates the high level of community interest in a new multi-use stadium and convention center facility downtown. I would again like to thank all of those who signed the petition along with the fan groups, labor organizations, and businesses large and small that helped with our effort.”

Giants

• James Kratch can’t see the Giants and Jason Pierre-Paul reaching an agreement on an extension during the season.
• Pierre-Paul is among some notable contract-year players including DT Johnathan Hankins, G Justin Pugh and C Weston Richburg.
• Kratch mentions that the Giants end up end up making a run at signing Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson next year.
• Kratch rules out the idea of the Giants trading for Browns LT Joe Thomas, due to Cleveland’s reluctance to move him and the fact that it would cost quite a bit.