NFL Notes: Bruce Arians, Bengals, Lions

Bruce Arians

Cardinals HC Bruce Arians mentioned during an appearance on ESPN Thursday that he plans to reevaluate his health after the 2017 season before deciding to coach in 2018.

“We’ll re-evaluate it at the end of next year, and hopefully we’ll be ready for another one,” Arians said.

When asked if this could be his last season coaching in the NFL, Arians said: “I hope not. That’s going to mean I’m not healthy.”

The Cardinals have Arians under contract through the 2018 season to go along with a 2019 team option.

Earlier in the week, Arians revealed that he was diagnosed with kidney cancer last year after he had a hernia checked. Thankfully, he’s now cancer free. (NFLTR)

Bengals

Bengals HC Marvin Lewis explained during an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio that the did a great deal of research and spent a lot of time with RB Joe Mixon before drafting him in the second round this year.

“A lot of time, a lot of research,” Lewis said, via NFL.com. “Time spent with Joe. Time researching people around Joe. Joe’s past in East Bay [California]. All those kinds of things that way. His past on campus at Oklahoma since the incident. So, there couldn’t be any other red flags to say, ‘Well, well, maybe…’ No, no, no. It had to be clean, and Joe knows that. He knows going forward, it has to stay clean all the time. He’s lived on the tip of the sword for three years now, and he’s got to continue to probably for the rest of his life.”

Lewis says he’s been impressed with Mixon up to this point.

“He’s off the charts talent-wise,” Lewis said. “Big, fast, catch, run, see, smart — and he’s a 20-year-old kid. He’s as smart as a whip. You know, I mean, those things are fun. And I keep reminding everybody, he’s a 20-year-old kid. Keep understanding that. Let Joe continue to grow and develop as we go.”

Lions

Tim Twentyman previews the Lions’ linebacker position and projects who should make the 53-man roster coming out of the preseason.

• According to Twentyman, Jarrad Davis, Tahir Whitehead, Paul Worrilow, Antwione Williams, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin should all make the team this summer.
• This leaves Nick Bellore, Thurston Armbrister, and Steve Longa on the roster bubble.
• Twentyman writes that the real competition this year will be a weakside linebacker where Whitehead, Worrilow, and Reeves-Maybin could all be in the mix for the job.