Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Chris Roling

Lou Anarumo shuts down Germaine Pratt speculation after cryptic tweet

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt stirred up some speculation after his team’s win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 14.

Buy Bengals Tickets

Pratt wrote the following brief message on Twitter: “Need to play 3rd down too much money left on the table.”

It’s a little understandable if fans took this one to heart a bit — Pratt is arguably the team’s most improved player in the middle of a career year. He’s also on the final year of his deal before hitting free agency next offseason when the team has to worry about possible deals for guys like Jessie Bates.

Even so, it’s always hard to read into deep meanings behind a one-liner. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo isn’t, as captured by Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic:

Pratt actually played more third downs than usual during the win over the Browns, so he’s potentially actually celebrating that fact. He’s usually in on roughly 30 percent of the third downs.

Schematically, the Bengals aren’t often going to play Pratt on third downs much more than that, especially when they want to drop eight guys into coverage. Even Logan Wilson isn’t immune to coming off the field when the coaches want extra defensive backs.

Will that impact Pratt’s free agency? Probably not — if a team wants him as a three-down player they will pay him like one. If the Bengals and Pratt want to re-up, his current usage probably isn’t going to impact the talks all that much.

And again, Pratt could be talking about anything, like a simple chance to help his defense make more plays. He wants on the field and that’s a hard thing to find fault with.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.