INDIANAPOLIS _ What we heard this week at the NFL scouting combine:

Defense is the overwhelming topic for the Bengals over here, but they've got a big need on offense, too, as they hunt for a backup for Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow.

How they do it is a major question of marrying free agency and the draft. But one thing is for sure. The rookies, whether they are the potential No. 1 pick like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, or a Day Three possibility such as Clemson's Cade Klubnik, are all watching Burrow tape.

"He's my little brother's favorite. Loves him," said Mendoza Friday morning after stepping off his media podium looking to replicate Burrow's 2020 as a Heisman Trophy national champion drafted No. 1 overall.

"He's so accurate. You look at his throwing motion, and his arm actually gets shorter… Never met him, but love him."

The Bengals would love to re-up 19-year vet Joe Flacco, yet he looks to be gone to the NFL's next bridge construction site in Miami, Arizona or anywhere but a club with an established starter. Jake Browning seems to be graduating, so they're faced with finding a veteran free agent who can win games, as well as a young No. 3 they can groom to replace said veteran in the next year.

The free-agent list is short, but interesting. Feisty Gardner Minshew III has a win over the Bengals and 16 others with four teams as a journeyman. Carson Wentz would make for an overall No. 2 (2016) backing up an overall No. 1.

The problem here, is, how early do you have to go in the draft to get a developmental quarterback? Especially in what looks to be a down year at the position with Mendoza thought to be the only one going in the top 10? And the Bengals seeking to fill defensive needs throughout the draft?

LSU's Garrett Nussmeier looks to be a bit too rich, particularly if he gets pushed from the mid-rounds into the second. It's a natural he's watching his fellow Tiger. That's how he spent his freshman year five years ago.

"I watched a lot of Burrow from 2019. We were running the same offense," Nussmeier said Friday. "I watched the installs and the way he operated those certain plays and how he operated as LSU's starting quarterback. Growing into his own at LSU and being the player he became is special to see."

Klubnik, who came in here projected to fall into the last four rounds, is a big fan of Burrow's footwork.

So is Luke Altmyer of Illinois, whose pugnacious play that rallies his teammates and led the nation in game-winning drives in 2024 had one pundit comparing him to Minshew. A good Senior Bowl last month may have vaulted Altmyer into the last two rounds and out of the undrafted group as he figures all quarterbacks are watching Burrow.

"Leadership qualities, tough, wins games, puts up good numbers," Altmyer said before he took the podium Friday. "He's efficient because of his feet. He plays on time. He's never out of his base, never out of his structure unless things break down and he's able to create a little bit. Super efficient and on time. Everybody should watch him."

Talk With No. 1

A combine trip is a good reminder that Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase are no longer kids and are the idols of the kids. Take LSU slot receiver Aaron Anderson, a 5-8, 188-pound speedster who may go in the fifth round or so.

Anderson mimics the players who have his size and play his position, such as Tyreek Hill, Calvin Austin and Jaylen Waddle. But his "role models," are Chase and the Vikings' Justin Jefferson, fellow New Orleans products who stayed home to star in Baton Rouge.

"They're why I wanted to go to LSU and play wide receiver and also compete to be in their shoes and come out as a top receiver," Anderson said Friday.

Anderson, who came out of Edna Karr High School in New Orleans as the state's No. 1 player, has been able to strike up a relationship with Chase, and his role model has been generous with advice.

"I talk to him a lot. We just talked to each other recently. He told me always be myself," Anderson said. "Know who you are when nobody is around, when nobody is looking. He told me we're from New Orleans. It's a lot of people always preparing for our downfall. Just go out there and let them know what we really can do."

Measuring Up

Defensive coordinator Al Golden, getting ready to watch the cornerbacks run the 40-yard dash Friday, approached Trey LaBounty in the Bengals suite at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"What do you have?" Golden asked cheerily. "Any tidbits that you can give me?"

Handing out tidbits is exactly why the Bengals hired LaBounty as their scouting research analyst last spring. He can help in one of this week's pressing debates, the supposedly short arms of Bengals' first targets on the defensive line. Rueben Bain Jr., the University of Miami's gifted pass rusher, would have the shortest arms of any edge picked in the first round in 20 years at 30 7/8 inches. Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell came in even shorter at 30 1/4 inches.

Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods beat them at 31 ¼, but the average is supposed to be 33 inches.

LaBounty crunches the numbers and makes the projections, but Golden isn't revealing if certain physical requirements need to be met to even be considered.

"Not that I would give out for public consumption," Golden said earlier this week. "Every defense has trigger points. What jobs are we asking X, Y and Z to do and what body type and traits correspond to that. I think part of that is identifying those things and being really clear.

"There's a lot of talent, and that's not as important as the one you get. Can the one you get or the two that you get or the three that you get do the jobs that you are asking and can they improve us?"

Woods looks up to Bengals edge Myles Murphy, a Clemson defensive lineman they took in the first round three years ago.

"Me and Myles talk through social media," Woods said this week. "He was a great mentor for me, coming out. Myles is a man of very few words, but just watching him and how he went about his business when he was at Clemson, especially when I was a recruit, was very inspiring and I really appreciate him for that."

Target Tycen

During a break this week in a hotel lobby, Bengals special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Darrin Simmons showed off a photo former Bengals special teams captain Michael Thomas texted him. Thomas was teaching his very young son a football fundamental, but the kid was unfortunately wearing a Ravens jersey.

Tycen Anderson, the Bengals' current special teams captain, chimed in on the text that it was basically a betrayal.

Hopefully, Anderson won't be wearing another jersey in a couple of weeks in free agency. Before this season, he was annually among the league leaders in tackles among gunners. This past year, because the personal protector is like the quarterback of the punt team, Simmons felt he needed Anderson there.

It's that versatility that Simmons covets and why he's hoping a deal can get done.

"Tycen was trained when he first came into the league as a personal protector on the punt team. Mike Thomas did a great job with him. He's got very good football understanding," Simmons said.

Here's why he made the move once his starting PP, safety Jordan Battle, moved into the starting lineup and could no longer take so many special teams snaps:

"It's easy to walk out there in the first punt of the game with six guys in the box, and if it's double vice, it's easy to make that protection call. But what about when there's 30 seconds to go in the game, it's an eight-man box, and everybody's rushing? I've got to feel comfortable that he can get us in the right protection. I feel perfectly comfortable Tycen is going to do that."

Simmons would love to put Anderson back at gunner, and he's grooming second-year running back Tahj Brooks to take over at PP.

"Tahj has got to prove that he can be the next PP," Simmons said. "I think he's got the inside track as we currently sit here today. He's probably the natural guy to be able to do that. But I've got to feel comfortable enough to put him in there."

Tenure Titan

Simmons doesn't want to admit it, but he's believed to be the longest-tenured coach in the league in his 24^th season with the Bengals. He kidded a good friend here this week when he shared a hug with new Giants coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons as the head man of the Ravens.

"I don't know what the hell I'm going to do when we play the Ravens. We always talked before the game," Simmons said.

It certainly gives the Bengals some crushing continuity in the AFC North, which not only has three new head coaches but three new special teams bosses. Simmons and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor are the only ones back.

And Simmons has deep knowledge of his new competitors. New Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, a fellow Kansas product, replaced Simmons on the Panthers' staff in 2003 when Simmons went to the Bengals. They were both raised in the league by kicking game guru Scott O'Brien.

"I had a very, very good feel for what Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Baltimore were going to do, just like I'm sure they did for us. Now, it's all going to be completely new. So hopefully we've got the upper hand in that," Simmons said.

"At least I've got knowledge of the players in this division. I'm familiar with the schemes that these other coaches have. I don't think there's going to be a great change in Baltimore. The coordinator left, but a couple of the assistants stayed. The new guy in Pittsburgh is somebody I'm very familiar with… Cleveland's going to be very similar to what they did in Green Bay. The assistant in Green Bay got hired as a coordinator in Cleveland … His history is with Rich Bisaccia. So I assume he's going to do a lot of same things."

Sonny Stylin'

Well, so much for Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles being invisible and sneaking to the Bengals at No. 10. Even before he blew up the combine Thursday with the best vertical leap by a backer in 23 years while running the week's fastest 40-yard dash of any backer, pundits such as Sirius NFL Radio's Pat Kirwan said Styles would be long gone.

No, not too high for a linebacker who is this big and can cover.

"My favorite player in the draft," Kirwan said a day before Styles wreaked havoc here. "Won't get past No. 7. Played 52 games in college. He was playing and starting at age 17. Won't come off the field. He can play MIKE backer. He wore the green dot. He's a former safety that can cover."

NFL Films guru Greg Cosell hates to compare players. But at 6-5, 244 pounds, Styles, he says, has the making of Fred Warner, the man he calls the best backer in the league.

"Styles has that kind of size and length, and I think he's athletic," Cosell said the day before the workout. "He looks like that (Warner) size and movement."

Now everybody knows Sonny Styles is athletic.

Old Friends

The well-liked Robert Livingston, who scouted and coached with the Bengals for a decade, has resurfaced in the NFL as old friend Vance Joseph's safeties coach in Denver. They worked together in the Cincy secondary a dozen years ago.

And even though Brian Callahan was the Bengals' offensive coordinator when Burrow lit Harbaugh's Ravens for 525 passing yards in 2021 (a club record for the Bengals and club-high allowed for the Ravens), Harbaugh has hired Callahan as his quarterbacks coach in New York.

A home run for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, who now gets the benefit of Callahan's work with gold jackets Burrow, Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford, among others

"Over the years watching him coach," Harbaugh said this week of his draw to Callahan. "Look at his record. He's proven. I didn't really know Brian that well. It wasn't like we had a close relationship. But just starting to talk football with him in the Zoom interview, I became impressed with his knowledge. Also his demeanor.

"He's got great understanding of every part of offensive football. Pass game. Run game. Protections. His dad is Bill Callahan. You have to have a great understanding of protections, right? And the fact he'll be able to immerse our quarterback in understanding (all phases) is going to be good for our offense."