Bengals Bytes (1/23): Moving on

What if it happened to Cincinnati?
Read the stories below from fans in St. Louis. Man, you can feel the pain, frustration and heartbreak. Stop and think about this: What would it be like if the Bengals left Cincinnati? What would Cincinnati be like if we were without the NFL? How would it impact you? What would you do?

Browns coach Jackson completes staff, adds 11 assistants
New Browns coach Hue Jackson has finished hiring his staff, which will include Ray Horton as his defensive coordinator. The Browns announced the addition of Horton and 10 other assistants on Friday. Horton, whose return was reported by The Associated Press earlier this week, is back in Cleveland after spending the past two seasons as Tennessee's defensive coordinator. Horton was Rob Chudzinski's defensive coordinator with the Browns in 2013, when the unit finished ranked ninth overall in the league.

Hue Jackson hires away Bengals scout
The Bengals lost offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to the Browns and now Jackson took a portion of the Bengals' scouting staff with him. Jackson hired Bengals area scout Greg Seamon to be the tight ends coach on his new staff in Cleveland.

Cincinnati Bengals: 5 Players to Move on From
Free agency is coming soon, and the Cincinnati Bengals will be hamstrung to re-sign all 15 of their players who are pending free agents. It’s completely unrealistic to think that Cincinnati will be able to sign 10 of these players, let alone all 15 guys. In order to ensure an ability to re-sign key guys like George Iloka, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Reggie Nelson, the Bengals are going to have to cut some ties.

Bengals gear up date base; QB-OC bond still strong
As the Bengals usher in the next phase of their season, which is introducing the coaches to the 2016 college prospects, the buzzword of the moment that has caught everyone’s fancy is "analytics." But Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin says it’s not going to overtake the way the Bengals conduct the draft. In fact, he says scouting is an art that has always relied on what is now being called analytics.

6 pressing questions for Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are already putting 2015 in the rearview, with an eye toward the 2016 regular season. Much has happened already since the Jan. 9 wild card loss to Pittsburgh – but so much more is yet to be decided. Bengals beat writers Jim Owczarski and Paul Dehner Jr. take a look at six Bengals questions that will loom large over the next six months.

Bengals: Five Quarterbacks They Could See in Cleveland
Lately, the Cleveland Browns have been a hot topic in the NFL. Ironically, it is not because of the typical dysfunction in the organization. The Browns have finally started to turn into the right direction. The Hue Jackson signing is the obvious reason. Jackson has brought hope to all Cleveland fans everywhere. However, we won’t talk about Jackson in this article. Here in Cincinnati we have dealt with the impact of it all too well already. Instead, let’s focus on the quarterbacks that the Bengals could see in a Browns uniform next season.

Random Bytes

The Browns want you to believe they're going to give Johnny Manziel another chance
The Cleveland Browns' new executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown confirmed Thursday that Johnny Manziel was fined for missing a mandatory meeting with team doctors on the final Sunday of the regular season. That fine could be the last public interaction between the Browns and Manziel. After two seasons, the two sides appear to be going their separate ways.

Kathryn Smith’s promotion is notable, but it should be the norm in the future
Do I believe that Kathryn Smith’s promotion to the position of Special Teams Quality Control Coach by the Buffalo Bills is significant? Yes, I do. But what will be even more significant? When the hiring and promotion of qualified individuals without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age and other characteristics that have no bearing on one’s performance at work is no longer notable.

The 100 best players in the 2016 NFL Draft
Ohio State defensive end is the top player in this year's draft, but Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack are right behind him.

Can Peyton Manning match John Elway and go out a champion?
How will Peyton Manning’s final game--whether this season or one to come--compare to the Super Bowl-era quarterbacks who  preceded him in reaching Canton? If history has taught us anything, Hall of Fame careers for quarterbacks rarely end pretty. In fact, the stats and the images are pretty sobering.

Presence of Antwaan Randle El still felt in Steelers locker room
Antwaan Randle El's explosive comments to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about his life after football have risen to casual restaurant conversation level. He's 36 years old, so to say he should have played baseball because of all the mental and physical effects of playing football has grabbed the interest of non-football fans.

NFL's top 10 defensive free agents for 2016
Like every year, the early look at 2016 NFL free agency is a combination of good and bad news. The bad news first: Many of the top names on this list will never hit the market because of franchise/transition tags as well as the possibility of contract extensions with their current teams. The good news: There is still ample talent available for clubs hoping to upgrade their rosters. FOX Sports Senior NFL Writer Alex Marvez takes a look at the top 10 defensive players whose contracts are expiring after the 2015-16 season ends.

John Schneider: Marshawn Lynch leaning to retirement
Seahawks GM John Schneider said Friday he is under the impression that star running back Marshawn Lynch is leaning toward retirement. Will "Beast Mode" walk away at age 29?

Third graders forecast Broncos vs. Patriots AFC championship game
Third graders forecast this Sunday’s AFC championship game between the Denver Broncos and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. "I don't like the Patriots, because I just don't," one third grader says.