Bengals Bytes (4/1): Tag, not it!

Skyline offering free coneys on Opening Day
Skyline Chili has stepped up to the plate to deliver the home run of Opening Day deals: free coneys. Hungry Reds fans on Monday can visit any Skyline location in the Tristate area for a free cheese coney. The offer is not valid at the Great American Ball Park.

Bengals: Five Wide Receivers They Should Eye in The Draft
Unlike the last few years, Cincinnati has a major hole to fill for the upcoming season. This major hole as we all know, is at the wide receiver position. Last season, Cincinnati had Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu to pair with A.J. Green. While Green put up great numbers as usual, Jones and Sanu were not that far behind. As the third and forth options in the passing offense, Jones, put up 816 yards and 4 touchdowns on 65 receptions. Sanu on the other hand, put up 394 yards on 33 receptions.

LaFell has a foot up on winning
In the last three seasons new Bengals wide receiver Brandon LaFell has caught balls from Cam Newton in Carolina and Tom Brady in New England while winning 12 games each season and winning one Super Bowl. He likes the vibes from Andy Dalton in Cincinnati.

Brandon LaFell healthy, motivated by move to Bengals
When receiver Brandon LaFell was cut loose by New England this year after two seasons with the Patriots, the idea of giving up consistent winning didn’t sit well with him. He wanted to sign with a team ready to win now and where he could contribute. For those reasons, joining the Bengals made for an easy call.

Paul Guenther's fingerprints all over Cincinnati Bengals' free agency
The free-agency period has been good, very good, to the Cincinnati Bengals' defense. Of the nine announced Bengals signings or re-signings, six were on that side of the ball. Another defender, safety Taylor Mays, is also expected to sign. No one at Paul Brown Stadium is happier about the defensive haul than defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. After Wednesday's signing of outside linebacker Karlos Dansby, it seems clear that Guenther's hands have been all over the Bengals' free-agency efforts.

Random Bytes

Josh Doctson’s journey from walk-on WR to prized NFL prospect
Tracy Syler-Jones had made up her mind. As she pulled her son out to the back patio of their Mansfield, Texas, home to talk, she told herself that she wouldn't step down. The skinny 16-year-old's arm was in a sling, and Syler-Jones couldn't stop thinking about their ride to the hospital after he had been injured at his football scrimmage. With every bump the car hit, he had screamed in pain. A broken collarbone was the diagnosis, and it was too much.

Tracking the fifth-year option outlook for all 32 first-round picks of the 2013 NFL draft
From Yahoo Sports: Here's a look at the future of the first-round class of 2013 ahead of the May 2 deadline to pick up the players' fifth-year options. The Bengals had been expecting Eifert to blossom heading into last season and he did exactly that. Barring injury, he should be a staple amongst the NFL's elite tight ends going forward.

NFL, Hawaii get 2 more months to talk next year's Pro Bowl
HONOLULU (AP) — The National Football League and the state of Hawaii have another two months to talk about holding next year's Pro Bowl in the islands. The state's tourism agency said Thursday that both sides now have until May 31 to opt out of a contract for the Pro Bowl to be held in Honolulu next year. They had faced a Thursday deadline.

Rams roll out ticket pricing plan, with packages ranging from $360 to $2,025
The Rams, who received 56,000 season-ticket deposits for their first year back in Los Angeles, are planning to offer eight tiers of tickets, with nine-game packages ranging from $360 to $2,025 for the fall of this year.

Vernon Davis signing with Redskins
Free agent tight end Vernon Davis has agreed to terms with the Redskins, Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports reported Thursday. Davis was traded from the 49ers to the Broncos last season, but he did not play a role in the offense during the Broncos’ Super Bowl run. Davis caught 18 passes with the 49ers last season and 20 with the Broncos. He has 55 career touchdown receptions but just two in the last two seasons.

Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt played with 5 torn muscles
It's been termed a "groin" injury, but the full truth about the injury that ended reigning defensive player of the year J.J. Watt's 2015 season a quarter-and-a-half early is much more complicated. By season's end, Watt had five partially or fully torn muscles in his torso, groin and upper legs, necessitating surgical repair on both sides of his body.

'Stay tuned:' Lions, one of six NFL teams without cheerleaders, could change stance
One of the more consistent off-field entertainment questions the Detroit Lions have received throughout the past few seasons is if the franchise would hire cheerleaders for the first time. Team president Rod Wood said Thursday he wouldn’t rule it out.

Broncos quest for Kaepernick still alive despite salary guarantee
If the Denver Broncos are to get their intended target in Colin  Kaepernick, they must hope the quarterback  and new San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly don’t pull a  John  Fox-Kyle  Orton and fall  for  each  other. Although Kaepernick’s $11.9 million salary became formally guaranteed with the 49ers following the end of the NFL’s business day Thursday, the Broncos remain interested in acquiring the quarterback. Broncos’ general manager John Elway was well aware San Francisco was not going to release Kaepernick by the time his salary was to become fully guaranteed on the start of business Friday.

Insider Buzz: Von Miller, Josh Norman Upset with Franchise Tag System
NFL teams have long used the franchise tag system to retain their talented players at a discount, and a few of those players now aren't too happy about it. Which recently franchised stars are particularly angry with the system? What is their argument for the unfairness?  Watch Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole discuss franchise tag friction in the video above.