Bengals Bytes (4/7): Depth paying off

Marvin Lewis: Bengals will bury playoff loss this month
The Bengals are no strangers to heartbreak. Even so, January's Wild Card playoff loss to the Steelers was devastating even by Cincinnati standards. Marvin Lewis says it's time to hit the reset button.

Karlos Dansby: '15 Browns the 'worst season' I've had
Karlos Dansby believes the 2015 season with the Cleveland Browns was the worst he's had to experience from a team perspective. The linebacker cited players being selfish as key to the three-win year.

In Mel Kiper Jr.'s mock draft, Bengals select WR amid run at position
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wants Cincinnati Bengals fans to get to know draft hopeful Will Fuller. That's because in Kiper's latest mock draft, he has the former Notre Dame standout coming to the Bengals amid a late-first-round run on receivers. It's the second time Kiper has mocked Fuller to Cincinnati after sending him there in his first mock back in January.

Cincinnati Bengals miss on Steven Jackson after trading down in 2004
Breaking down one of the riskiest draft moves by the Cincinnati Bengals over the past 25 years.

Bengals Beat Podcast: Free agents and the draft
Bengals beat writers Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski join up to discuss the additions of receiver Brandon LaFell and linebacker Karlos Dansby and how it affects the club's outlook on the draft. We delve into the options now available at receiver and growing momentum toward spending early draft resources on a position many might not be thinking about. Plus, a look at the departure of Wallace Gilberry, future of Reggie Nelson and how many cups of coffee are necessary in order to break down Mike Williams and Hakeem Nicks.

Reports: Reggie Nelson signs with Oakland
The Cincinnati Bengals officially lost one of the Pro Bowlers off its 11th-ranked defense from a year ago when multiplereports said that unrestricted free agent safety Reggie Nelson agreed to a two-year deal in Oakland. This move officially opens the door for Shawn Williams to start alongside George Iloka in the secondary.

Bengals looking at youth pipeline
A re-set with the first round of the NFL Draft an even three weeks from Thursday: The Bengals, who are focusing more and more on the draft these days rather than signing veterans, are poised to get on the field next month with their pipeline of young talent on defense and that was never made more clear than when reports surfaced Wednesday night that Pro Bowl safety Reggie Nelson agreed to a two-year deal in Oakland.

DeAngelo Williams, Vontaze Burfict spark Twitter fight
The Steelers and Bengals are still beefing. This was evidenced by a Twitter spat between Steelers tailback DeAngelo Williams and Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, the latter notorious for his late penalty that helped swing last season’s playoff game in favor of Pittsburgh. A since-deleted tweet provoked Burfict to lash out at Williams. It’s unclear exactly why it started, but the rest is kind of self-explanatory.

Insider Buzz: Bengals Ownership Growing Impatient with Marvin Lewis
According to multiple sources in and around the Cincinnati Bengals organization, there is growing impatience among the ownership regarding head coach Marvin Lewis. What has been the glaring problem with Lewis' tenure? Could the Lewis era in Cincinnati soon come to an end? Watch Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole discuss in the video above.

Random Bytes

Report: Will Fuller could be first WR drafted
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah "won't be surprised" if Notre Dame WR Will Fuller is the first wide receiver drafted later this month.

Cleveland Browns introduce Robert Griffin III as their newest QB
Robert Griffin III's walk-off comment said it all -- of his attempt to revive both his career and the Cleveland Browns. It's tempting to say that Griffin has no real idea what awaits him in Cleveland given that the Browns have had 24 starting quarterbacks since 1999. But he said he is thrilled to be with the Browns.

New York Jets asked D'Brickashaw Ferguson about pay cut
With almost no room under the salary cap, the New York Jets have approached left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson about taking a pay cut, sources confirmed Wednesday night. With a $14.1 million cap charge, Ferguson, 32, has been an obvious candidate for months. The team has only $565,000 in cap space, according to NFLPA records, and it's still hoping to re-sign quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Paxton Lynch flashes arm strength at windy pro day
On an overcast, blustery day, Paxton Lynch did his best to show off his strong arm and leadership skills to NFL scouts Wednesday at Memphis' pro day. Lynch is projected as a possible first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, and he completed 57 of 69 passes before approximately 25 scouts at Memphis' practice field. With winds hovering around 25 mph, the workout was moved up about an hour to avoid possible thunderstorms.

Biggest Question Facing Each NFL Team Ahead of 2016 NFL Draft
This is the homestretch. Every major pro day is in the books, as are free agency and the combine. The last event before we turn our attention to on-field football is the NFL draft, which will be held in Chicago at the end of this month. Plenty of moves have occurred through trades, signings and re-signings in 2016, but the most impactful acquisitions that teams will make will be during draft week, when they lock up players for four to five years on cheap contracts.

J.J. Watt Comments on How Much Longer He'll Play
Judging by the comments J.J. Watt made Wednesday, the Houston Texans may not have the All-Pro defensive end for as long as they envisioned. In an interview with Nick Wright and John Lopez of SportsRadio 610 (via CBS Houston's Garret Heinrich), Watt didn't say his retirement is imminent; however, he did reveal he'll only continue in the NFL "until I feel like I can't play at that highest level anymore"

Report: NFL will allow teams to trade 2017 compensatory picks
The NFL is now allowing franchises to trade future compensatory picks, Field Yates of ESPN reports. While teams cannot trade the compensatory picks they've already been awarded for the 2016 draft, they can now begin including stipulations in trade language that will allow movement of future picks.