Bengals Byte (5/2): Protecting the protection

Art of a hometown deal
Ira Hillary, one of those revered Super Bowl Bengals, had a juggling act Saturday worthy of a Sam Wyche magic trick that ended in the flash of what could be a Bengals father-son roster combo.

Bengals made push to sign undrafted Duke S Jeremy Cash
After a productive college career at Duke, safety Jeremy Cash went undrafted. Signing as a free agent with Carolina Panthers gives him a chance to compete as a hybrid safety/linebacker.

Criticism of Russell Bodine has Cincinnati Bengals' OL coach peeved
If you see Cincinnati Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander around town, do him a favor, OK? Don't ask him about Russell Bodine. Alexander was trying to get his haircut recently at a popular downtown Cincinnati barber shop when he was jokingly harassed about starting Bodine at center. Now entering his third season, Bodine has been the Bengals' starting center since his rookie year. Although he hasn't really had them in games, snap issues have overshadowed Bodine's previous offseasons. He's also been criticized by Pro Football Focus for his problematic protection skills.

Ex-Bengals QB saves man's life with CPR at Starbucks
Eric Kresser, a Cincinnati native and backup quarterback for the Bengals from 1997 to 1999, performed CPR on a man at a Starbucks in West Virginia, saving his life, according to a story by herald-dispatch.com's Tim Stephens.

5 takeaways from Bengals' draft
The Bengals' draft evolved as a mundane checking off of boxes for the most part, but still provided a series of developments within the organization. Here's my five takeaways following seven picks and three days bunkered inside Paul Brown Stadium.

5 teams that flat-out crushed it putting together their 2016 NFL Draft class
Only time will reveal the teams who drafted the best from the 2016 NFL Draft, but the instant reactions point to these five teams as franchises who did the best in terms of securing value and acquiring talent.

Random Bytes

Chicago Bears release veteran safety Antrel Rolle
The Bears have released veteran safety Antrel Rolle and veteran offensive guard Matt Slauson. Rolle, 33, played in just seven games last season because of ankle and knee injuries. Chicago placed him on injured reserve in December, after the safety suffered a serious knee injury on the practice field.

FB Glenn Gronkowski agrees to undrafted free-agent deal with Buffalo Bills
The AFC East will need to make room for another Gronk after the Buffalo Bills agreed to an undrafted free-agent deal with former Kansas State fullback Glenn Gronkowski. The youngest of five Gronkowski brothers, Glenn follows in the footsteps of his older brother Rob, a tight end for the New England Patriots, as well as brothers Dan and Chris, both former NFL players.

The Biggest Hole Every NFL Team Still Must Fill After 2016 NFL Draft
NFL teams worked tirelessly to fill key holes throughout their rosters with 2016 draft assets. Some teams succeeded, while others failed to properly address major needs. Ahead of the draft, B/R identified teams' requirements and predicted how the proceedings would go. Now that we know the results and rosters are closer to being set, it’s easier to see where glaring holes still exist. This article will highlight each draft class and also locate the biggest hole every team must fill after the draft.

The Most Controversial Picks of the 2016 NFL Draft
After three action-packed days, 253 selections and countless memorable moments, the 2016 NFL draft is now over. This year's edition of the draft lived up to every bit of the hype. We all had plenty of fun witnessing the spectacle, the feel-good, tear-jerking moments and the surprising twists. The important takeaways from draft weekend, however, are the draft picks themselves.

Jerry Jones Comments on Unsuccesful Trade for Paxton Lynch at 2016 NFL Draft
The Dallas Cowboys selected Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth round of the NFL draft Saturday, but owner and general manager Jerry Jones was still lamenting his failed pursuit of a first-round-caliber signal-caller two days earlier.

Mularkey: DeMarco Murray 'loved' Derrick Henry pick
Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson was describing Alabama running back Derrick Henry in late February when he said, "We want a strong, physical runner." The surprise isn't that Henry landed in Nashville. It's that Henry was selected in the second round after Robinson traded for DeMarco Murray in March. On the heels of a trying 2015 season in which he lost his job in Philadelphia, is Murray already casting a leery eye in Henry's direction?

Mike Tomlin: Steelers could have three rookie starters
When Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau was running the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense, it was exceedingly rare for a rookie to earn a starting job. That's no longer the case under Keith Butler, who altered the defense with more zone looks after taking over for LeBeau in 2015.