Bengals Bytes (8/1): Living in the past

Walkthru: All quiet on the Mixon front
In going through questions received over the first weekend – and really throughout the offseason program – one of the most frequent is how does Joe Mixon look? The controversial second-round pick is always on the mind of Bengals fans, it seems.

Camp report: past and present
James Brooks, the most lethally versatile player in Bengals history as the club’s No. 2 all-time rusher behind Corey Dillon while landing in the top 15 for receiving yards, surfaced at training camp Monday with the timing of one of his red-zone swing passes from quarterback Boomer Esiason. The Bengals put on full pads for the first time and took the wraps off rookie running back Joe Mixon. Mixon, the second-round pick from Oklahoma with Brooks’ feet and Dillon’s power, still showed the same 4.46 40-yard speed he showed in shorts. Incumbent big back Jeremy Hill also got in some licks on a day running back Giovani Bernard, the modern Brooks with his ability as a receiver, rested his ACL.

Early hits: Mixon recalls Dillon, models Peterson; Happy 29th to A.J.; Kicker Brown cut
There’s no question that rookie running back Joe Mixon is the most impressive of the newcomers as Bengals training camp winds into its fourth day Monday and the first full-padded practice. But maybe we haven’t seen anything yet. “That’s more of an advantage on my side compared to the little guys,” said the 6-1, 228-pound Mixon before Monday’s practice. “Because I feel like I move even better with them on.”

George Iloka of Cincinnati Bengals out 3-4 weeks with sprained right knee
Bengals safety George Iloka will miss three to four weeks with a knee sprain, according to a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer. That timetable would likely sideline him for most of the preseason, as the Bengals play their first preseason game on Aug. 11 against the Buccaneers. Iloka hurt his right knee in Sunday's practice while the Bengals were running through their first segment of team drills. Iloka grabbed at his knee as he fell to the ground, then crawled off the field to the sidelines, where he was examined by trainers.

Vontaze Burfict, Joe Mixon shine after full pads come on Monday
If the real football doesn't start until the players put on their full pads, consider Monday the "unofficial" start of training camp for the Cincinnati Bengals. "Everybody can run fast when you have shorts on," said Bengals receiver Brandon LaFell. "When you've got pads on ... you've got to beat the press, you've got to beat this, beat that, get banged on this route. "It's real football now. It's full pads. It's a lot of banging. It's real football."

Andy Dalton throws routes to John Ross after Bengals' practice Sunday
Long after the Cincinnati Bengals had concluded their third practice of training camp, three figures remained on one of the playing fields: quarterback Andy Dalton, rookie wide receiver John Ross and Dalton's 3-year-old son, Noah. Dalton threw passes to Ross for about 15 minutes with Noah chasing after him before Dalton put Noah on his shoulders to sign some autographs for the remaining fans in attendance.

Cincinnati Bengals can quickly turn things around in 2017
It may come as a surprise to many. But, the Cincinnati Bengals have a good chance to turn their fortunes around for the new year. Tales of how Cincy blew their chance for a return to the playoffs have gotten old. By now, even the pet cat knows the Bengals went 6-9-1 and missed a prime opportunity to repeat as AFC North champs. But, 2017 looks to be a good indicator of what the team is capable of doing.

Cincinnati Bengals waive kicker, sign safety
The Cincinnati Bengals kicking competition is down to a two-man battle. The Bengals on Monday waived kicker Jonathan Brown, leaving rookie fifth-round pick Jake Elliott and incumbent Randy Bullock to battle for the job through training camp and the preseason.

AFC North Bytes

Five days into camp, Cleveland Browns QB situation remains unchanged
A flounder is a fish, but this is not said for the halibut -- the Cleveland Browns are floundering at quarterback as they head into their first off-day of training camp.n "Just still evaluating," coach Hue Jackson of the group. "Just kind of seeing where we are." Where they are is where they were when camp opened. Neither Cody Kessler or Brock Osweiler has seized the job, and if anything, their grip on the job may have loosened.

Cohesion key for success of Steelers' offensive line
It was mentioned to Steelers guard Ramon Foster that during the heavy-hitting first training camp practice with pads Sunday, players from almost every position exited early because of injury or heat-related symptoms. The offensive line, though, was spared. “Let's knock on wood on that,” Foster said smiling.

Terrell Suggs Says 'Hell Yeah' Ravens Players Would Welcome Colin Kaepernick
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said players in Baltimore's locker room would welcome free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick as long as "he's going to help us win." Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com passed along comments the longtime Ravens defensive stalwart made Sunday about Baltimore's rumored interest in Kaepernick and whether he'd be accepted by the team.

Random Bytes

Gareon Conley Will Not Be Indicted by Grand Jury over April Rape Allegation
Oakland Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley was not charged by the grand jury for rape allegations that came before the NFL draft in April, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. "He had faith in the system," Conley's attorney Kevin Spellacy said. "He is vindicated. He looks forward to contributing in the National Football League."

NFL Network Did an Entire Segment Guessing the Seahawks W-L Record. From 2016.
I’m sure McAfee would tell you that punters are the smartest guys in any room they’re ever in. And while that may or may not be true, we can at least give credit to Seahawks punter Jon Ryan for being sharp enough to notice Seattle’s 2016 schedule when he sees it. Which would make him the smartest man in the room at NFL Network. The best part of this is that they went through the entire segment, predicting the ‘Hawks wins and losses without anyone catching on that this was last year.

Dallas Cowboys: Cowboys DC Rod Marinelli has new nicknames for Taco Charlton: 'Whatever Mexican food I eat is what he is'
Cowboys first-round pick Taco Charlton is off to a slow start in training camp, but that's to be expected considering the strength of the club's offensive line. The defensive end hasn't been in the backfield often and in most cases has been dominated in one-on-one drills against tackles La'el Collins and Tyron Smith.