Bengals Bytes (8/31): Suspending spots

Houston on the mind
The Bengals list six players from Houston and its environs and there are others who went to college there or live there now and it is hard for them to watch the devastation pouring out of their phones and TVs.

NFL upholds Tez suspension in reduction to three games
INDIANAPOLIS _ Despite the Bengals’ belief that they had solid proof on film, the NFL on Wednesday upheld linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s suspension for hitting what the league calls a defenseless player running a pass route when he made a play on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman on Aug. 19.

A.J. Green Has Fought through Tragedy to Experience Joy
All-Pro NFL wide receiver and University of Georgia great A.J. Green has been inducted into the fatherhood fraternity. After he lost his beloved brother at a young age, how do his hardships influence the way he cherishes his new-born son? This is a true story of fighting through tragedy to experience joy.

Marvin Lewis of Cincinnati Bengals OK with lack of deal beyond '17
CINCINNATI -- Coach Marvin Lewis is just days away from beginning his 15th season with the Cincinnati Bengals with no new contract in sight. As the season opener looms Sept. 10, Lewis said he's not losing sleep over it.

Bengals at Colts Game Notes
The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Indianapolis for their fourth and final game of the 2017 preseason against the Colts on Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium. They head into the contest feeling reasonably good about their squad, despite losing to the Washington Redskins, 23-17, this past Sunday at FedExField. Most of the first-team offense and first-team defense played for much of the first half against the Redskins, and despite the game’s final outcome, those units played well overall and looked ready for the regular-season opener. In addition, the team had the opportunity to mix in a few of their promising younger players early — players who figure to play large roles with the team as the season moves forward.

How do the suspensions of Vontaze Burfict, Adam Jones affect depth chart?
The Cincinnati Bengals will officially begin their season without Vontaze Burfict or Adam Jones. Burfict will sit out three games after the league suspended him for violations of player safety, while Jones will miss the season opener on a suspension related to the personal conduct policy. The Bengals will turn to a familiar face to replace Burfict, while the replacement for Jones could be someone new.

7 Things To Watch: Colts / Bengals Preseason Week Four
The first-team reps once again went to Scott Tolzien this week and he will start on Thursday night. Despite Stephen Morris’ outstanding play this preseason, it continues to look like Tolzien is the definite starter, if Andrew Luck isn’t ready to go for the start of the regular season. Morris has one more chance to influence the coaching staff, and even another stellar performance might not be enough to shift their thinking.

Walkthru: Predicting final Bengals 53-man roster
Time for the day of reckoning. The roster proved one of the more challenging to construct for this club in recent seasons due to the significant number of rookies and unproven young players the Bengals were holding on to. When rosters are trimmed to 53 on Saturday, this will be the most significant youth turnover since 2011. Here’s how I see it shaking out. You can listen to the Bengals Beat Podcast as we Jim and I rolled through our opinions on it. We weren’t 100 percent on the same page, so we will see who receives open mocking on Twitter.

AFC North Bytes

Steelers and Joe Haden agree to terms on three-year contract
As the news began to emerge of the release of Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden on Wednesday morning, it did not take long before his name was linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers. For a team clearly in need of help in the secondary, uniting the 28-year old veteran defensive back with a former rival made a lot of sense to many people. It appears the Steelers front office agreed.

Retired LB Zach Orr to Join Ravens Staff as Coaching, Personnel Assistant
The Baltimore Ravens are bringing back retired linebacker Zach Orr as a member of the coaching staff for the 2017 season. Per ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Orr will shadow Ravens linebacker coach Don Martindale and "evaluate players for the personnel department in the offseason."

Random Bytes

Terrell Owens Says It's a 'Joke' He's Not Still Playing in NFL
Terrell Owens has been out of the NFL long enough to attain eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but that didn't stop the six-time Pro Bowler from revealing his astonishment about no longer being employed by an NFL team. "Me not being on the field right now is a joke," he said to Eric Dickerson on Fox Sports Radio (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams). "I don’t care what people say. Even though I'm 43, trust me, I'm not your average 43-year-old."

Texans, Cowboys Preseason Game Canceled After Being Moved Amid Hurricane Harvey
The NFL has canceled Thursday's preseason game between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. The Texans released a statement announcing they will make a donation equivalent to the money that would have been generated from ticket sales for the contest

Aaron Rodgers Says Colin Kaepernick Isn't on NFL Team 'Because of His Protests'
Green Bay Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers said fellow quarterback Colin Kaepernick should be on an NFL roster heading into the 2017 regular season, but he thinks the former San Francisco 49ers starter's decision to kneel during the national anthem last year has prevented him from signing a new contract.