Bengals Bytes (3/13): Recapping the Bengals’ big move

Bills-Bengals trade: Cordy Glenn dealt to swap draft picks
The Bills have moved up the first round of this year’s NFL draft by sending Cordy Glenn and the No. 21 pick to the Bengals in exchange for the No. 12 choice, The MMQB’s Albert Breer reports. Buffalo also receives Cincinnati’s sixth-round pick (No. 187) and the Bengals get the Bills’ fifth-round pick (No. 158). The Bills also have the No. 22 pick, acquired last year from the Chiefs when Kansas City traded up to select Patrick Mahomes.

Three thoughts on the Cordy Glenn trade
On today’s Locked on Bengals podcast, I discussed the offseason and why the Bengals had to be aggressive in free agency. I also said they needed to trade for established players. A few hours later they traded for Buffalo Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn. Here are my thoughts on the Bengals trade

Report: OT Cordy Glenn Traded to Bengals; Bills Swap 1st-Round Draft Picks
The Cincinnati Bengals acquired veteran offensive tackle Cordy Glenn from the Buffalo Bills, ESPN's Josina Anderson reported Monday. The MMQB's Albert Breer also reported on the details of the draft pick compensation each team will receive as part of the trade

LSU hires ex-NFL assistant Kevin Coyle as defensive analyst
Former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is joining the LSU staff was a defensive analyst, SI has learned. The 62-year-old Coyle spent the past two seasons as the defensive backs coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2016, Cincinnati finished just one interception short of the NFL lead with 17, and defensive backs accounted for 13 of those picks. Last season, the Bengals finished in a tie for 20th with 11 interceptions.

TDBH: Bengals ink a Super Bowl MVP
For the first time in history the Bengals have a Super Bowl MVP on their roster today when they introduce veteran safety Dexter Jackson as their first free-agent signing in the wake of last season’s AFC North title. At 29 and in his eighth NFL season, Jackson looks to be the quintessential Bengals/Marvin Lewis signing as a veteran player with skins on the wall and good locker-room demeanor. “I'll do my part. I'm going to help the young guys and show them what it takes to get over the hump," Jackson says. "How to watch film and what the tendencies are on down and distance." Defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan says the Bengals make no bones about the safeties they like in free agency. While Marlon McCree might be the best fit before he signs in San Diego, Jackson is right there with Lawyer Milloy and Will Demps, the other safeties invited to visit.

Anything goes
Happy New Year. The first day of the NFL’s economic calendar for the 2018 season is Wednesday. But the two weeks leading up to it have been more like Mardi Gras with a dizzying pageantry of trades, high-profile signings culled from recently released name players, and a free-agent list that looks more like the dregs of the old post-June 1 cuts rather than the Pro Bowl lists of yesteryear.

Reports: Bengals make big (6-5, 345, $30M) move
Eric Wood, the Elder High School grad who centered the Buffalo offensive line for the past decade, has the lowdown on the newest Bengal. A couple of hours after news broke Monday that the Bengals had traded for left tackle Cordy Glenn, Wood gave his hometown a scouting report on his old left tackle with the Bills. “They just got them a good player. Cordy is a rare, great big strong guy that’s athletic. He can anchor the left side of the line,” said Wood, who retired after this season. “He’s very athletic for his size. It got to the point with our game plans we knew we wouldn’t have to worry about the defensive end because we knew Cordy had them.”

Bengals upgrade OL after dismal 2017 with trade for Bills' Cordy Glenn
The Cincinnati Bengals were never going to find a bargain tackle on the market, and there doesn't seem to be a particularly standout player who would be available when they select 12th overall in the upcoming NFL draft. That made Monday's trade for left tackle Cordy Glenn a solid move. To acquire Glenn, the Bengals swapped first-round picks with the Bills and sent their sixth-rounder in exchange for Buffalo's fifth-round pick.

Bengals trade for Cordy Glenn ripples down offensive line, draft and contracts
Outside of sending Carson Palmer to Oakland in 2011, the Bengals haven’t pulled off a more high-profile trade in the Marvin Lewis Era than the one Monday when they acquired left tackle Cordy Glenn from the Buffalo Bills. The team agreed to move back from the No. 12 spot in the first round to Buffalo’s No. 21 and also swapped out their sixth-round pick, to move into Buffalo’s spot in the fifth round.

Bengals to meet with Fort Hays State DL Nathan Shepherd
The Cincinnati Bengals have their eyes on a high-upside defensive tackle who continues to dramatically rise up draft boards as we approach the 2018 NFL draft. Nathan Shepherd out of Fort Hays State turned heads at the 2018 NFL scouting combine, checking in at 6’5″ and 315 pounds and looking solid in drills.

2018 NFL Free Agency Rumors, Updates: Vikings contact Drew Brees, Bengals-Bills make deal
NFL free agency does not actually begin until Wednesday, March 14 at 4 p.m. ET when the new league year starts. But the NFL, in its persistent search to lock down the entire calendar year with chatter about football, opened up a legal tampering period, which kicked off Monday at noon ET. In other words, free agency starts ... RIGHT NOW. You're in free agency and you don't even know it. Rumors, speculation and "agreed to terms" will abound.

AFC North Bytes

Steelers in free agency 2018: 6 possible signings
The Steelers will not reset any markets this week. At time of writing they are not in contention for the top free agents that they can begin negotiating with tomorrow and begin signing on Wednesday. With the reported impending release of Mike Mitchell, Pittsburgh is set to have about $5.5 million under the salary cap. That won't work for bringing in most anyone that isn't a mid-career player looking for a prove-it deal or veteran on a sort of Super Bowl-contending discount.

What re-signing James Hurst means for Ravens’ offensive line
The Baltimore Ravens shocked everyone by announcing a long-term deal with offensive lineman James Hurst. The deal is for four years and worth $17.5 million. That’s the type of deal that changes the landscape of a roster. So what exactly does it mean? It’s hard to know, honestly. Hurst has started at both right tackle and left guard now. Both positions have expected starters already sitting in them, which means someone is on the way out. But if we look at current contracts, it steers us a certain direction.

Random Bytes

Chiefs agree to terms with Sammy Watkins
The Chiefs are giving their young starting quarterback a big-play receiver. Sammy Watkins and the Chiefs have agreed to terms on a contract that should be signed tomorrow, according to multiple reports. The deal has been pegged at about $16 million a year for three years.

Report: Case Keenum to Sign Contract with Broncos After 1 Year with Vikings
Case Keenum will sign with the Denver Broncos, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday morning. The terms of the agreement are unknown. The Broncos were also interested in free agents Kirk Cousins and Teddy Bridgewater, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.

Report: Allen Robinson to Sign 3-Year Bears Contract After 4 Years with Jaguars
Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson is reportedly heading to the Chicago Bears in free agency, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson. Robinson told Anderson on Tuesday that he will sign a three-year, $42 million deal with the Bears when free agency officially begins Wednesday.

Report: Andrew Norwell to Sign Jaguars Contract, Become NFL's Highest-Paid Guard
The Jacksonville Jaguars and offensive lineman Andrew Norwell reportedly will ink a five-year, $66.5 million contract once free agency starts, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Schefter added the contract will include $30 million guaranteed and will make Norwell the highest-paid guard in the NFL. Schefter also broke down where Norwell's deal ranks among the NFL's top contracts for offensive linemen