Bengals Bytes (3/8): Clint Boling teams up with Willie Anderson to teach linemen

Look: Bengals great Willie Anderson teams up with Clint Boling to teach linemen
Any detail about the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line is news now, especially when it features guard Clint Boling. Boling, who had a successful stint at left tackle to close the 2017 season, just popped up next to Bengals legend Willie Anderson while teaching offensive linemen.

Bengals coaching staff thrilled Joe Mixon got better as rookie season continued
Let members of the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff tell it, running back Joe Mixon should have a huge sophomore year. Mixon, a second-round pick in 2017 after dominating the draft conversation this time last year, didn’t have eye-catching stats by the end of his rookie season.

Chris Baker signs 1-year deal with Cincinnati Bengals
Chris Baker is off the market. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday that pays out a little more than $3 million, a source informed of the deal told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Can the Bengals find a left tackle in free agency?
The plan, on paper, looked sound. Draft who you believe will be a franchise left tackle in the first round in 2015, but extend your All-Pro veteran left tackle into his 11th season through 2016 to allow a window of growth. Then, turn the position over to the first-round pick in 2017 and live happily ever after through the next decade.

Can the Bengals find a left tackle in free agency?
The plan, on paper, looked sound. Draft who you believe will be a franchise left tackle in the first round in 2015, but extend your All-Pro veteran left tackle into his 11th season through 2016 to allow a window of growth. Then, turn the position over to the first-round pick in 2017 and live happily ever after through the next decade.

TDBH: Bengals’ QB search to stabilize struggling offense ends with Kitna’s play-off experience
In their effort to rescue the NFL's worst passing game, the Bengals, off just 11 wins in the last three seasons, turn to Jon Kitna’s .570 career winning percentage today when they agree in principle to a four-year deal with Seattle's former play-off quarterback. Bengals franchise quarterback Akili Smith is struggling with injuries and a 3-12 record in his first two seasons, Kitna, who turns 29 early in the season, offers a record of 18-15 after leading the Seahawks to their only play-off appearance in a dozen seasons two years ago. Plus, he knows the offense inside and out since Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski was his coordinator during his first four seasons in Seattle. Bratkowski says the Bengals still have faith in Smith and calls it an open competition.

Baker looking to re-capture top grades
The Bengals are looking to re-sign a handful of their own players when free agency starts next week, but they’ve already been pretty active looking at veterans already on the market that they think can help them shore up some weaknesses. Tony Paige, the agent for former Washington and Tampa Bay defensive tackle Chris Baker, said his client has agreed to a one-year deal as the Bengals try to beef up the middle of a defense that finished third from the NFL bottom in allowing rushing yards per game.

Bengals and NFL donate $250,000 for South Avondale Elementary Football Field
The Bengals and the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program teamed up to contribute $250,000 to Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC), who will install a synthetic turf field at South Avondale Elementary School. The grant from the Bengals, the NFL Foundation and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is part of more than $3 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year.

Cincinnati Bengals' 2018 free agency: Chris Baker comes with baggage, but could help D-line
The defensive line doesn't jump out as an outright need for the Bengals, but it actually is one they have talked about improving. That was a topic of discussion during a meeting with reporters at the combine, and it makes sense they would go after a player who has been good in the past. Baker's last two seasons with the Washington Redskins were very solid, which led to a free-agent deal with the Buccaneers. However, his quick departure from Tampa does bring some questions.

Todd McShay's mock draft 3.0 projects Bengals to improve their front seven
The general consensus has been the Bengals are in bad need of offensive line help this offseason. That makes NFL draft analyst Todd McShay's projection of Washington defensive lineman Vita Vea to the Bengals at No. 12 overall an intriguing one. McShay released his NFL mock draft 3.0 on Wednesday and reversed course from an offensive lineman to a defensive lineman for the Bengals, projecting them to take the mammoth 6-foot-4, 347-pound Vea.

AFC North Bytes

Mike Pettine, Others Met at Combine to Have Reunion of Coaches Fired by Browns
The not-so-secret society of former Cleveland Browns coaches enjoyed a get-together at an Indianapolis restaurant during the NFL Scouting Combine. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was among those in attendance. Pettine compiled a 10-22 record in his two years as the Browns' head coach.

Le'Veon Bell on Possible Holdout: 'I Am Not Going to Sit'
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell appeared on Instagram live Wednesday and intimated he won't make good on his previous threat to hold out for the entire 2018 season. "Honestly no, I am not going to sit," he said, per The Athletic's Mark Kaboly. "I am going to be in the facility Week 1."

Random Bytes

Earl Thomas Trade Rumors: Seahawks Will Listen to Offers on Star Safety
The Seattle Seahawks will reportedly "listen to trade offers" for safety Earl Thomas, but it doesn't sound like the team is actively shopping him in advance of the new league year. NFL Network's Michael Silver relayed the news Wednesday and added the Seahawks would "obviously be seeking a lot in return."

Derrius Guice Said Team Asked If He Liked Men at NFL Combine
Former LSU Tigers running back Derrius Guice told SiriusXM NFL Radio Wednesday night that one NFL team asked him if he liked men during an interview at the NFL Scouting Combine. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio confirmed Guice received that question, although it's unclear which team asked it. Two years ago, New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple said the Atlanta Falcons asked him the same question (via NBC Sports Philadelphia).

Ousting of Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman Brings an End to Woke Era in Seattle
It was just a few months ago that Michael Bennett made an observation about the NFL that remains a dominant theme now. "The NFL doesn't want us to be individuals," Bennett told me in January. "Look at the NBA; they are allowed to market themselves and think about their life after basketball. The NFL is all about the shield, the shield, the shield. I could go on all day about the hypocrisy of that."

NFL mock draft 2018 3.0 - Todd McShay's first-round pick rankings, draft order, predictions
How high will running back Saquon Barkley, Todd McShay's top overall prospect, be drafted? And with Lamar Jackson now in the first round, how many QBs will go off the board on Day 1? Here is McShay's post-combine 1-32 projection for the draft.