Bengals Bytes (4/15): Pro Football Focus’ view of what the Bengals should do

Bengals fans excited about Mike McGlinchey visits
The Cincinnati Bengals are making it a point to address the offensive line needs this offseason even after trading for left tackle Cordy Glenn. One name that continues to come up is Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey who the Bengals seem very interested in with their first-round pick in the upcoming draft. The team has met with him at least three times now with working him out in March, sending coaches to attend his pro day workouts, and now for a top 30 pre-draft visit.

Bengals reveal interesting new strength t-shirt slogan
The Cincinnati Bengals have a new t-shirt slogan heading into Monday’s workouts. It’s been a long 15 years of slogans put out by Marvin Lewis, from “Do Your Job” to “Pound The Rock” to “Challenge The Moment” and beyond. This offseason’s new slogan on Bengals strength t-shirts is “Build it better.”

What if the Bengals traded back in the draft again
The Cincinnati Bengals made a trade in early March for Buffalo Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn. The trade moved the Bengals back in the first round from 12th overall to 21st overall and the Bengals sent over a sixth-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick. They took a left tackle that when healthy is a top tackle talent in his prime all by just moving back nine spaces. Cincinnati still needs help on the offensive line but what if they can’t find the best help without reaching at 21?

Cincinnati Bengals 2018 NFL Draft strategy: Cornerbacks
Eight out of 12. Darqueze Dennard, Dre Kirkpatrick and William Jackson III are locked into the top three. Adam Jones is still a free agent, could be brought back on a bargain veteran deal. After that a collection of unprovens fill in the depth pieces. The Bengals love first-round corners. In fact, their trend is up as they have taken a corner in the first round every even year since 2012. This would set up to again work their way in behind the starters as the above three did in their early seasons.

PFF Draft Room - Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff has historically been heavily involved with the evaluations of draft prospects and have placed a heavy emphasis on college production. Not very active on the trade front in terms of draft picks, the Bengals attempted to fill a need at tackle by trading for Cordy Glenn in an exchange of first-round draft picks from Buffalo (Cincinnati moved down to Pick 21 from Pick 12 by obtaining Glenn). Despite drafting tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher with their first two picks in 2015, their need for a tackle exists as their 2015 duo has underperformed as neither has put forth a season grade above 67.3 overall.

Doc: Bengals passing on Eric Reid not personal, strictly business
And so the Bengals won’t be signing the free-agent safety Eric Reid, a guy Pro Football Focus says was a better football player last season than either of Cincinnati’s two starters at that position, George Iloka and Shawn Williams. Reid was in town for a kick-the-tires sitdown. The team wasn’t happy with the play of its safeties last year, but the Bengals didn’t bring Reid in for the express purpose of signing him. The draft is coming, other options could arise. The Bengals just wanted to chat.

AFC North

Ravens players immediately start recruiting Dez Bryant
The Dallas Cowboys released wide receiver Dez Bryant on Friday in what was somewhat of a shocking move. Considering their interest in other free agent wide receivers and the many pre-draft visits with prospects at the position, not as crazy as it might have seemed earlier in the offseason.

Ryan Shazier Stands at Ohio State Spring Game, Doing Better After Spinal Surgery
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier received an ovation as he stood without assistance during Saturday's Ohio State spring game at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio. The Big Ten Network highlighted the special moment for the former Buckeyes standout

Random Bytes

2018 NFL Draft: What's the Concern Level for Draft's Most Notable Injuries?
The best injury for an NFL draft prospect is the one that can be forgotten and never spoken of again. That's the kind of injury that doesn't derail development when a prospect knows his new NFL team. It also doesn't keep him from contributing immediately. And most importantly, it doesn't napalm his draft stock and cost the prospect money after plummeting a round or more.

Class counsel believes appointment of Special Investigator is appropriate
The NFL wants a Special Investigator to explore allegedly “widespread fraud” in connection with the concussion settlement. The co-lead class counsel representing former players agrees that an investigation is needed, but he pushes back against the perception that fraud is prevalent.

William Nack Remembrance: A Passionate Master of His Craft
He was sitting in the darkness, silhouetted by the blue light from a first-generation portable computer, while nearby we all drank deeply from glasses and bottles and cans and talked a little too loudly about the events of the day and the evening. It was the summer of 1981, at a house party in Saratoga Springs. The Travers had been run that day, and the celebration of that horse race had carried into the summer night. We were finished with our work, but in a cramped study off the kitchen, Bill Nack was still doing his.