Bengals Bytes (6/12): Offense is focused for mandatory minicamp

Where do the Bengals land on quarterback rankings?
The Cincinnati Bengals have elected to deploy veteran quarterback Andy Dalton in the 2018 season without any competition behind him. Looking at his backups, the Bengals don’t have anyone in the waiting to be their future starter. Cincinnati is putting all their cards into one basket and hoping it pans out. Cincinnati missed out on an opportunity to receive a second-round pick for former backup A.J. McCarron in a trade with the Cleveland Browns last season. The Browns messed up the paperwork, and the deal never got done resulting in the Bengals having to let McCarron walk in free agency for nothing in return.

Bengals 53-man roster predictions: offensive line
The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the worst ranked offensive lines last season keeping quarterback Andy Dalton under consistent pressure. Cincinnati moved around linemen multiple times throughout the season trying to find an answer but came up short. If the Bengals are going to try and compete in 2018, they must improve significantly up front.

2018 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Ranking the Fantasy Assets for the Cincinnati Bengals
If you love upside, the Cincinnati Bengals are the team for you. A.J. Green has a career 16-game average of 87-1,288-9. Joe Mixon is a former second-round pick with first-round talent and an improved offensive line. Tyler Eifert has scored 20 career touchdowns in 39 games. Even Andy Dalton has been a top-five Fantasy option before. And I haven't even mentioned their first-round pick from a year ago, John Ross.

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green makes Top 100 list
The Cincinnati Bengals added a second player to the NFL Top 100 list yesterday with the addition of wide receiver A.J. Green coming in at number 22. The only other Bengal so far to make the list is defensive tackle Geno Atkins at 63. It’s been a long wait to hear another Cincinnati player make the list but we all knew that Green would be near the top of the list.

Bengals 2018 Training Camp Opens Thursday, July 26
Bengals fans will get their first chance to see this year’s team up close when Bengals Training Camp, presented by Fifth Third Bank, kicks off on Thursday, July 26. Thirteen practices will be open to the public, including an evening practice on Friday, Aug. 3 and Family Day on Saturday, Aug. 4. All practices are free and offer fans the opportunity to obtain player autographs after practice.

Scrutiny is mandatory for offense
The Bengals’ mandatory minicamp begins Tuesday and when it ends Thursday the official seven-week period of conjecture, speculation and guesswork is underway because they won’t be seen on the field for the next 42 days.

AFC North Bytes

Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon lists Joe Flacco as the biggest standout for Ravens offseason
BleacherReport.com’s Brad Gagnon recently listed every NFL team’s standout player of the offseason so far, in which quarterback Joe Flacco was chosen for the Ravens. “Coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco must hear footsteps,” Gagon said. “There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the team’s top pick, quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the pressure’s on Flacco to deliver with new possession receiver Michael Crabtree in 2018.”

Hue Jackson states Cleveland Browns have more talent at every position
For Hue Jackson, there is no running away from his record as head coach of the Cleveland Browns: After coaching the Raiders to an 8-8 record in his only prior season as a head coach and becoming one of the top offensive coordinators in the NFL, Jackson has been saddled with a 1-31 record with the Browns, mustering a lone victory in 2016 and none in 2017. For those in Jackson's corner, perhaps the top defense of the Browns' head coach has been that he has been plagued by personnel issues, specifically on his calling card of offense. Now with a revamped roster, the Browns are giving Jackson a fair chance to sink or swim. And the man who recently jumped in Lake Erie to atone for all the Browns' years of losing since 1999 can sense it.

Random Bytes

Julio Jones Won't Attend Falcons Minicamp Amid Contract Extension Talks
As he looks for a new contract, Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones was not present as his teammates reported for minicamp Monday. The team issued a statement on the star's absence

Report: Odell Beckham’s “preference” not to do team work
The biggest question leading into Giants minicamp has been how much work wide receiver Odell Beckham would do after an offseason spent doing limited individual work on the field while making his way back from last year’s fractured ankle.

Report details how a 'Woj Bomb' kept Beilein at Michigan
Adrian Wojnarowski is the premier NBA news-breaker, but his revelation of the Detroit Pistons’ interest in John Beilein actually led the coach to stay at Michigan. In a fascinating piece by Brendan Quinn of The Athletic, Beilein acknowledged he seriously considered making the leap to NBA until the drama that followed Wojnarowski’s report — a 'Woj Bomb.'