Bengals Bytes (6/18): Biggest mistake of the past decade

Sam Hubbard and Malik Jefferson give Bengals two of 26 draft picks unsigned
Nine out of 11 isn’t bad in most circumstances, though the Cincinnati Bengals would certainly love to be batting perfect right now when it comes to having 2018 NFL draft picks under contract. Instead, the Bengals have yet to come to terms with third-round picks Sam Hubbard and Malik Jefferson.

Biggest mistake by the Bengals in the last decade
The Cincinnati Bengals are known as a team that is unwilling to build their team through free agency. The last 15 years under head coach Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati has been extremely quiet during the free agency period while wanting to do all their work through the draft. Another issue that pops up for the Bengals is letting players walk in free agency without a reliable backup to replace them.

Sam Hubbard is learning from Bengals star Carlos Dunlap
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard in the third-round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Coming into a locker room with a deep talent at the position, Hubbard will likely see minimal playing time during the 2018 campaign. What better way to develop behind a deep expertise positional group than learn from the best?

Goodberry: Top 50 Bengals of 2018 – Nos. 44-42
Joe Goodberry has graded every player on 10 categories critical to their respective positions to rank the top 50 Bengals of 2018. Based on film, analytics, measurements and performance, these final grades will determine who the best players on the team are heading into this season. Here are numbers 44 through 42 with the rest to follow in later articles

Cincinnati Bengals announce 2018 training camp schedule
The Cincinnati Bengals will hold their first training camp practice Thursday, July 26, the team announced today. The 2018 training camp schedule features 13 practices open to the public, including the annual Family Day inside Paul Brown Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4.

AFC North Bytes

Ben Roethlisberger: Record-Breaking Super Bowl Wins Better Than Huge Contract
Although quarterbacks around the league are getting big contracts, Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Ben Roethlisberger apparently isn't concerned about getting a new deal. "I have two years on my contract. I'm not going to be one to sit here and worry about my contract," the quarterback said Sunday, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. "That's not my job. My job is to play football. I'll let my representation, the Steelers worry about all that stuff. To me, it's all about going out and playing now.

Best he's ever coached? Todd Haley pumps up Browns' quarterbacks
In the NFL in June, optimism and hyperbole flow like kids pouring off the school bus for the last time. Such was the case when former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley made these remarks while meeting with the media in his new job as the offensive coordinator in Cleveland.

Random Bytes

MMQB: Andrew Luck throwing, Mike McCarthy's minicamp tradition
Andrew Luck is throwing again, in case you didn’t know. But here’s why it's different from seemingly every other time he’s attempted to come back from injury. Also, Mike McCarthy explains a longtime Packers minicamp tradition, Norv Turner’s ideal situation in Carolina, why so many players are holding out from minicamps this year and more

Every NFL Team's Biggest Mistake of the Past Decade
Head to Google and you'll find approximately 43 million pages of cliches about everybody making mistakes, including a hit from Hannah Montana. And while it's true that nobody is perfect, there's little room for error in the NFL.

Tom Brady on Deflategate Battle in Oprah Interview: 'I Realized I Couldn't Win'
New England Patriots star Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, but even he felt overmatched when facing off against the league during the lengthy Deflategate legal battle. "I realized I couldn't win," Brady said during an interview with Oprah Winfrey (h/t the Boston Globe's Nicole Yang). "I just said, 'You know what? I'm going to use this as an opportunity to have the month of September off for the first time in 21 years. I'm going to take advantage of this.'"