Bengals Bytes (6/30): Which positions to watch during training camp

Hobson's Choice: change of scenery
If they had kept the same techniques and positon coach, I could have seen letting go Cedric Ogbuehi. But not now. Too young and too athletic and the position he plays is too valuable. He seems to have had his career revived by offensive line coach Frank Pollack and we’ve seen plenty of players come through Marvin Lewis’ Bengals cash a second chance.

Cincinnati Bengals position battles to watch in training camp
The Cincinnati Bengals are still more than three weeks away from the start of training camp, but it’s never too early to start looking ahead to some of the interesting battles that will take place in scorching temperatures on the fields adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium. In years past the key battles have been at the back end of the roster, with players fighting for spots 50-53 on the roster.

Giovani Bernard in range of a few Bengals milestones next season
It’s easy to forget about Giovani Bernard. The most dynamic running back on the Cincinnati Bengals roster is having a quiet offseason compared to the budding hype for Joe Mixon, which makes sense.

Most winnable games on Bengals 2018 schedule
Opinions vary on whether the Cincinnati Bengals have a tough 2018 schedule. While it’s good the Bengals avoid primetime given their woes there and luck out with a Week 9 bye, a brutal AFC North and tough AFC West and NFC South conferences await.

5 NFL free agents who could still help the Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals worked hard to change the image around the team this offseason, getting aggressive with a trade, revamping the coaching staff and adding 11 rookies via draft picks before undrafted free agency.

AFC North Bytes

Former promising Steelers tight end resorts to Twitter to ask Coach Tomlin for second chance
Former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Weslye Saunders was once on track to be a first-round selection in the 2011 NFL draft. Instead, having purportedly received improper benefits and been in contact with an agent while a Gamecock, he was dropped from the team, went undrafted, signed with the Steelers, and made the team.

Three questions for the Baltimore Ravens offense
In 2016, the Ravens were ranked 21st in points scored (343). They would bounce back with 395 points scored in 2017, ranking ninth in the NFL. The issue comes with their total yardage. Baltimore had the 17th-best yardage in 2016 with 5,563 total yards. They would see that number drop to 4,886 yards in 2017, ranking 27th in the NFL.

Random Bytes

Realistic Offseason Trades to Fill NFL Contenders' Biggest Holes
Moving is the worst. Packing turns into a part-time job, cardboard boxes become as valuable as faberge eggs and you inevitably lose what you want to keep and keep what you'd prefer to lose.

Andy Reid Compares Patrick Mahomes to Brett Favre
Former Chiefs Pro Bowler Tamba Hali recently made headlines when he compared the second-year quarterback to Hall of Famer Brett Favre, per Good Morning Football (via NFL.com's Herbie Teope): "You're going to get a complete player. I don't want to hype him, but I compare him to Brett Favre. He runs around the field and he throws the ball and he's just having fun."

New Helmet Rule Could Make NFL Unrecognizable
It's the 2018 season, December in Carolina, and the Panthers are in the postseason hunt. They are playing the division-leading Saints, and quarterback Cam Newton is scrambling. He rushes for 20 yards, and at the end of the play, he—as thousands of runners have done before him throughout the history of football—lowers his head to protect himself as one of the Saints defensive backs makes the tackle.