Bengals Bytes (7/8): KeiVarae Russell finishes up his college degree

Carl Lawson has sights set on 120 career sacks with Cincinnati Bengals
With 64.5 sacks in his eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, defensive end Carlos Dunlap has his eye on Eddie Edwards' franchise record of 83.5. Carl Lawson has 8.5 career sacks. But the former Auburn standout envisions owning the team record, too. Lawson led the NFL's rookies in sacks last season and came up one sack short of Dunlap's Cincinnati rookie record.

Re-grading Bengals’ 2016 NFL draft
As we’ve noted, one of the major themes surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals as they head into pivotal 2018 season is the arrival of delayed production from major recent draft picks. Guys like Joe Mixon and John Ross from the 2017 class need to meet expectations for the Bengals to compete.

2018 Opponent Profile: Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati struggled on offense throughout 2017 and finished with the least amount of yards in the league. Quarterback Andy Dalton ranked 29th in yards per game and the Bengals ranked 31st in rushing yards. Cincinnati finished the season 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Cincinnati Bengals: 5 burning questions in 2018
It seems like after every season, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is on the hot seat. Which is somewhat confusing as he prepares for his 16th year with the club. It appeared to be a certainty a few months ago as the club was wrapping up a 7-9 showing. But to the team’s credit, it won its final two games, knocked both the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens out of the playoffs and concluded a 7-6 stretch following a 0-3 start.

KeiVarae Russell finished degree at Notre Dame during Bengals OTAs
KeiVarae Russell pulled off one of the most impressive feats of the summer for the Cincinnati Bengals. Not only did the cornerback partake in OTAs as expected, he wrapped up his degree at Notre Dame

AFC North Bytes

Lamar Jackson gets one last piece of college hardware
The fact that former Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy in 2016 but not in 2017 may cause some to think he wasn’t as good last year as he’d been the year before. And that’s true; he was actually better, at least from a production standpoint.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2018: OL Preview, Part 2
In Part 2 of our training camp preview on the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line, we look at the left tackle candidates looking to start after Joe Thomas retired this offseason.

Random Bytes

Five reasons why the Bengals will make the 2018 NFL playoffs
The Bengals and Marvin Lewis are giving it another go. Who saw that plot twist coming? I thought for sure they were going to split up like Jen Aniston and Vince Vaughn in "The Break-Up." Over the last couple years, Marv and the Bengals looked like one of those couples staying together for the kids. They looked miserable together. There was no heat. No passion. And then, all of a sudden, we got an Evite announcing they were going to renew their vows in a Las Vegas ceremony with an Elvis impersonator as the officiant.

Cardinals GM Steve Keim Cited for DUI on 4th of July
"We are aware of the incident on Wednesday involving Steve Keim. He fully recognizes the seriousness of the situation and that this type of behavior is unacceptable and inexcusable. Steve immediately alerted the team who in turn reported it to the NFL as required under the league's Personal Conduct Policy. We are continuing to gather information and will handle the matter appropriately and in accordance with all league policies as well as within the legal system."

Projecting the NFL's Best Position Battles as Training Camp Looms
Then there are those found within the former groups trying to overcome others who may have an edge on paper. Every year, someone surprises. But the most interesting training-camp battles take place at loaded positions with excess talent or those where question marks still exist.