Bengals News (11/6): What teams are competing with Cincinnati for top pick?

Remembering Bengals great Jim LeClair, the captain of Cincinnati's first Super Bowl defense.
Bengaldom takes a timeout this week to mourn the passing of Jim LeClair, the latter-day Cincinnati strongman who captained the Bengals’ first Super Bowl defense with a physical ferocity that once allowed him to pin a loss on an undefeated 457-pound bear in their fateful wrestling match.

Bengals Sign Sheldon To Practice Squad
Sheldon (6-5, 231), a first-year player out of Ferris State University, originally was a college free agent signee of the Oakland Raiders in 2017. He spent all of 2017 with the Raiders and played in two games (no statistics), before later spending time on the Browns’ and Packers’ practice squads.

The Bengals return home to host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10
“I’m not discouraged,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. “It’s frustrating the way the season has gone to this point, but I’m not in the least bit discouraged with the guys. I do feel like we’re close (to getting a win). People probably don’t want to hear that, but we’re giving ourselves a chance. This bye came at the right time for us. We had a chance to take a couple days off, get healthy, free up our minds a little bit, and then come back and start the second half of the season.”

Jemal Singleton is focused on raising awareness for the needs of veterans and supporting military efforts in the community.
The Salute to Service Award annually recognizes NFL players, coaches, personnel and alumni who demonstrate an exemplary commitment to honoring and supporting the military community, as nominated by NFL clubs.

Grading eight new NFL head coaches - Who's acing, who's flailing
It's not easy being a head coach in the NFL. The season began with eight new coaches -- we're looking at rookie head coaches and veteran coaches with new teams. The eight have a combined record of 17-47-1.

2020 NFL Draft order: Bengals No. 1; Dolphins slip to No. 3
Before Miami fans get all hot and bothered about falling to third in the order this week when so many folks have been acting like it was a done deal that their team would be picking first in 2020, just remember that the Dolphins hold three first-rounders and two second-rounders in next year's draft and two firsts and two seconds in the 2021 draft. No matter what happens in the rest of 2019, this franchise will have the flexibility to move up or down the board with draft capital out the wazoo for the next two years.

Taylor-Made Takes: The Bye, The Ravens, The QBs
We are just trying to make sure we are putting our guys in the best position for the second half of the season and trying to find things we think we’re doing well, maybe things we thought we’d be better at in training camp that we’re not. So we’re just trying to figure out how to put our guys in the best position possible.

Andy Dalton contract: Cap ramifications if Bengals choose to cut QB
The Bengals signed Dalton to a six-year deal worth $96 million which included $17 million in guarantees and an AAS of $16 million. As the years went on and the market leaped into astronomical prices, Dalton’s deal continued to look like a bargain.

Cincinnati Bengals set to begin second half of season
The Dolphins’ win over the Jets on Sunday left Cincinnati (0-8) the only winless team in the NFL. The Bengals are two losses away from matching the longest losing streak in franchise history. They’ve switched to rookie quarterback Ryan Finley as they officially begin looking ahead to next year.

Around the league

Joe Staley, Kyle Juszczyk look to return vs. Seattle
"I feel amazing," Juszczyk said Tuesday, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area. "I feel 100 percent, ready to ride. If we had had a chance to practice and I actually had a chance to hit some people last week, there might have been an opportunity for me to play, but since it was a Thursday it made things tough."

Tomlin: Stats don't 'tell the story' for Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster's stat line looks far closer to his rookie campaign than his breakout Year 2. Through eight games, the wideout has corralled 33 of 51 targets for 459 yards with 3 TDs. JuJu has just one game of 100 yards receiving this season. He generated eight 100-yard games (tied for third-most in the NFL) last year, en route to a 111 catches, 1,426 yards and seven TDs.

Lamar Jackson: Ravens 'going to see' Patriots again
We're two days removed from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense putting a beatdown on New England's Boogeymen defense and perfect season. While the players and coaches have moved on their Week 10 assignments -- Baltimore to Cincinnati, New England to a bye -- many in the league won't forget Sunday night's performance so quickly.