Bengals News (8/12): Some possible answers to issues at linebacker

Bengals Eye Long Haul In Short Week
The first game in the Zac Taylor Era wasn’t much different than any other pre-season opener in NFL history, if you start with the premise that it’s more a coaching exercise than a real, live pulsating game. It’s the only way you can view it when you use four different offensive line combos in the first half. Not only that, it’s always a race to see who supplies more vanilla. Graeter's or the opposing coordinators. The stuff they run in these games is nowhere near the game plan starting Sept. 6.

First Things First As Dalton Takes Command of New Scheme
But in the wake of Saturday night’s 38-17 loss to the Chiefs in head coach Zac Taylor’s debut, the offense he brought from the Rams to Andy Dalton not only started in the chill of preseason, it hummed. Not only that, it hummed with some borrowed parts.

Cincinnati Bengals: Answers to the linebacker problem
Germaine Pratt was selected by the Bengals in the third round of this years draft. Rumors began to swirl that the Patriots were planning to select him just one pick later. Anytime your team swipes a prospect that New England draft gurus were eyeing, you can count it as a solid pick.

Cincinnati Bengals: Why loss to the Chiefs is not necessarily a bad thing
The Cincinnati Bengals lost pretty handily to the Kansas City Chiefs. The basic takeaways can be boiled down to the offensive line has very little depth, and the defense isn’t good enough…yet. However, let me tell you why Bengals fans should still be encouraged after watching CIN vs KC.

Dehner Jr.: Projecting the Bengals’ 53 as first game shuffles the deck
Saturday’s loss in Kansas City gave the first glimpse at Zac Taylor’s Bengals and brought to light a few position groups coming into particular focus as the most challenging to make final decisions on at the end of this month.

Around the league

Ravens trade kicker Kaare Vedvik to Vikings for pick
Vedvik hit four field goals against Jacksonville on Thursday night, including a 55-yard moonshot, and launched two 50-plus-yard punts, as well. But Baltimore had no place for the kicker-punter; the Ravens already have an All-Pro at kicker in Justin Tucker and a veteran punter in Sam Koch.

Jay Gruden wants QB decided by third preseason game
"I think it'll come probably sooner than later, because you'd like to get that guy ready to go," Gruden said of a decision on the opening day starter. "I'd like to hopefully make that decision after the third preseason game, so we can get two weeks to get ready for Philadelphia with the starter."

Tom Brady talks down rumors with house up for sale
"I certainly hope not. You shouldn't read into anything," he said. "It takes a long time to sell a house. I don't know if you guys know, my house is little bit of an expensive one, so it doesn't fly off the shelves in a couple of weeks. I think I am at a point in my life where there are a lot of considerations that go into playing. I have a very busy professional life, I have a very busy personal life and any decision that is made has to consider everything.

Chargers DC on rookie Jerry Tillery: 'You saw flashes'
Tillery, 22, had surgery to repair a torn labrum before the draft in March and fell to L.A. at No. 28 overall. The former Notre Dame defensive tackle missed OTAs and minicamp but made his debut at training camp on July 25.

Niners WRs Jalen Hurd, Deebo Samuel shining early
Saturday's showdown against the Cowboys, a 17-9 victory for the Niners, marked the debut of rookies Jalen Hurd (67th pick) and Deebo Samuel (36th pick) and the young guns didn't disappoint. In fact, their early emergence could bring a whole new set of challenges for second-year wideout Dante Pettis.

Roundup: Broncos lose Theo Riddick for 6-8 weeks
NFL Network's James Palmer and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that Riddick will miss the next 6-8 weeks after sustaining a slight fracture in his shoulder during Thursday's preseason game against the Seahawks. Luckily, Riddick will not be required to undergo surgery, which would likely have caused him to miss even more time.

Dolphins WR Preston Williams impressing teammates
What about today? Miami's top three receivers are all returning from last season -- DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson, the latter of whom is still healing from a hip injury -- but there's still room farther down Miami's roster for a bargain-barrel find like Williams.