Bengals News (2/11): Getting through smokescreens for first overall pick

Cutting through the noise of illusion versus reality as the Bengals hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft
The date is fitting. The birthday of William Shakespeare. The scribe who covered illusion and reality long before the slings and arrows of Super Bowl I. The guy who wrote, "Foul is fair and fair is foul," (Macbeth) and "One may smile, and smile, and be a villain,'' (Hamlet) would have been a great NFL general manager.

The Bengals finalized their 2020 coaching staff with the hiring of Troy Walters and Colt Anderson
Walters, 43, comes to Cincinnati after spending the last two seasons (2018-19) as the offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach at the University of Nebraska. Prior to his time at Nebraska, he was offensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida from 2016-17, and helped the Knights to a 13-0 record in '17. Previously, he served on the offensive staffs at the University of Colorado (2013-15), North Carolina State University ('12), Texas A&M University ('10-11) and Indiana State University ('09). Prior to coaching, Walters was an NFL wide receiver and return specialist for the Detroit Lions (2007), Arizona Cardinals ('06), Indianapolis Colts ('02-05) and Minnesota Vikings ('00-01). He played collegiately at Stanford University, where he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as a senior in 1999, and also set school career records for receptions (244), receiving yards (3986) and 100-yard receiving games (19).

Joe Burrow needs to act rude to elude Cincinnati in draft
If you want to trade Cincinnati for Miami, dropping bread crumbs won’t do it. Offering mixed messages won’t cut it. Speaking in muddled double-speak like you have about the Cincinnati Bengals drafting you No. 1 won’t change the day.

Houshmandzadeh previously has detailed the Bengals’ past cheapness
We recently pieced together the various bread crumbs pointing to Joe Burrow potentially hoping that the Bengals won’t draft him. Past comments from one of the people who is working with Burrow before the draft adds to the pile.

Browns’ Alex Van Pelt liked Baker Mayfield coming out & is eager to coach him after the QB beat his Bengals 3 times - cleveland.com
“Playing against him for the last two years, you see the type of competitor he is,’’ Van Pelt, 49, said in a release provided by the Browns on Monday. “The type of player he is on the field, loves the game, plays it with passion, those are all the things you're looking for in a great player.’’

Here’s why the Seattle Seahawks could sign A.J. Green in 2020 free agency
To kick off this year’s series on potential free agent targets, we’ll start with one of the biggest names due to hit unrestricted free agency. A.J. Green missed all of 2019 with a foot injury, but the longtime Bengal has been durable throughout his terrific career. Unfortunately for Green, his lost season came in a contract year, as his four-year, $60M extension signed in 2015 winds down. Fortunately, he has been uber-productive over the course of his nine year career and will not be short on suitors, should he reach free agency.

Around the league

Philip Rivers on the move? Four potential landing spots for QB
OK, I'm trying to connect the dots here ... Moving across the country, Rivers' emotional press conference after the Chargers' regular-season finale and Bolts GM Tom Telesco saying the team will "look at every position" this offseason -- all of this leaves reason to wonder if Rivers will be a Charger in 2020 or on another team. The only clear thing is he wants to play next season.

Calais Campbell sees advantage in two London games
It's essentially a required expectation when signing a long-term deal with Jacksonville, which has annually played one home game in the city since 2013. Make that annual total two in 2020, as the Jaguars will become the first team in NFL history to play two home games in London in the same season.

Taysom Hill aims to be QB; would leave Saints to do so
"I definitely view myself as a franchise quarterback," Hill said in a recent interview with the Associated Press' Rob Maaddi. "I think as you look at the other questions: Is it New Orleans? Is it somewhere else? As you go into free agency, this is the time that you start to find out how people view you. We haven't gotten into free agency long enough to really know how these guys view me and we'll just handle it as it comes."

Vikings add former Packers DC Dom Capers to staff
Capers' recent eight-year run (2009-17) as the Packers DC included a Super Bowl title and three conference championship game appearances. He was previously the DC with the Steelers, Jaguars and Dolphins. His success as an assistant led to a pair of head coaching opportunities.

Tua Tagovailoa's scan shows fractured hip has healed
The Alabama quarterback's three-month CT scan on his fractured hip was as positive as possible, revealing a healed hip, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources informed of the situation. The hip and its range of motion is good, but it'll likely be another month before Tagovailoa is cleared for football activities, Rapoport added.