Bengals News (5/4): Looking for improvement

Michael Jordan, Bengals offensive lineman, looks to take the next step in year two
"Getting drafted here meant a lot to me," Jordan said. "Being from Cincinnati, it's every kid's dream to play for the Bengals. Seeing my dream come true meant a lot to me. Then from actually getting here to the preseason, it's been a long journey and I'm grateful. I've had a lot of the veteran guys help me along the way. They've helped me become an offensive lineman that I have wanted to become."

Andy Dalton thanks Cincinnati Bengals after Dallas Cowboys signing
"Thank you, Cincinnati," Dalton wrote on Instagram. "Thank you Cincinnati for the past nine years. There are countless memories that will be with me forever. I am thankful for the friendships, my teammates, coaches and the organization. Y'all pushed me to be better every day. Thank you to the Cincinnati community for supporting the @ajdfoundation. We could not have made the impact we did without y'all. Thank you @jjdalton5 for always supporting me and being by my side every step of the way. I am blessed that we are on this journey together. We will always cherish our time in Cincinnati. Who Dey!"

Bengals’ big spending was finding ‘ways to beat Baltimore and K.C.’
Armed with the No. 1 pick and the inevitable rights to Joe Burrow, the Bengals broke out of their normal maneuverings and dropped $100 million-plus as one of free agency’s biggest spenders.

Bengals news: Joe Burrow's former LSU teammate can't wait to sack the Heisman Trophy winner
Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson is among the Bengals quarterback’s former teammates who will now be making an impact for the opposition. According to Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway, Chaisson is admittedly looking forward to finally getting some hits on his fellow Tiger:

Historic No. 1 Burrow vs. No. 2 Young clash looms
Buoyed also by the potentially larger storyline of Burrow going against Washington signal-caller Dwayne Haskins, the latter having won the Buckeyes' starting job and brought about Burrow's transfer, the game could be the first time the top two picks of the draft have squared off since ... well, last year. That's when 2019 No. 2 pick Nick Bosa's Super Bowl-bound San Francisco squad defeated No. 1 Kyler Murray's Arizona club on two occasions.

Andy Dalton's wife 'excited' about surprise Cowboys signing
On Sunday, the wife of the former Bengals quarterback posted a photo-shopped image of the 32-year-old signal-caller decked out in Cowboys gear, one day after he agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $7 million with Dallas.

Bengals 2021 mock draft gets Joe Burrow some serious protection on OL
In a new 2021 mock draft from Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling, the Bengals pick fifth (based on Super Bowl odds) and select Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little.

Around the league

2020 NFL Power Rankings - 1-32 poll, plus post-draft winners for every team
Player who benefited: RT Bobby Hart. When the Bengals passed on an offensive tackle early in the draft, it cemented the notion that Hart had great odds of holding on to his starting spot. Hart has been subjected to a lot of criticism from the fan base, but he battled through it to impress the coaching staff and earn a vote of confidence this offseason.

Don Shula, Hall of Fame coach, dies at age 90
Shula spent 33 seasons as a head coach in the NFL and is the winningest coach in league history (328-156-6 regular season record, 347-173-6 overall). A two-time Super Bowl champion with the Dolphins, Shula authored the only perfect season in NFL history in 1972.

Gase: Jets looking to 'lessen the load' for Le'Veon Bell
That formula failed in 2019. Bell averaged a career-low 3.2 yards per carry last season, which was also the worst mark in franchise history (minimum 175 carries). And that was with him averaging the fewest attempts in his career (16.3). The former All-Pro still had 245 more touches than the next Jets RB (Bilal Powell), the fourth biggest disparity in the league behind Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette. They're all at least three years younger than the 28-year-old Bell.

Malzahn: 'Moment won't be too big for' QB Stidham
"It definitely helped him to learn under the best and see what that looks like, but he's the kind of young man, too, this is what he's been waiting on," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told ESPN.com. "I'll tell you, the moment won't be too big for him. He'll be up to the challenge, that's what I expect."