Bengals News (5/8): Don’t count out Ben Brown

A Peek At Ken Riley's Pro Football Hall Of Fame Exhibit
Part archeologist. (He's made a pilgrimage or two to his parent's home in Bartow, Fla., to dig out some gems from that 207-game career with the Cincinnati Bengals for his dad's exhibit in the Canton, Ohio shrine.)

Watch: Cincinnati Bengals Safety Jordan Battle Reacts to Selection in 2023 NFL Draft
The Cincinnati Bengals bolstered safety depth by selecting Jordan Battle in last weekend's NFL Draft. Battle had quite the reaction to his new NFL home.

Potential Interior Offensive Line Upgrade May Already be on Cincinnati Bengals' Roster
Brown was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team as a guard after his redshirt freshman season at Mississippi in 2018 and played another 12 games the following year at the same position. After spending the 2020 season at center, he was the starting guard for the Rebels in 2021 until he tore his left bicep.

Bengals’ epic playoff TD vs. Ravens made Lamar Jackson almost break TV
Jackson, after all, didn’t travel with the Ravens to Cincinnati while battling an injury and hasn’t talked about it since, not while repping himself amid a contract standoff with his team that only just recently ended.

Bengals: DJ Reader jokes Myles Murphy can buy No. 98 from him
Murphy wore number No. 98 in college, but Reader has been wearing No. 98 since he was drafted by the Houston Texans and in his three years with the Bengals.

Bengals TE depth chart predictions after 2023 NFL Draft
The Bengals didn't sign Smith to have him ride the bench. If he's healthy, he's the guy. The "if he's healthy" statement is one that we need to focus on strongly with Smith, however, as he's struggled to stay healthy during his career. That's likely why the Vikings were fine with letting him walk this offseason.

Around the league

Jets HC Robert Saleh responds to Mekhi Becton's tweet: 'Go earn the left tackle' spot
"We're gonna play our best five," Saleh told reporters during a Friday news conference. "So, you can assume AVT (Alijah Vera-Tucker) is the best right guard, I'll say that. And (right guard) Laken (Tomlinson). And then at center and both tackles, it's gonna be a really cool competition along the entire offensive line."

Nick Foles addresses future after release from Colts: 'Almost every year of my career I've almost retired'
"I was just released yesterday by the Colts, which is actually a good thing, so don't cry for me," Foles said Saturday at Mariners Church, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's OK. The coach that I was there for, Frank Reich, was fired. Their GM (Chris Ballard) and I had a good relationship. It's all good. Everything's fine."

AFC South draft grades: Texans boldly nab elite duo, while Colts load up on rare athletes
Why provide instant grades on the selections of prospects who have yet to take an NFL snap? Well, you're reading this, aren't you? Considering the makeup of every roster and the factors surrounding each pick, Eric Edholm executes a division-by-division assessment of the 2023 NFL Draft. Keep in mind that these grades are based on draft hauls alone -- picks traded for veteran players were not taken into account. Below is the AFC South report card.

Bears OC Luke Getsy: QB Justin Fields already 'light-years ahead' of this time last year
"Where he was at this time last year to where he is now, I think he's just light-years ahead of where he was," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Saturday, via the Chicago Tribune. "And I feel like he has a ton more to grow going forward. So we're excited to try to get the best out of him moving forward and keep working toward where we think he can go."