The Bengals are now in the segment of NFL free agency they want to make sure they don’t lose the compensation picks they’ll get in the 2018 draft for losing right guard Kevin Zeitler (a projected third-rounder) and left tackle Andrew Whitworth, a fifth-rounder.
They announced the Andre Smith signing Thursday and it figures to be a manageable one-year deal that won’t impact those two picks. They’re also talking to fifth-year Arizona linebacker Kevin Minter, a productive player who hasn’t missed a game in the last three years while starting 32 straight games and would young up the backers corps with 26-year-old legs.