See? I told you: I step out for a minute and stuff starts to happen. With Sedrick Ellis marching in, the biggest thing standing between the Bengals and first-round pick Keith Rivers is DE Derrick Harvey. Unfortunately, it looks like the Jaguars are digging in their heels.
Asked if Ellis’ deal would help to expedite talks with Harvey, Del Rio expressed pessimism.
“I don’t think so,” [head coach Jack Del Rio] said. “Not based on the numbers that came in.”
Harvey’s representatives, who have not returned phone calls, are believed be seeking between $18 million and $19 million in guaranteed money (a 20 percent [...]

I’m out until Thursday. For updates on Bengals training camp, keep your eye on the official site, The Chickster, and Mark Curnutte.
Those of you tracking the ongoing Keith Rivers holdout may want to keep an eye on Who Dat Dish and Black & Teal for updates on Sedrick Ellis and Derrick Harvey. I expect that everyone will sign while I’m gone just so I miss all the fun. My life is like that.

The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Mark Curnutte reports that DE Antwan Odom, the team’s big free agent acquisition this year, went down with an ankle injury in practice. He left the locker room on crutches and in a boot.
I guess I need a new poll now.
Update 3: Marvin Lewis says that he expects Odom to be ready for the opener.
Update 2: Early word regarding Odom is that he sprained his left foot. Recovery time for a foot sprain varies:
The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age, health, and if you have had a previous foot injury. Recovery time [...]

The holdout of LB Keith Rivers could last for more than a few days if the issue is the percentage increase versus last year at the slot. LB Jerod Mayo at 10 got just a 6% hike, but some above the 9 spot have gotten as much as a 20% kick. The two slots above Rivers, No. 8 Derrick Harvey and No. 7 Sedrick Ellis, remain open. Reports out of Louisiana continue to suggest an Ellis deal is close, but it hasn’t happened yet — and Saints head coach Sean Payton is starting to take some shots at Ellis’ holdout [...]

Following up on a note in the previous entry, NFL.com’s Adam Schefter confirms that Chad Johnson will likely get a new deal in 2009 — if he cuts out the Ocho Bozo act.
Some kind of promise, whether to revisit his contract or allow him to seek a trade, was probably inevitable. Re-upping Chad next season would be a questionable move. His antics aside, the Bengals already have one upcoming free agent WR in T.J. Houshmandzadeh who will require a sizeable sum to re-sign. And Chad, like T.J., is past the magic age number — 30 — and handing big bucks [...]

Everyone but first-round pick Keith Rivers checked in today at the Bengals’ Georgetown, KY, camp. Spirits appear high, with Carson Palmer continuing to banter with tOSU Buckeye fans and WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh cracking wise about his impoverished status. Head coach Marvin Lewis gave a brief and somewhat incoherent interview to Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. What he meant by the defense not being broke last year is beyond me, but maybe something got garbled in transmission. Finally, we have our first nominee of the year for the Bengals’ Too Much Information Award.
Muckraker Mike says that Ocho Cinco is in line for more [...]

Three first round selections, including the Bengals’ Keith Rivers, remain unsigned this morning. In New Orleans, word is that the Saints are closing in on DT Sedrick Ellis, though it might still be a few days before he signs. News out of Jacksonville is less promising, where the holdout of DE Derrick Harvey, picked just in front of Rivers, could linger.
The rest of the Bengals are beginning to gather in Georgetown, KY, ahead of the start of training camp tomorrow.
Update: WWLTV in Louisiana is reporting that Ellis could be signed in the next 24 hours.

Per The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Mark Curnutte, the Bengals have pretty much sewn up all their 2008 draft picks except for first-rounder Keith Rivers. Only about half a dozen first round picks remain unsigned. (Update 2: as of 6:30 EST, that number is down to three: Rivers, Harvey and Ellis.)
Update: Signing Rivers would be a lot easier if the two guys taken in front of him were done. But they aren’t, and nothing seems imminent on either front.
Firstcoastnews.com’s Dan Hicken reports from Jaguars’ training camp that it could be a while before DE Derrick Harvey signs.
Top draft pick Derrick Harvey was not [...]

Busy, busy, busy. With camp set to open Monday, the Bengals have extended G Andrew Whitworth and signed 2008 second round pick WR Jerome Simpson, according to a report by Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson.
Whitworth, a second round pick in 2006 due to hit free agency in 2010, reportedly signed a four-year extension worth up to $30 million. Terms of Simpson’s deal weren’t yet available.

G Shawn Andrews, the older brother of current Bengals franchise player Stacy Andrews, is a no-show at the Eagles’ training camp. Muckraker Mike passes along word out of Philadelphia that the Eagles have discussed trading him amongst themselves.
The Bengals have tried for two years to get Stacy, a fourth-round pick in 2004, to agree to a long-term deal, but he has so far balked — perhaps because of what happened to Shawn. Shawn, the Eagles’ first-round selection in 2004, signed a 7-year extension to his rookie deal that kicks in after this year. The $40 million contract, which includes about [...]