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Lewis says once again, Ochocinco is here to stay

NFL changes spelling of star wide receiver’s name because ‘that’s what it says on the legal books.’

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis stands on the sidelines during their 38-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008, in Cincinnati.

Associated Press file photo Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis stands on the sidelines during their 38-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008, in Cincinnati.

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By Chick Ludwig, Staff Writer Updated 12:54 AM Wednesday, April 22, 2009

CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco isn’t going to be traded or released.

“I don’t know why people continue with this speculation of moving Chad,” head coach Marvin Lewis said on Tuesday, April 21. “It’s been told many times and we’ve reiterated it now for I don’t know how long. But Chad is not getting moved.”

Chad’s surname is officially “Ochocinco” — one word, not two.

“We’re going to conform to the league policy on his name,” Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said. “That’s what it says on the legal books. That’s what’s going to be on his jersey.”

Feed the hungry

The Bengals return all 11 starters on defense, but the league’s 12th-ranked unit needs an impact pass rusher to take pressure off the secondary.

“We can use some young talent at different spots,” Lewis said. “We know we want to be more competitive at our positions. Just because you ended up a player on this team defensively, let’s still try to get better. We still want to look to try and improve our pass rush.”

Trade possibilities

Cincinnati has 11 draft choices, including No. 6 overall. Its four compensatory picks aren’t tradeable.

“I don’t anticipate us moving up in the first round, but we’ll see what happens,” Lewis said. “You’re not going to move if your guy is still there.”

What about trading down?

“There’s a chance,” Lewis added. “It’s just a matter of what things are proposed and how names come off the board. We have some depth issues we would like to get covered. It’s hard to say you could draft 11 guys that could make your team. But there’s probably seven or eight of them that would. So that’s a good thing.”

Another wideout?

There are eight wide receivers on the roster — Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles, Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell, Antonio Chatman, Mario Urrutia and Maurice Purify.

Lewis sees room for at least one more.

“We still have some room to compete,” he said. “You’re going to carry a glut of those guys and if we can get a guy that could give us some upside, that would be helpful. I don’t think we’re going to pick a guy that’s going to be better than Chad. I haven’t seen that guy yet.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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