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2008 Team Report: Cincinnati Bengals

Quarterbacks

Starter: Carson Palmer
Backup(s): Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe

Starting QB: Carson Palmer has become one of the top quarterbacks in the league. He has a strong arm, is extremely accurate and has already developed into a tremendous leader. In his last three seasons, he completed 65 percent of his passes, averaged 7.5 yards per attempt and tossed 86 touchdowns against only 45 interceptions. He had a bit of a down year in 2007, even while setting a career high for pass attempts by more than a 10 percent margin, as he threw fewer touchdown passes and more interceptions than he had in either of the two previous seasons. Even in a down season, Palmer had a passer rating of 86.6 and set a franchise record by throwing for 4,131 passing yards. He also set a franchise single-game record by throwing six touchdown passes in a 51-45 loss to the Browns.

Backup QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick was a seventh-round pick out of Harvard by the Rams in 2005. He was acquired by the Bengals in a trade last offseason, but since Carson Palmer took every snap last year, Fitzpatrick has yet to attempt a regular season pass as a Bengal. Fitzpatrick has three NFL starts and one 300-yard game to his credit (in a game he did not start). Fitzpatrick has a quick release is one of the NFL's smartest people. Jeff Rowe was the Bengals fifth-round draft choice last year, but he was inactive for all 16 games.

Running Backs

Starter: Rudi Johnson
Backup(s): Kenny Watson, DeDe Dorsey, Chris Perry, Kenny Irons
Fullback(s): Jeremi Johnson, Tyler Whaley

Starting RB: Rudi Johnson was slowed by a hamstring injury last season, starting only nine games. After rushing for over 1,300 yards in each of the previous three seasons, 2007 was a disappointment. Johnson finished the season with fewer than 500 rushing yards on a paltry 2.9 yards per carry. When healthy, the seventh-year pro has decent quickness to go along with his imposing size and power, but he is a liability in the receiving game due to his poor hands and route-running skills. He can grind out the tough yards, but seldom breaks runs of over 20 yards. While Johnson should get the bulk of the carries this year, his days of getting 330-plus carries are likely over.

Backup RBs: While Rudi Johnson was limited by a hamstring injury in 2007, Kenny Watson set career bests with 763 rushing yards, 374 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns. Watson had over 100 yards from scrimmage in three of his five starts averaging an impressive 4.3 yards per carry. The coaching staff also loves what DeDe Dorsey did in limited action last year when he averaged 8.7 yards per rush on 21 carries. They will seek ways to get him more involved in the offense in 2007. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski has suggested that Watson and Dorsey may each get a series per game this season. Former first-round pick Chris Perry has been plagued by injuries for most of his NFL career thus far; he had hamstring and abdominal strains in 2004, and knee and ankle surgeries following the 2005 season. That limited him in early 2006 before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury later that year that caused him to miss the entire 2007 season. When healthy, Perry has been impressive as both a runner and receiver. He finally appears to be healthy and ready to play this year. Kenny Irons, the Bengals second-rounder last year, missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury suffered during the preseason. He is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July. He may begin the season on the PUP list.

Fullback: Jeremi Johnson is proficient as both a run blocker and a pass blocker, but he gets few opportunities to touch the ball in the Bengals offense. Whaley is an undrafted rookie free agent who will seek to make the Bengals roster as a backup or special teams player.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Backups: Antonio Chatman, Glenn Holt, Jerome Simpson [R], Andre Caldwell [R], Mario Urrutia [R]

Starting WRs: Chad Johnson is disgruntled. Two years after signing a long-term contract extension, he is demanding to be traded and threatening to sit out the 2008 season if he does not get his wish. Johnson has been extremely productive throughout his career. He has led the AFC in receiving yards in four of the past five years and his 1,440 receiving yards in 2007 set a new franchise record. He had five 100-yard games last year bringing his career total up to 26. Despite the gaudy stats, 2007 can be considered a down year for Johnson since he had several drops that could have made a difference in close losses. If Johnson does play for the Bengals this year, he'll line up across from T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who has also been extraordinarily productive over the past several years. Houshmandzadeh earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl in 2007 after catching 112 passes (tied for NFL lead with Wes Welker) for 1,143 yards. He led the Bengals with 12 touchdowns including at least one touchdown in each of the team's first eight games of the season.

Backup WRs: Antonio Chatman battled hamstring problems early last season but may play a much larger role in the offense in 2007 with Chris Henry off the team and Chad Johnson threatening to sit out the season. Chatman has excellent speed and open-field run skills after the catch, but his routes and hands have been inconsistent. Glenn Holt also has speed and run-after-the-catch ability, but he has seen more action as a kick returner than as a wide receiver so far in his career. The Bengals drafted a pair of rookies who could contribute immediately -- Jerome Simpson in the second round and Andre Caldwell in the third. Simpson lacks blazing speed, but his reliable hands, long arms and excellent leaping ability make him an attractive red-zone target. Caldwell has deep speed and soft hands but didn't put up huge numbers at Florida.

Tight Ends

Starters: Reggie Kelly
Backups: Ben Utecht, Daniel Coats

The tight end position is rarely used in the passing game for the Bengals. Reggie Kelly is a very good blocker, but he has marginal receiving skills. Since joining the Bengals in 2003, he has typically been targeted one or two times per game. He does what the team asks of him, which is to protect Carson Palmer and open holes for the running game. Ben Utecht spent his first four seasons in the league with the Indianapolis Colts before becoming an unrestricted free agent and signing with the Bengals this offseason. Utecht is capable as both a blocker and receiver but is not a standout at either task. Daniel Coats, an undrafted free agent in 2007, had an impressive training camp last year but played mostly on special teams during the regular season.

Place Kicker

Shayne Graham : Early in the season last year, Graham played through a hip pointer, which did not appear to diminish his results. His 91.2% (31 of 34) on field goals last year was a career high, and his 130 points were the second most of his career. His 85.4% career field goal percentage places him second on the NFL all-time accuracy list. Graham's accuracy coupled with continued opportunities created by the offense has led to sustained success. The Bengals ranked fifth in kicker scoring last year, tenth in 2006 (115 points), third in 2005 (131 points), and fifth in 2004 (122 points). Things can change, but it's reasonable to expect that Graham will continue to succeed in his present situation.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Glenn Holt; Chris Perry; Kenny Watson; DeDe Dorsey; Andre Caldwell; James Johnson; T.J. Houshmandzadeh

In 2006 RB Chris Perry averaged 19.6 yards on 21 returns before getting injured. Rookie WR Glenn Holt stepped in for the remainder of that season and performed well (17 returns, 24.6 avg.). Last year Holt handled the majority of the Bengals kickoffs (59 returns, 24.3 avg. 1 TD) and ended up as the 10th ranked fantasy returner in the NFL. He should retain the lead role this year. RB Kenny Watson (10 returns, 19.8 avg. in 2006) and RB DeDeDorsey (2 returns, 10.0 avg.) are available as backups. Fourth round pick WR Andre Caldwell has speed. He averaged 20.3 on kickoff returns during his career at Florida. Undrafted free agent RB James Johnson averaged 24.3 yards for Kansas State last year and scored once. After ranking 31st in fantasy returns in 2006, the Bengals improved to 18th last year, primarily on the legs of Holt. WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh returned kickoffs in both 2002 and 2004.

Punt Returners: Antonio Chatman; Deltha O'Neal; T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Reliable, although not necessarily explosive, WR Antonio Chatman was signed as a free agent in 2006, and began the year as the Bengals' starting punt returner. He had only eight returns last year before being placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. The since departed Skyler Green handled punt returns early last year. Chatman resumed the lead role and averaged 5.2 yards on 18 returns. The potential emergency backups have experience from several years ago. T.J. Houshmandzadeh led the Bengals in punt returns in 2002, and Deltha O'Neal led the Broncos in 2003.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Levi Jones, LG Andrew Whitworth, C Eric Ghiaciuc, RG Stacy Andrews, RT Willie Anderson
Key Backups: Scott Kooistra, Dan Santucci, Bobbie Williams

Commentary coming soon.

Team Defense

Years of futility have finally led the Bengals to make major personnel changes, starting with the defensive coordinator position where Mike Zimmer has been installed. Over the past few seasons they have slowly assembled a talented young backfield that includes first round picks Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall on the corners and second year safeties Chinedum Ndukwe and Marvin White who showed a great deal of promise as rookies. A complete flush at the linebacker positions leaves them with 3 new starters. Keith Rivers was arguably the best LB this years rookie crop had to offer. He will team with veteran journeyman Dhani Jones and 3rd year pro Ahmad Brooks who will slide over to SLB after opening last season in the middle before being injured early. There is a lot of young talent in this back 7 but it's an unproven group that projects to have 6 starters with 3 or fewer years of experience. The defensive line has a lot more experience but lacks a true stud pass rusher or an anchor in the middle. The Bengals hope that second day rookies Pat Sims and/or Jason Shirley will eventually become their anchors, and they are counting on free agent addition Antwan Odom (8 sacks in '07) to pair with Robert Geathers and restore the roar to the pass rush. In all this is a young unit with with some talent and potential but with more questions than answers entering the season.

Defensive Line

Starters: DE Antwan Odom, DE Robert Geathers, DT Domata Peko, DT John Thornton
Backups: DT Michael Myers, DT Pat Sims [R], DT Jason Shirley [R], DE Jonathan Fanene, DE Frostee Rucker, DE Angelo Craig [R]

Starting DL: The defensive line took a lot of the blame for the Bengals 21st rated rush defense and their league low 22 sacks. The club missed out on stud tackle Sedrick Ellis in the draft so John Thornton and Domata Peko will get another shot. Both are adequate veteran starters with good quickness and athleticism for big men, but neither are the kind of difference maker that you find on the inside of the leagues better defenses. In '06 Robert Geathers became the first Bengal in over a decade to reach 10 sacks but his production plummeted to 3.5 last season. He has shown the ability and he team is counting him rebound under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. After career low production in '07 from former DE mainstay Justin Smith, the Bengals used free agency to swap him for the Titans second leading sacker Antwan Odom. Odom has struggled to stay healthy throughout his pro career and was never able to land more than a part time role in Tennessee. He brings plenty of potential and his career best 8 sacks last season are reason for optimism, but the club is relying on heavily this unproven commodity.

Backup DL: Defensive tackle is a deep position for the Bengals. Veteran Michael Myers is a solid player who is very similar to the starters in many ways and could step in for either with no drop off at all. Third round pick Pat Sims is a fireplug type who doesn't have great quickness or athleticism but is hard to move and could see a lot of playing time right away in running situations. Fellow rookie Jason Shirley is the wild card here. Arguably a first day talent, character issues caused him to fall into the 5th round of the draft. If he can stay out of trouble the 329 pound Shirley could become the anchor this unit has been searching for. At a glance the defensive end positions are not nearly as deep but there is some potential in Frostee Rucker and Jonathan Fanene. Rucker was a third round pick in '06 but due to injury, has played in just 5 games (all last season). Fanene is a 4th year player who like Rucker, has been injured more often than not and has seen little action. Both players have impressed the coaching staff enough to wait out the injuries but time is probably running short for them. This is likely their last opportunity to prove their worth. Angelo Craig is a 7th round project out of the University of Cincinnati. at 252 pounds he's a tweener who may end op playing OLB at some point. Especially if the club moves into a 3-4 next year as has been speculated.

Linebackers

Starters: WLB Keith Rivers [R], MLB Dhani Jones, SLB Ahmad Brooks
Backups: SLB Rashad Jeanty, OLB Daryl Blackstock, OLB Corey Mayes, OLB Brandon Johnson

Starting LBs: With the unexpected release of Odell Thurman the linebacker position in Cincinnati remains a work in progress. Ninth overall pick Keith Rivers is expected to be the cornerstone of this group and the club believes he will pay immediate dividends. Rivers packs all the tools to be an impact player at the pro level. The only thing holding him back is inexperience and maybe a lack of supporting cast. After starting a few games at MLB as a rookie the Bengals opened last season with Ahmad Brooks as their starter before a week 2 injury landed him on the shelf. Brooks didn't get an extended look but what the coaching staff did see was not very impressive. As a result they have elected to move the now 270 Brooks to the SLB position in hope that it will allow them to best use his ability to rush the passer and his physical presence to blow up blocking schemes. That might be a good move but that, combined with the release of Thurman, leaves them without a true middle linebacker. For now the plan will be to shift a versatile Dhani Jones to that position. Jones lacks great talent but is a very smart and technically sound player who should provide an adequate short term answer. On paper this unit heads into the season without a proven playmaker at linebacker. Many expected Thurman to be that guy, now they are left hoping that Rivers will be.

Backup LBs: The Bengals linebacker depth has been tested over the past two seasons and has not exactly passed with flying colors. Several players from previous squads have moved on including Landon Johnson who was the team's versatile top backup at all positions, and Caleb Miller was also called upon often. If there are injuries at the position this season both of these guys will be sorely missed. With Brooks moving to strong side Rashad Jeanty is bumped to a backup role. He is the only backup with starting experience and unfortunately lacks the versatility to play anywhere but the strong side. The club picked up former Cardinal Daryl Blackstock in free agency. In three seasons with Arizona the former 3rd round pick was unable to earn a spot in the lineup. He did however, demonstrate some pass rush ability with 3 sacks in a limited role last season. Blackstock will work mostly behind Rivers at WLB but could be first off the bench at either OLB position. Corey Mayes was an undrafted free agent of the Patriots in '06 and has played only on special teams. Brandon Johnson is a fly weight at only 218 and is also a special team player. The club has a couple of rookie free agents to fill out the roster but an injury at an already questionable LB position could be disastrous. They may try to address this issue before the season opens with a veteran cap casualty.

Defensive Backs

Starters: CB Johnathan Joseph, CB Leon Hall, FS Marvin White, SS Chinedum Ndukwe
Backups: CB Deltha O'Neal, CB David Jones, CB Blue Adams, CB Herana-Daze Jones, CB John Bushing, SS Dexter Jackson, FS Corey Lynch [R]

Starting DBs: The one word that best describes the Bengals starting secondary is young. Dexter Jackson could figure in here which would give them a veteran presence but of the projected starters 3 are second year players with the 4th, Johnathan Joseph, entering just his 3rd season. This group will undoubtedly suffer its fair share of growing pains but it is a talented and hungry group none the less, and what better way to change the mentality of a unit than to infuse it with youth and enthusiasm. Joseph and Leon Hall are both former first round picks with excellent speed and cover skills. This pair could mature into one of the leagues premier corner tandems. Injuries at safety provided an opportunity for Chinedum Ndukwe to get on the field last season and he made the most of his chance. His big play production and physical nature was so impressive that Madieu Williams was allowed to take the free agent train out of town. The only question that remains heading into camp is if Ndukwe will start at SS bumping Dexter Jackson to a backup role or if he will move over to FS. That decision will be based on the play of Marvin White. White did not see a lot of action as a rookie but was fairly impressive when he did play. It may take time for the chemistry to evolve but it looks as if the Bengals may finally have a secondary that will stay together for a few years and eventually be very good.

Backup DBs: Deltha O'Neal is a veteran presence who will serve as the Bengals nickel corner and can step into a starting role if called upon. His 38 career interceptions are far more than the rest of the secondary has combined. The problem is that beyond O'Neal there is neither experience nor a great deal of talent. David Jones, Blue Adams, Herana-Daze Jones and John Bushing fill out the depth chart. All of them have a little experience as replacement nickel or dime backs but they don't have an NFL start between them. The club is in a little better shape at safety where they have veteran Dexter Jackson to fall back on and rookie prospect Corey Lynch to develop behind him. If they are going to be in the hunt this year, their young corners will need to step up or they will have to add some veteran depth.

Last modified: 2008-05-29 15:39:05