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NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason. Needless to say, the 2007 season for the Cincinnati Bengals was a major disappointment. That being said, Cincy finished 7-9 and has plenty of talent to make a U-turn and get back to the elite status they feel they should be at. The Bengals notoriously doesn't try to build via free agency but they need to fill in some cracks this way for a turnaround to be successful.
1. Defensive Line – The first major move was firing Chuck Bresnahan as defensive coordinator and hiring Mike Zimmer. The next big moves cannot be made until the team decides if it is going to switch to a 3-4 defense or not. If they decide to do that, there will be a ton of work to do.
It is widly speculated that the Bengals will be looking to go after a rush end in the draft. Defensive end Justin Smith may be as good as gone. Smith is a decent player but isn't worth being the second highest paid player on the team. Letting him walk would free up all kinds of money to rebuild this unit. However, re-signing him for a paycut would be beneficial, too. John Thornton could be a salary cap casulty, though the team seems to want him back.
2. Linebackers – Okay. Cincinnati has used the draft to fill this position to bring in some really good players. Too bad that those guys can never get on the field. Ahmad Brooks was penciled in as the MLB last year, which didn't turn out too well. He's coming off a season ending injury and it will be interesting to see how Zimmer will use the talented but troubled linebacker. Speaking of talented but troubled linebackers, Odell Thurman should be reinstated into the league after missing the past two seasons due to suspension. That could be a huge on-the-field lift and fill a big need. David Pollack is trying to get back in the NFL after a neck injury at the beginning of the 2006 season.
Aside from Brooks, the Bengals can't really count on having the other two so Landon Johnson and Caleb Miller should be back, giving the Bengals depth. However, the biggest play could be bringing back Dhani Jones. Jones really did a great job bringing this defense together late in the season and would be a welcome re-signing
Still if they desire to go to a 3-4, Cincy is going to need a lot more here.
3. Running Back – Before last season, I said that Rudi Johnson's job was in jeopardy. Many laughed at me. Who's laughing now? I must admit, I didn't think it would be Kenny Watson threatening his job ... but the reasoning remained the same. Rudi is a great power back but he does limit the offense when he's out there. Watson gave the Bengals a receiver out of the backfield and someone that can create big plays. If 2nd-round draft pick Kenny Irons can recover from his knee injury, that means the Bengals will have two of these guys. If you look at the teams that were playing this past weekend, all had diversity and depth at that position. Cincinnati does too, but must figure out how to use them effectively.
They must also figure out if Rudi Johnson will be worth his salary cap number.
4. Tight End – For years, I've said that the Bengals need a pass catching tight end. When you have guys like Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh on the outside, it opens all kinds of options over the middle. Look at how teams like the Dallas Cowboys use Jason Witten, the Giants used Jeremy Shockey, the Redskins use Chris Cooley or the Colts use Dallas Clark. Now, those guys are hard to find but there are guys in the free agent mix (like Bryan Fletcher) that could be options.
5. Offensive Line – There is some age on that O-line. Willie Anderson had his consecutive game streak end and Levi Jones was in and out of the lineup. Anderson (despite him denying it) may retire. Stacy Andrews is an unrestricted free agent but does want to come back to the Bengals. The interior of the line seems to be set, but depth is always a good thing here.
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