Depth

[skyline]

I know it's really too early for any solid predictions, but just looking at the upcoming roster battles made my head hurt.

In a good way...

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Roster-showdowns-open-as-draft-hailed-again/dc96b126-d08f-4319-bf2b-63c21aee4986

[ArmyBengal]

This is where my research has led me as well and why the Eifert pick has gone from question to much love.

Look at the WR depth. They have been keeping 6 with 5 being active on gamedays.

Green, Sanu, Jones, and Hawkins are locks with Tate not appearing to go anywhere either.

Who takes the 6th "inactive" spot up for grabs ?? Sanzenbacher ?? Whalen ?? The new guy Hamilton ??

My point is, had they taken a WR there simply wasn't much room to work them in and while I don't care for Tate, the coaches love him and he returns punts.

Fast forward to the TE position where they will keep at least 3 and Eifert and his pass catching production they would hope to get from a highly drafted WR are now right there for the taking. Eifert easily takes the #2 spot with his abilities. I wish I would have looked at it this way sooner and I could have saved myself some heartache.

There is more, but i'm tired...

[HoosierCat]

Just my gut on a first looks:

QB: Zac is the odd man out. If they go with 2 QBs (I think they do) its Dalton and Skelton.

OL: All the starters from 2012 come back, one battle could be cener with Robinson v. Cook but neither gets cut. That leaves maybe three spots. Roland gets one, Pollack OR Wharton another. All the OL draft choices could go to the taxi squad. Fragel is my dark horse to make the final roster.

TE: Eifert, Gresham, Charles. Book it. Gresh becomes the blocking TE.

RB: Law Firm, Gio are locks. Peerman has an inside track in the scrum.

FB: may not take one. Pressley has the inside track but Herron or Burkhead could take the spot.

WR: Green, Sanu, Jones are locks. Hawkins has the inside track. Next 1-2 spots are anyones guess. Who can return kicks/punts?

DL: Easiest to predict. Atkins, MJ, Peko, Dunlap, Geathers, Gilberry all stick. Hunt, Thompson and Still get spots. Possibly one more but more likely they keep a UDFA on the PS.

LB: Burfict, Worst LB in NFL Per Some Dumbass Web Site and Harrison are starters. My guess at the rest? Porter, Rey and Lamur.

DB: Hall, Newman, Jones, Mays, Nelson, Williams, Kirkpatrick are locks. Maybe 3 spots up for grabs. I'd say Iloka and CLH have inside track here.

[skyline]

TE: Eifert, Gresham, Charles. Book it. Gresh becomes the blocking TE.

[HoosierCat]

TE: Eifert, Gresham, Charles. Book it. Gresh becomes the blocking TE.

???

[Stripes]

I just had a big post 90% finished and apparently hit two of the wrong keys simultaneously to send it all to the void. Awesome.

Gist of it:

Hamilton makes the roster, Tate doesn't.

Dalton and Johnson at QB. If they keep three, Skelton makes short work of Robinson.

5 backs again: Peerman backs up BJGE, Burkhead backs up Gio. Pressley sticks at fullback.

Eifert, Gresham locks a TE. If Charles shows the capability to be taken seriously at H-back, that might render Pressley less necessary. I have my doubts. Alex Smith is clearly the best blocker too. Those two should offer one of the better roster battles in camp.

Really hoping Hawkinson or Fragel can oust Roland, but I have my doubts.

9 DL players are set. Sucks to be anyone else, though the practice squad will almost certainly have a DT or two.

Agree with Hoosier on LBs. Rey and Lamur have the edge because of their special teams contributions. Porter sticks.

The secondary might be the most wide open. Williams is the only guaranteed new guy though.

A. Jones and Gio return kicks/punts.

[jjakq27]

Bengals post-draft depth chart

/>http://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/CIN

[ArmyBengal]

Bottomline for me is that there will be competition at most spots in the coming camp and I view that as a good thing.

Cuts are going to be a challenge this year I think and some good players will be let go.

The RB spot and how many they decide to carry will be something to watch.

Chris Pressley and John Connor in a FB competition ?? Yeah, nice problem to have.

[skyline]

TE: Eifert, Gresham, Charles. Book it. Gresh becomes the blocking TE.

???

[HoosierCat]

TE: Eifert, Gresham, Charles. Book it. Gresh becomes the blocking TE.

???

Ah. You have been watching the Bengals play, right? Gresham has become a pretty decent blocker, especially in short yardage.

[skyline]

TE: Eifert, Gresham, Charles. Book it. Gresh becomes the blocking TE.

???

Ah. You have been watching the Bengals play, right? Gresham has become a pretty decent blocker, especially in short yardage.

Yep, he is a much improved blocker. But, he is still primarily a pass-catching threat with the blocking being an added bonus. And with Eifert, I think the pass-catching role only increases if they're really going after the NE model.

#1 I see one of two things playing out here. They keep 4 TEs and go light somewhere else. They could afford to do this at WR, for instance, since that's basically what Eifert is. Then, that allows them to keep Charles and someone like Smith or Quinn.

#2 It's a heated roster battle between Charles and someone like Smith. If Charles can't improve his blockings kills, then he's gone.

[HoosierCat]

On the subject of tight end Reedy got some good stuff from BJGE:

/>http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2013/04/29/benjarvus-green-ellis-explains-effectiveness-of-two-tight-ends/

[GapControl]

the spinzone did a write up saying moch is going back to DE. any thoughts? is he eligible for the practice squad?

[kingwilly]

On the subject of tight end Reedy got some good stuff from BJGE:

/>http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2013/04/29/benjarvus-green-ellis-explains-effectiveness-of-two-tight-ends/

I agree with the concept. But I think this is just hype.

They've had Gresham with Charles, Lee, Scaife, Cochart, and Coffman. Yet, we should believe that it is Eifert who will make the 2 TE set work? pffftt.. stupid.

I appreciate the pick, and I appreciate the hype. But I'm simply not buying the idea that after Brat and Gruden have had time with all these TE's, it is simply the addition of Eifert that will make it work.

Nope.

[Stripes]

On the subject of tight end Reedy got some good stuff from BJGE:

http://cincinnati.co...two-tight-ends/

I agree with the concept. But I think this is just hype.

They've had Gresham with Charles, Lee, Scaife, Cochart, and Coffman. Yet, we should believe that it is Eifert who will make the 2 TE set work? pffftt.. stupid.

I appreciate the pick, and I appreciate the hype. But I'm simply not buying the idea that after Brat and Gruden have had time with all these TE's, it is simply the addition of Eifert that will make it work.

Nope.

I understand your reluctance to buy in, because the Bengals seemingly always have some kind of problem at tight end. Still though, have they ever had two first round picks at tight end in a three draft span? This is completely new, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect completely new results. I am not guaranteeing it'll work, but I definitely think it's the intent much more than simply upgrading Gresham.

They won't put up numbers like Gronkowski and Hernandez. Nobody else does that. The matchup problems still might be worth the effort though, especially with the added dimensions in the running game. This should be a very uniquely structured offense, and that will make them harder to prepare for.

[jjakq27]

the spinzone did a write up saying moch is going back to DE. any thoughts? is he eligible for the practice squad?

Sounds like they are prepping for MJ and/or Dunlap's possible departure next year. Plus it looks like they are loading up with a lot of UDFA LBs so there might not be much room in that position group for him.

Hopefully they won't move him to O-line ala Jason Shirley.

[princeton]

maybe Moch grew?

everything's against him, so I'm pulling for him. A brilliant co-worker of mine lost her career due to debilitating migraines. She later discovered medical marijuana (she'd never used before, even in high school) and now is able to work again. Runs a small business.

I'm assuming that the NFL would not allow Moch to use MM. Think of all of the players that would suddenly come down with migraines. Jerome Simpson would have a career after football: NFL Pharmacist.

[HoosierCat]

On the subject of tight end Reedy got some good stuff from BJGE:

/>http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2013/04/29/benjarvus-green-ellis-explains-effectiveness-of-two-tight-ends/

I agree with the concept. But I think this is just hype.

They've had Gresham with Charles, Lee, Scaife, Cochart, and Coffman. Yet, we should believe that it is Eifert who will make the 2 TE set work? pffftt.. stupid.

I appreciate the pick, and I appreciate the hype. But I'm simply not buying the idea that after Brat and Gruden have had time with all these TE's, it is simply the addition of Eifert that will make it work.

Nope.

Yeah, I know. I'll believe it when I see it too. But for noe I can hope, right?

[Stripes]

Regarding Moch: I expect nothing whatsoever. Anything more than nothing whatsoever would be a pleasant surprise, so long as it's enough to justify the roster spot he'd have to occupy to be given the opportunity.

[princeton]

LB: Burfict, Worst LB in NFL Per Some Dumbass Web Site and Harrison are starters. My guess at the rest? Porter, Rey and Lamur.

I agree. It's interesting to note: oversized starters, teensy weensy backups.

[skyline]

I'll say one more thing about the depth of this team.

I think we're finally on the verge of having TOO MUCH TALENT to afford. It's been years (decades?) since we've been in this spot, but it's the way a good team is supposed to operate. In the past, re-signing our talent was an absolute must if we didn't want the team to collapse. And, we always had the money to do it...the question was simply whether or not we were going to be outbid. Now, we have so many good players that we're going to have to let some of them walk, which is the way every other successful organization operates.

That's what we're going to see at DE next season. There's no way Dunlap and MJ both come back. Not with mega contracts looming for Atkins and Green. And, that's why the Bengals spend high draft picks on areas where they are seemingly packed to the brim with talent. When one of them walks next year, you hopefully have someone like Hunt waiting in the wings.

Good times ahead, my friends.

[ArmyBengal]

Skyline, I agree 100% and i've been saying it for a while. When was the last time the Bengals had this much talent to resign ?? Never.

As for Moch, I would actually rather see him at the DE position.

While he's small, I would rather see him fail at his natural position than flaming out due to migranes and playing a position he never played in college.

[TJJackson]

I think we're finally on the verge of having TOO MUCH TALENT to afford.

In addition to what you said above -- too much talent also earns a team compensatory draft picks

[HoosierCat]

On the subject of tight end Reedy got some good stuff from BJGE:

/>http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2013/04/29/benjarvus-green-ellis-explains-effectiveness-of-two-tight-ends/

I agree with the concept. But I think this is just hype.

They've had Gresham with Charles, Lee, Scaife, Cochart, and Coffman. Yet, we should believe that it is Eifert who will make the 2 TE set work? pffftt.. stupid.

I appreciate the pick, and I appreciate the hype. But I'm simply not buying the idea that after Brat and Gruden have had time with all these TE's, it is simply the addition of Eifert that will make it work.

Nope.

Yeah, I know. I'll believe it when I see it too. But for now I can hope, right?

Well willy it seems you were right.

/>http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Schemes-and-dreams/f4dd9266-80f4-4874-a050-a0b79792bfaa

[skyline]

On the subject of tight end Reedy got some good stuff from BJGE:

http://cincinnati.co...two-tight-ends/

I agree with the concept. But I think this is just hype.

They've had Gresham with Charles, Lee, Scaife, Cochart, and Coffman. Yet, we should believe that it is Eifert who will make the 2 TE set work? pffftt.. stupid.

I appreciate the pick, and I appreciate the hype. But I'm simply not buying the idea that after Brat and Gruden have had time with all these TE's, it is simply the addition of Eifert that will make it work.

Nope.

Yeah, I know. I'll believe it when I see it too. But for now I can hope, right?

Well willy it seems you were right.

http://www.bengals.c...50-a0b79792bfaa

Nah.

We don't have to be New England. After all, I think our running game is shaping up to be far stronger than theirs if Gio pans out.

But these quotes are the kind I'm looking for and excited about:

"We featured probably more of the personnel groupings with one tight end and one back and three receivers. It's very easy to take out that third receiver and put a tight end in there and call the same plays," he says. "A lot of it is the same thing. It's a matter of keeping the personnel on the field that you want to dictate. If (the defense) wants to play nickel, we'll match up. If they want to use base, it's a good deal for us.

"You've got the same plays you have with regular," Gruden says of the base formation with two backs and two receivers. "Now instead of a fullback running a route, you add a tight end that's a great pass catcher and you have a lot of the similar runs you can run with a fullback. Maybe not some of the lead-type (isolation runs), but zones and outside zones and different things you can do with another tight end in there is good."

It's all about flexibility, and it's hard to deny that we have a lot more of it now than we have in seasons past.