Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.
Offseason Additions: Roy Williams (S); Laveranues Coles (WR); Abram Elam (S); Tank Johnson (DT); George Foster (OT).
Offseason Losses: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR); Stacy Andrews (OT); Eric Ghiaciu (C); Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB).
Player to Watch: Keith Rivers, LB.
If it weren’t for Hines Ward’s jaw-breaking crackback block that prematurely ended his ’08 season, Rivers would have probably led the Bengals in tackles last year. Rivers has fully recovered from the jaw injury, as well as offseason arthroscopic ankle surgery, and should emerge as Cincinnati’s best defender this season. He was one of the few bright spots on the Bengals’ defense last year and with the offseason additions of Roy Williams, Abram Elam, Tank Johnson, Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson, Rivers should be freed up to make plenty of plays in ’09.
Team Strength: In Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall, the Bengals have two young playmakers at the cornerback position. Joseph says he’s 100% healthy after missing half of the ‘08 season with a foot injury and is looking to build off the success he had last year before being placed on IR. After being burned repeatedly in his rookie season in ‘07, Hall emerged as the Bengals’ best pass defender in ’08 and could play his way into receiving a contact extension at the end of the year. As long as these two stay healthy, the Bengals have a nice young corner tandem heading into the season.
Potential Weakness: The Bengals certainly don’t have the worst collection of talent on their offensive line, but nobody really stands out and who knows how well they’ll play as a unit. Rookie first round pick Andre Smith has all of the talent in the world, but his work ethic and conditioning have been criticized in the past and he missed all of training camp holding out for a contract. Is Andrew Whitworth the guy you want protecting Carson Palmer’s blindside? Can Kyle Cook overcome his lack of experience with good football IQ? There are a lot of question marks surrounding a unit that will have new starters at four different positions this year.
Outlook: Success for the Bengals revolves around a healthy Palmer. If he can put last year’s elbow and this summer’s ankle injuries behind him, then Cincinnati should at least be more competitive this year than they were in ‘08. Former castoffs like Cedric Benson and Chris Henry could surprise and with the additions the Bengals made in the offseason, the defense should be improved as well. But the offensive line remains a huge question mark, as does the mental state of receiver Chad OchoCinco. Can he stay focused if things start to fall apart like they did last year? For that matter, can Marvin Lewis keep his entire team focused throughout an entire 16-game season?
Again, everything revolves around Palmer. If he can’t stay healthy, then the rest of the team will fold and the Bengals will once again be picking in the top 10 next April.
2009 Prediction: Fourth, AFC North.
