The Bengals needed help in their secondary and Marvin White was a solid pick as he has a lot of upside.  White has nice size at 6’1″, 196 pounds and he’s lightning fast as he runs a 4.4 40.  White would be much more valuable as a strong safety for the Bengals as he’s very strong in run support.  He often tackles right through the player with the football and he almost never misses his target.  He has some work to do in his pass coverage, but the tools are their for him to get better with coaching.  In 25 games at TCU (22 starts), White made 153 tackles, broke up 5 passes, intercepted 7 passes (82 return yards) and forced 2 fumbles.  White will also help out on special teams for the Bengals.  White was a nice pick with a lot of upside for the Bengals.

The Bengals thought they got a steal when the talented A.J. Nicholson fell to them so late in last season’s draft.  The only reason he did was because of his previous arrest history which was pretty long in college.  So when Nicholson got arrested again last week the Bengals decided to pull the plug on him.  Despite all of his talent, Nicholson only played 2 games for the Bengals and he didn’t make a tackle.  He just wasn’t worth the hassle.

With all of the needs the Bengals had it was kind of interesting to see them choose a running back this high in the Draft.  Irons is a little on the small side at 5’10″, 198 pounds and because of that he has a hard time staying healthy.  It’s doubtful that Irons ever emerges as the main ball carrier of the Bengals the way that Rudi Johnson has.  But, Irons is still a good football player.  In 37 games (21 starts) at Auburn, Irons carried the football 520 times for 2,438 yards (4.7 ypc) with 18 TD runs.  He also caught 30 passes for 313 yards (10.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Irons is a solid running back and he will be productive as the third down back on the Bengals, but they needed help at a lot of other positions so Irons was an iffy pick for them.

The Bengals have released Sam Adams after he has a disappointing season last year.  Adams played in 16 games last season for the Bengals and he made 14 tackles and had 2 sacks.

The Bengals have signed Kenderick Allen to a 1-year contract.  Allen only played in 2 games last season for the Green Bay Packers and he made 2 tackles.  Over his 4 year NFL career, Allen has played in 31 games and he has made 54 tackles, has 3 sacks and recovered 2 fumbles.  This was a signing probably just for depth along the defensive line.

The Bengals were glad to see Leon Hall slide to them at the #18 pick of the first round.  One of the main reasons that Hall slid to the Bengals was because of the torchings he took in his last two college games against USC and Ohio State.  Hall is a little on the small side at 5’11″, 193 pounds and he’s not overly fast as he’s usually in the 4.5 range in the 40 yard dash.  But, he’s a good citizen off of the field and that’s suddenly important to the Cincinnati Bengals.  In 50 games at Michigan (37 starts), Hall has made 180 tackles, 43 tackles for a loss, had 12 interceptions (23 return yards), forced 1 fumble and recovered 5 fumbles.  Hall was a good pick for the Bengals where they got him, but don’t expect him to go to multiple Pro Bowls.

The Bengals have signed free-agent cornerback Blue Adams to a 1-year contract.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Bucs and he made 18 tackles and forced a fumble.  Adams will likely compete for a job in the nickel and dime packages for the Bengals this season.  He also will likely play on some of their special teams if he makes the team.

Justin Smith wants to stay in Cincinnati longterm but the Bengals just offered him a 1-year contract for now.  Smith played in all 16 games last season for the Bengals and he made 81 tackles, had 7.5 sacks, defensed 3 passes, forced a fumble and recovered 2 fumbles.  In his six years in Cincy, Smith has played in 95 games and he’s made 388 tackles, has 41.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, defensed 15 passes, forced 7 fumbles and recovered 5 fumbles.  The Bengals would be smart to tie Smith up longterm because it would be hard to replace him on the field.

The Bengals have signed Edgerton Hartwell to a 1-year contract.  Hartwell had his best seasons with the Baltimore Ravens under Marvin Lewis’ watch as defensive co-ordinator.  Last year, Hartwell played in 8 games with the Atlanta Falcons and he made 41 tackles, had 1 sack and forced a fumble.  This was a good move by the Bengals.