Rudi Johnson is coming off his worst season of his NFL career and Chris Perry and Kenny Irons are coming off serious injuries so it will be interesting to see how the RB position shakes out for the Bengals in 2008.  Rudi Johnson looked like his years of running hard between the tackles starting taking it’s toll last season.  He appeared much weaker and slower last season.  If he doesn’t rebound early in the season the Bengals’ might not stick with him as it’s feature back.  Johnson played in 11 games (9 starts) for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 170 times for 497 yards (2.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 13 passes for 110 yards (8.5 avg) with 1 TD run.  The Bengals would love for Johnson to get back to his previous form which would make the offense very formidable but it remains to be seen if he has anything left in the tank.  Johnson has now played in 81 games (59 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,441 times for 5,742 yards (4.0 ypc) with 48 TD runs.  He also caught 101 passes for 588 yards (5.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Kenny Watson should be the #2 RB this season for the Bengals based on his play last year.  Watson could even push Rudi Johnson aside like he did last year at times as he looked like he could handle the whole load and remain effective.  He also is a much better receiver than Johnson is making the offense more explosive while he is on the field.  Watson played in 16 games (5 starts) for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 178 times for 763 yards (4.3 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 52 passes for 374 yards (7.2 avg).  Look for Watson to start adding to his career numbers as he deserves to touch the football a lot this season for the Bengals.  Watson has now played in 73 games (9 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 345 times for 1,596 yards (4.6 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  He also has caught 132 passes for 1,011 yards (7.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs. 

Chris Perry has flashed potential in the past after the Bengals used a first round pick on him a few seasons ago but he’s very injury prone.  In fact, he didn’t play a down last season.  He still has a good enough upside to think that he could compete for a big role on the offense in 2008.  Perry has played in 22 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 73 times for 337 yards (4.6 ypc) and he has also caught 63 passes for 403 yards (6.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

De De Dorsey finally got to touch the football last season and he ran with it giving him a good chance to get some playing time for the Bengals this season.  Dorsey played in 12 games (2 starts) for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 21 times for 183 yards (8.7 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 19 yards (4.8 avg).  Dorsey played in 13 games (0 starts) before the 2007 season but he never got to touch the ball on offense.  Dorsey has a nice upside and the Bengals have a lot of runners with injury histories so he could move up the depth chart by just staying healthy.

Don’t forget Kenny Irons who was a rookie last season.  He tore his ACL in Training Camp last season and he might still not be healthy for a few more months but he has a nice upside.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Cincinnati Bengals are banking everything at the QB position on Carson Palmer because if he misses any time in 2008 the season will go down the toilet.  That being said, Palmer played in every game last season and he got stronger as the year went on.  Palmer is one of the best QBs in the entire NFL but he sometimes gets frustrated with his teammates as says things he shouldn’t.  Palmer has enough arm to make every throw but he needs time in the pocket because he can’t run the ball.  Palmer started all 16 games for the Bengals last season and he completed 373 of 575 passes (64.9%) for 4,131 yards with 26 TD passes and 20 interceptions (86.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 24 times for 10 yards (0.4 ypc).  Look for Palmer to have a much better 2008 as he looked skittish in the pocket at times as he was still recovering from ACL surgery that he had the last January.  Palmer has now played in 61 games (all starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,305 of 2,036 passes (64.1%) for 14,889 yards with 104 TD passes and 63 interceptions (90.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 102 times for 135 yards (1.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

Ryan Fitzpatrick will  be the Bengals’ #2 QB this season and he has a lot of limitations.  He’s very smart as he graduated from the Ivy League (Harvard) but his arm is weak and the Bengals’ would have to limit the playbook if he were starting.  Fitzpatrick appeared in 1 game for the Bengals last season and he didn’t attempt a pass or run the football.  Fitzpatrick has now played in 6 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 76 of 135 passes (56.3%) for 777 yards with 4 TD passes and 8 interceptions (58.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 17 times for 64 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

Jeff Rowe and Jordan Palmer (Carson’s brother) will battle for the #3 job this season.  It will be interesting to see if there is any nepotism going on in Cincy.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

Mario Urrutia is a big guy at 6’5″, 220 pounds but he’s not the fastest runner around running a 4.6 40.  He often plays at one speed and takes a few steps to get into his route.  He came out early and that’s the reason why he was picked in the 7th round as he was a productive player in college.  Urrutia played in 34 games (18 starts) at Louisville and he caught 130 passes for 2,271 yards (17.5 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  He has upside and was a good pick for the Bengals.

Angelo Craig was only a one year starter in college at Cincinnati and that was at defensive end.  He’s too small to play DE in the NFL so he will likely have to convert to outside linebacker.  This was a homer pick by the Bengals as Craig will likely have to make the team as a special teamer.

Matt Sherry was drafted because the Bengals were present at Villanova’s pro day and he was the most impressive player there.  He has the size at 6’4″, 255 pounds to be a nice target over the middle for the Bengals.  He played in 38 games (33 starts) at Villanova and he caught 88 passes for 1,047 yards (11.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  This was a reach for the Bengals as Sherry might have problems with the jump in competition.

Corey Lynch is the classic overachiever as he plays really hard despite not being the fastest player on the field.  Lynch is 6’0″, 205 pounds but he’s a tad slow running a 4.6 40.  He played in 56 games (55 starts) at Appalachian State and he made 358 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, forced 6 fumbles and recovered 8 fumbles.  Lynch will likely be a special teams ace but he might have a hard time dealing with the WRs in the NFL as he didn’t face much competition in college.

Jason Shirley is a huge man at 6’5″, 335 pounds and he runs a 4.95 40 which is excellent for a player his size.  When motivated (not often), Shirley can dominate the line of scrimmage and he can make plays down the line.  But, he takes a lot of plays off and he wears down as the game goes on.  Shirley played in 35 games (13 starts) at Fresno State and he finished with 57 tackles, 5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss.  He has a nice upside as long he stays focused and works hard for the Bengals.

The Bengals drafted Anthony Collins for his upside because it might take him a while until he’s ready to start as he thinks he’s a better player than he is.  Although he is 6’5″, 310 pounds Collins doesn’t play with power and he often gets beat on the blitz.  He will need to be coached up to eventually be a starter for the Bengals.  Collins played in 32 games (24 starts) at Kansas in three years there.

The Bengals felt the need to draft WRs in this draft as they look to replace the departed Chris Henry.  Caldwell has never really been a go to receiver but the Bengals don’t need him to be one.  He does have outstanding measurables as he stands 6’0″, 207 pounds and runs a 4.35 40.  Caldwell played in 53 games (35 starts) at Florida and he caught 185 passes for 2,349 yards (12.7 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  He also can return kickoffs and he’s really good at it.  This was a nice pick by the Bengals.

The Bengals drafted for need here but they probably could have done better than Sims at this point in the draft.  He is quick off the football but he needs to beat his man off the ball because he’s not the strongest player out there despite being 6’3″, 315 pounds.  He has a soft body and he will need to change that in the NFL by working out a lot more often if he wants to reach his full potential.  Sims played in 26 games (12 starts) at Auburn and he finished with 53 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, had 7.5 sacks, batted down 4 passes, forced 4 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  Marvin Lewis will need to be all over Sims’ butt to motivate him or he won’t be the player the Bengals expect him to be.