Bengals’ rookies didn’t make it onto the football field much in 2008 but it doesn’t mean they lack in talent.  Inside linebacker Keith Rivers was a solid pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.  He played in 7 games (all starts) and he compiled 37 tackles, forced a fumble, defensed 1 pass and he intercepted 1.  Rivers was having a good season before Hines Ward of the hated Steelers knocked him out for the season with a simply nasty block.  2nd round WR Jerome Simpson was awful as a rookie last season.  He played in 6 games (1 start) for the Bengals last season and he caught 1 pass for 2 yards.  He also returned 1 kickoff for 8 yards.  Simpson will have a hard time making the Bengals’ roster in the near future unless he gets better soon.  3rd rounder Pat Sims (DT) got some playing time as a rookie for the Bengals in 2008.  He played in 11 games (6 starts) last season and he made 36 tackles and had 1 sack.  WR Andre Caldwell was the other 3rd round pick for the Bengals last season and he shows a lot more potential than 2nd rounder Jerome Simpson.  Caldwell played in 7 games (4 starts) for the Bengals last season and he caught 11 passes for 78 yards (7.1 avg).  He also carried the ball 5 times for 53 yards (10.6 ypc).  Caldwell was also a contributor on special teams last year.  He returned 13 kickoffs for 338 yards (26.0 avg) and he also had 1 tackle.  Look for him to move up the depth chart this season.  4th round pick Anthony Collins (OT) could work his way into the starting lineup for the Bengals in the future.  He played in 9 games (6 starts) as a rookie in 2008.  5th rounder Jason Shirley (DT) played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Bengals and he made 4 tackles.  Free safety Corey Lynch (6th rounder) showed some potential before being injured.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Bengals last season and he made 9 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he intercepted 1 pass.  7th round pick (DE) Angelo Craig was let go by the Bengals and signed to the Patriots’ practice squad last season.  WR Mario Uttutia didn’t play for the Bengals last season spending his rookie year on the practice squad.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B-

The Bengals have signed 29-year old QB J.T. O’Sullivan to back up Carson Palmer.  O’Sullivan is not much of an upgrade over the departed Ryan Fitzpatrick who signed with the Bills.  O’Sullivan played in 9 games for the 49ers last season and he completed 128 of 220 passes (58.2%) for 1,678 yards with 8 TD passes and 11 interceptions (73.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 30 times for 145 yards (4.8 ypc) last season.  Bengals’ fans better keep their fingers crossed that Carson Palmer can start all 16 games next season!  O’Sullivan has now played in 14 games in his NFL career and he has completed 141 of 246 passes (57.3%) for 1,826 yards with 9 TD passes and 13 interceptions (71.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the football 36 times for 133 yards (3.7 ypc) in his career.  The Bengals should have picked a better QB to backup a gimpy Carson Palmer in 2009.

The Bengals have signed 31-year old WR Laveranues Coles to a 4-year, $28 million dollar contract.  Coles played in all 16 games for the Jets last season and he caught 70 passes for 850 yards (12.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 2 times for 9 yards (4.5 ypc) last season.  In his career, Coles has played in 137 games in which he has caught 631 passes for 8,095 yards (12.8 avg) with 44 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 221 yards (6.3 ypc) in his career.  The Bengals were smart to sign Coles after losing Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks. 

The Bengals have re-signed 26-year old running back Cedric Benson to a 2-year, $7 million dollar contract.  Benson played in 12 games for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 214 times for 747 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 20 passes for 185 yards (9.3 avg) last season.  The Bengals probably should have looked in a different direction for help at running back as Benson has had his fair share of problems off the football field.  With that in mind he seems to fit right in on this team.  Benson has now played in 47 games in his NFL career to date and he has carried the ball 634 times for 2,340 yards (3.7 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also has caught 46 passes for 365 yards (7.9 avg).  The Bengals should have offered Derrick Ward a little bit more than Benson and he would have took it.  The Bengals have dropped the ball once again and it’s starting to sound like a broken record.

The Bengals have lost free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks.  He played in 15 games for the Bengals last season and he caught 92 passes for 904 yards (9.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 9 yards.  The Bengals will likely have to look into the draft to find a replacement for Houshmandzadeh.  He finished his career with the Bengals playing in 103 games in which he caught 507 passes for 5,782 yards (11.4 avg) with 37 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 23 times for 142 yards (6.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Houshmandzadeh also helped out on special teams when the Bengals needed the help as he returned 55 punts for 447 yards (8.1 avg) and 33 kickoffs for 700 yards (21.2 avg).  This loss probably doesn’t sit too well with rehabbing QB Carson Palmer.