The Bengals will be going with 2nd year man Fui Vakapuna and rookie Joe Tronzo at fullback in 2010.  All the Bengals will require of these two guys is for them to block well and maybe catch a pass every 3-4 games.  Vakapuna was one the Bengals last season but he never got into a game.  Both Vakapuna (BYU) and Tronzo (Louisville) came from passing schools so the Bengals hope they can handle the job when they are on the field.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BENGALS FBs in 2010:  F

The Bengals have released 29-year old CB Keiwan Ratliff.  He signed with the Bengals during the playoffs last season.  He played in 61 games (8 starts) for the Bengals early in his NFL career in which he had 102 tackles, 6 passes defensed, 3 interceptions and he forced 2 fumbles.  The Bengals won’t miss Ratliff much if at all as they have good depth in the secondary.

27-year old Cedric Benson came to the Bengals a couple of years ago and he’s now starting to live up to the billing he had come out of Texas.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 301 times for 1,251 yards (4.2 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also caught 17 passes for 111 yards (6.5 avg) last year.  Benson is a battering ram type of running back who does his best work between the tackles and he can handle a heavy workload.  He has now played in 60 games (35 starts) in his 5 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 935 times for 3,591 yards (3.8 ypc) with 18 TD runs.  Benson has also caught 63 passes for 476 yards (7.6 avg) in his NFL career. 

26-year old Bernard Scott was quite a find for the Bengals last season out of tiny Abilene Christian.  He played in 13 games (2 starts) as a rookie last season and he carried the ball 74 times for 321 yards (4.3 ypc).  Scott also caught 5 passes for 67 yards (13.4 avg) last season.  Scott is a good change of pace back for the Bengals as he gives defenses a much different look than Benson does.  Scott also returned 16 kickoffs for 504 yards (31.5 avg) with 1 TD return as a rookie.

26-year old Brian Leonard will serve as the Bengals’ third down back again in 2010.  He played in 14 games (1 start) for the Bengals last season in which he carried the ball 27 times for 84 yards (3.1 ypc).  Leonard also caught 30 passes for 217 yards (7.2 avg) including 1 catch that helped them beat the Steelers on a 4th and 10 in the 4th quarter with the Bengals trailing at the time.  Leonard has now played in 32 games (8 starts) in his 3 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 115 times for 394 yards (3.4 ypc).  He has also caught 60 passes for 400 yards (6.7 avg) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR  THE BENGALS RBs in 2010:  B