Pre-Season Depth Chart: Offense

Pre-Season Depth Chart:

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Carson Palmer: Any objections?
Ryan FitzPatrick: Harvard-grad; knows the playbook; holds the clipboard well.
Jordan Palmer: Carson clone; should move up to second spot by Week 1.

Running back
Chris Perry: A healthy former first-round pick should beat out some woeful competition.
Rudi Johnson: The down-waster has a lot to prove this summer.
Kenny Watson: Old reliable will find a role in the offense and on special teams.
DeDe Dorsey: He runs like a japan-anime character.

Fullback:
Jeremi Johnson: Quietly becoming a proven veteran.

Wide Receiver:
TJ Houshmandzadeh: Although he gets better every year, he’s a worrisome No. 1.
Jerome Simpson: We’ll remain cautiously optimistic of our mystery showcase, for now.
Antonio Chatman: Is more of a fourth receiver. Tough for his size.
Andre Caldwell: Has some upside.
Doug Gabriel: Bigger guy. Knows the NFL. Might not make it through the pre-season.

Tight End:
Ben Utecht: Will be asked to pick up the slack for a second-rate receiving corps.
Reggie Kelly: Is like Boxer from Animal Farm; tough, reliable and loved by his teammates.

Left Tackle:
Levi Jones: Briefly lost his identity last season. He seems fragile both physically and emotionally.
Anthony Collins: O-line coach Paul Alexander says, “He’s better than we thought.”

Left Guard:
Andrew Whitworth: Crazy athletic, versatile, healthy. Our best overall lineman.
Nate Livings: 335 lbs., let’s hope he isn’t needed much this year.

Center:
Eric Ghiacuic: Was snacked on by enormous d-tackles last year. Needs to bulk up and man up.
Dan Santucci: Seventh-rounder last year who is at least familiar with the offense.

Right Guard:
Stacey Andrews: Great feet for a comet-sized man; fits our outside running game.
Bobby Williams: Veteran bruiser; valuable in a rotation; provides nice depth. Last year of contract.

Right Tackle:
Willie Anderson: Officially the grandfather of the Berenstain Bears.
Scott Kooistra: Saw time at both tackle and guard last season.

Do you feel that breeze? It’s coming in through the gaping hole of our receiving corps in this offense. Without Chad, Bratkowski and Palmer are faced with a C+ unit at best. Coupled with the uncertainty of the running backs, one is left wondering where the explosiveness will come from. The good news is that our blocking looks very solid on paper. Even if Levi cracks, Willie crumbles and Ghiacuic wilts, the Bengals have some nice depth with the versatility of Whitworth and Andrews. Collins was a smart draft pick and Kooistra has blossomed into a pretty serviceable player. Blocking extraordinaire Reggie Kelly is expected to see a lot of action in two tight end sets and Utecht is supposed to be a better than average run-blocker himself. A lot was said of improving the running game and relying more on smashmouth football rather than a big-play philosophy. With our existing personnel, it looks like we won’t have much of an alternative.

Mojokong Lite - the healthy alternative.