The Cincinnati Bengals failed to find a legitimate #2 receiver to compliment A.J. Green last year, but Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu both showed enough in their rookie campaigns to give the coaching staff enough confidence to not pursue a veteran in free agency, or spend a high draft pick on a wideout.
Jones and Sanu will enter training camp as the likeliest candidates to start alongside Green, and Sanu certainly impressed last week vs. the Tennessee Titans.
After failing to make a reception in the first preseason game, Sanu’s efforts in Game No. 2 kick-started the offense and showed everyone that’s fully healed from the broken foot that cost him much of his rookie season.
The Bengals got their first touchdown of the preseason on an 8-play, 72-yard drive in the first-quarter, and the key play came on third-and-10 from the Titans 25 when Dalton connected with Sanu on a short crossing route for a 24-yard reception that originally was ruled a touchdown. Sanu gave a stiff arm to Titans safety Bernard Pollard and then shook off Coty Sensabaugh and was knocked out-of-bounds just shy of the goaline.
After the Titans went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Bengals took a 14-3 lead when Sanu shook off an early jam at the line from Tommie Campbell and made a nice diving-grab in the endzone for a score on a fade-pass from Andy Dalton at the goaline. It was just another reminder of how dangerous a redzone target Sanu can be.
He ended the night with three receptions on five targets for 36 yards and a TD in about a half of play, and if he can continue this kind of production, the combination of Green & Sanu could become a force to be reckoned with.
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