NFL: Breaking down the 2015 Cincinnati Bengals

Wide Receivers-Tight Ends

WR Starters: A.J. Green, Marvin Jones

WR Backups: Mohamed Sanu, Denarius Moore, James Wright, Brandon Tate, Cobi Hamilton, Tevin Reese, Mario Alford [R], Jake Kumerow [R]

TE Starter: Tyler Eifert

TE Backups: Tyler Kroft [R], Jake Murphy, C.J. Uzomah [R], Matt Lengel [R], John Peters [R]

Here’s a spot I differ on with Ourlads’ depth chart—I have Marvin Jones back in his spot across from A.J. Green. Mohamed Sanu did OK across from Green with Jones out, but he also led the league in dropped passes according to Cincinnati.com’s Paul Dehner Jr. Jones can still lose this job (and could be a might rusty) but he caught ten touchdowns off of 80 catches—that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Of course, either guy will get opportunities across from a player like A.J. Green. Injuries made his 2014 less productive than it should have been, but it looks as if he is 100 percent healthy now. He’ll have to avoid another concussion like the one which kept him out of last year’s playoff game, but aside from that we expect 16 games from him this year. Which means he should be one of the most productive receivers in the NFL again.

After the first few players, there’s a lot of variety and not much consistency. Denarius Moore comes from the Oakland Raiders, where he showed flashes but seemed to just fall apart last year. He has some good speed and stretches the field well, but didn’t do it last season. His impact here will probably be minimal unless injuries become an issue again.

James Wright comes off a solid rookie season where he lined up as a No. 3 receiver a lot more than was expected. If Jones and Sanu are both healthy, he’ll be on the bench more but he has some nice upside and if Sanu can’t stop the drops and Jones doesn’t get back into form, Wright might see more field time.

Brandon Tate has yet to be a factor on offense in four years in Cincinnati and there is no reason to believe 2015 will be different. He could stick if he continues to do well on special teams but there are other guys who could take his spot.

Cobi Hamilton has looked good in practices since the team took him in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft but he’s never done enough to get put on the field. Signed off the practice squad, he could develop into a decent possession receiver but so far it hasn’t happened and we are in year three.

Like Hamilton, Tevin Reese comes off the practice squad. Super-fast, Reese is also super-short. At 5’10”, 170 pounds, he’s terribly undersized. If he makes the final roster, it will be on kick or punt returns.

The last two receivers are undrafted rookies. Mario Alford is in the same boat as Reese—at 5’8”, 180 pounds he’s undersized and very fast. Expect him to push Tate and Reese for returns—he could win the job and both players could end up roster casualties. Jake Kumerow has height, but is a little on the thin side, and while he fought (and won) battles for the ball in the red zone, that was against less-than-fantastic players. Can he overcome the gap in the NFL? It’s a long shot.

At tight end, Tyler Eifert is the starter after the team let Jermaine Gresham go. Eifert is coming off of a season where he suffered a dislocated elbow and a torn labrum, which ended his season after just one game. Offseason surgery had him limited in OTAs, but he should be ready by camp. That’s good for a Bengals team which seemed ready to make him an important part of the offense.

It’s really questionable behind him though. Jake Murphy is the only veteran, but that’s a loose term since he never got off the practice squad last season. That doesn’t put him very far ahead of the four rookies. Two are undrafted free agents who are long shots, but Tyler Kroft looks like a guy who will step into the ‘in-line’ tight end spot (with Eifert the ‘move’ tight end). He can block as well as catch, but we expect more of the former than the latter.

C.J. Uzomah is a fifth round pick (Kroft was selected in the third round), because he is a tremendous athlete who is a good blocker and has a wide receiver background.

None of the backups are world-beaters though, so if Eifert has a repeat of his 2014 issues in 2015, the Bengals will have issues at tight end.

Next: Offensive line