Walkthrough 3.27: Bengals FAQs

As the Bengals essentially turn from free agency and the league meetings to full speed ahead on the draft which takes place in five weeks, time to take on all your frequently asked questions. Thanks to all who interact on Twitter, you can join the conversation there by following @pauldehnerjr. Also, follow along on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pauldehnerjr) and we are getting kicked up on the Instagram account as well.

On to your questions, I'll do my best to get to all the topics you guys broached, many of them were similar so keep it together if your name didn't make the blog. Plus, I'll do my best to find a lovely tune on The YouTubes to properly summarize all my answers. Sometimes, awkward country Christmas albums make the point better than I can.

Thanks for the question, Luca.

The arrival of Sims absolutely pushes the Bengals more in that direction. At a certain point you have to figure out where the roster spot comes from if a defensive tackle is selected in the first four rounds, of which the Bengals have six selections. By my count, nine spots already are filled by players who could be considered locks for the roster (Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, Domata Peko, Mike Johnson, Wallace Gilberry, Margus Hunt, Will Clarke, Brandon Thompson, Pat Sims). That's the max number the Bengals would likely keep up front.

Of course, if a great player who stands atop their board slips to them at 21 (Texas' Malcolm Brown?) they would pull the trigger and figure out the rest later. The Bengals know the defensive line needs to drive this team as evidenced by their FA acquisitions. I doubt that scenario comes to fruition, though. The chances of selecting a defensive tackle are less today than they were Wednesday.

Thanks for the question, Mr. Wanderer.

For me, they absolutely upgraded enough. They needed to bring the rotation back into play. The concept got lost last year by the ripple effect of Mike Johnson leaving and not enough development behind the starters. Johnson's arrival allows Gillberry to play a rotational role, where he excels and Sims will offer a nice addition in run-stopping situations. Coaches believe Clarke, who is on a pace to put on 20 pounds and rise to 290 this offseason, could come in and take a huge step this year. Hunt will own another year of experience. This could be one of the deepest defensive lines in football if Paul Guenther chooses to use them that way.

In actuality, this line will be defined by the play of Geno Atkins. He either returns to the dominant defensive tackle he was prior to his ACL injury or the group won't rank among the best in football. No depth pieces can change that fact.

Give it to 'em, B.

Thanks for the question, Scott.

Never say never, particularly when the Bengals consider offensive linemen. Paul Alexander doesn't subscribe to mainstream thinking in his view of the best linemen. He values certain characteristics more than others and hard to argue with his track record, particularly at the offensive tackle position (Whitworth, Andre Smith, Willie Anderson, Levi Jones). Many questioned those selections at the time, but all turned out to do very well. If he believes the best player doesn't hold the same value to the other teams, the Bengals could trickle back a few spots for extra picks.

Don't count on that, though. At least, not for extra picks in this draft. Maybe stealing an extra third in 2016 would make sense. This roster will be filling up in a hurry and with nine picks there won't be a whole lot of places to go.

By my count, the draft should fill OL (1 or 2), TE (1 or 2), WR (1 or 2), LB (1), CB (1), S (1). At most that equals nine draft picks, the spots to keep them on this year's roster run out in a hurry. Plus, the Bengals won't obtain any high compensatory picks next year so they wouldn't mind loading up an extra mid-round.

Most likely, they hold firm at 21 and don't move.

Let's leave the explanation up to a confused asian boy band. I honestly don't know what the heck is going on here beyond the title of Freeze, don't move.

Thanks for the question, Tony, it's a great one, though, your avatar frightens me.

Ranking the extensions would be a popular game to play around PBS these days. You might receive five different answers if you asked 10 different people. Iloka should certainly rank toward the top. He developed into one of the better cover safeties in football. If only placing him up against players entering their second contracts, I'd place the order of their hope to get an extension done this season like this:

1. A.J. Green
2. Kevin Zeitler
3. George Iloka
4. Dre Kirkpatrick
5. Marvin Jones
6. Mo Sanu

Jones and Sanu go at the bottom because those two are essentially playing out against each other for a contract this season and both have more to prove. Zeitler ranks ahead because he's quickly turning into a Pro Bowl guard and the Bengals aren't likely to activate his fifth-year option when the number sets for all OL instead of just guards, bringing the $8 million figure very high for any guard. Betting on KZ development at more of a bargain price now could save money in the long run. Plus, this team needs to keep their running game in tact to stay a relevant offense and KZ will be a large part of that over the next four years.

What do you think about KZ, Teddy?

Thanks for the question, Simon.

The long-debated practice bubble question. Mike Brown isn't keen on building a bubble partially because he believes players should practice where they play. Nobody took more exception to this than Carson Palmer, who couldn't stand practicing in the cold. He would have paid to build one himself if that was cleared. Especially now that the Bengals can just hop on a bus to UC, the thought of a practice bubble looks like a pipe dream. Marvin Lewis understands the importance of it and pushed for it upon his re-signing following the 2010 season. Not happening.

The Bengals did expand their facilities inside PBS this offseason which includes a small field to work on rehab projects and walkthrough plans without going outside. That's a step in the right direction, but the larger step inside a bubble isn't on the horizon. Meanwhile, we get to keep playing the game of guessing which important player will come down with the flu from practicing in the cold and/or rain in the weeks leading up to the playoff game.

Maybe this dance will become part of the warmup routine this year.

Thanks for the question, Matt.

Tight end will be addressed in the drat and one of the two third-round picks feel like the ideal spot in my mind. That's right where Heuerman should land. He's one of the more physical of this tight end group which would appeal to Hue Jackson as he looks for a nasty, tough blocking tight end. This would make a nice fit. I'd rank it higher than Gresham returning, but the draft can be such a crapshoot to predict you never know who will fly up a draft board or what will fall. You'd have better success predicting how many Jets fans will make the trek to Chicago just to boo the pick than attempt to plot a specific player to a team in the third round.

Do you have an idea if he'll be there in the third round, Balki?

Thanks for the question, Nick, that's not loaded in the least.

Will the Bengals win the Super Bowl? Well, based on the odds of any single team winning the Super Bowl, I'd do well in Vegas to bet no on that answer. They actually were going off at 33/1 at last look by Bovada.lv. I'm bullish on this team. I think they will be very good and, barring major injury, have as much potential as any team in the Marvin Lewis Era to finally make that run. Plus, so many players, coaches have so much at stake this year you should expect the more than a few inspired seasons.

That doesn't change the reality of 0-6 in the playoffs under Lewis and 0-4 under Andy Dalton. I think this team can overcome the playoff disasters of the past, but until they prove differently those stats will always trump any other logic, no matter how strong.

Take me out, KG.