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| The Cincinnati Bengals are planning to run the ball more this season as Rudi Johnson returns to health, according to Pro Football Weekly. |
Our View: Johnson was awful last year, averaging 2.9 yards per carry for the season. He is a bruising runner when fully healthy, and has the ability to put up good numbers for fantasy players. However, expect his touches to be down from recent years as Cincinnati has a number of options in the backfield, including Kenny Watson, Kenny Irons and Chris Perry. |
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| Bengals.com reports that Kenny Irons has no idea when he's going to be able to do that again after Dr. James Andrews performed reconstructive knee surgery 11 months ago in Birmingham, Ala.
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Our View: Even if Irons is completely healthy come Week 1 he does not figure to be much of a fantasy factor in the upcoming season. |
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| The Cincinnati Bengals have signed seventh-round defensive end Angelo Craig to a four-year contract, according to Bengals.com. |
Our View: Craig a defensive end in college, could be used as an outside linebacker in Cincinnati. Although, he might have a better shot at making the team as a special teams player. |
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| Chad Johnson, who had arthroscopic surgery on his ankle on June 18th, has begun to run in a straight line, though he is still unable to make any cuts, according to the Bengals Official Site. "My ankle wouldn't be able to take the pounding yet," Johnson said. "I'll be OK. I'm not worried. This is a marathon, not a sprint." |
Our View: Johnson is falling out of the top-10 amongst wide receivers drafted in early ADP returns, and as such represents a tremendous potential value if he can return to health and keep his mouth shut long enough to contribute on the field. |
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| According to the Bengals team website, with Tuesday's deadline gone and no long-term deal for franchise player Stacy Andrews, the team is believed to be talking to the agent for left guard Andrew Whitworth about parameters for an extension. |
Our View: Domata Peko was extended last month and it's now believed thatWhitworth has become a solid starter and worthy of a new deal. |
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| Discussions are underway with representatives for first-round pick Keith Rivers, the former Southern Cal linebacker selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the ninth overall pick in the April draft, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. |
Our View: Rivers was a disruptive force during mini-camps, and is expected to start his career in Cincinnati on the weak side. |
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| The Bengals and wide receiver Mario Urrutia reached an agreement on a four-year deal on Monday, the team's official web site reports. Financial terms were not disclosed. Urrutia was a seventh-round pick out of Louisville. |
Our View: There were talks earlier this offseason about Urrutia possibly moving to tight end. He apparently showed good potential during minicamp workouts, but it sounds like he's a project. |
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| The Bengals reached an agreement on a four-year deal with tight end Matt Sherry on Monday, the team's official web site reports. Financial terms were not disclosed. Sherry was a sixth-round pick out of Villanova. |
Our View: Sherry will be well behind Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht on the depth chart, and we don't see any fantasy value here. |
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| The Bengals have agreed to a four-year deal with defensive tackle Jason Shirley, Pro Football Weekly reports. Shirley was a fifth-round pick out of Fresno State. |
Our View: Shirley is a good fit for the Bengals, as he carries character baggage. He played only three games as a senior because of three off-field incidents. Nice. |
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| Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was indicted this week by Erie County grand jurors on a felonious assault charge, according to the Sandusky Register. On May 27, Thurman was involved in an altercation at a resort where he punched another man in the face, breaking his jaw, per the Erie County police department. |
Our View: Just last month Thurman, a second round pick in 2005 out of Georgia, was suspended for the 2008 season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. |
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| One of the positive signs from Cincinnati Bengals’ offseason workouts, per a source close to the club, was that running back Rudi Johnson was back to hitting the hole quickly, according to Pro Football Weekly. |
Our View: Keep an eye on Johnson in training camp, as he’s a solid buy low candidate in 2008. Currently, in 12-team leagues, Johnson can be had in the middle of the fifth round, and he possesses the upside potential to perform well above his ADP. |
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| The Cincinnati Bengals team website reports that it's still unclear if Chad Johnson will be ready for full-term work when the team opens training camp in late July, the All Pro wide out is already running on the beach in Miami. |
Our View: Charles Collins, who is assisting Chad Johnson in his rehab says he'll have to undergo more individual work before he starts pounding the ankle with routes on grass. |
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| The Bengals have waived defensive linemen Titus Adams and Michael Marquardt, as well as cornerback Jerrid Gaines, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. |
Our View: None of them had a realistic chance to hold a role with the team this season. |
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