Cincinnati Bengals Mailbag: 7/19 Edition

The second edition of the Cincinnati Bengals mailbag is here, and this week we'll tackle a variety of topics including positional battles, development of key players such as Rey Maualuga and players on the roster bubble such as Robert Sands. 

Want to participate next week? Follow me on Twitter and send me your burning questions about the team, organization and its players. Let's get down to business: 

"

@Chris_Roling Lockout hurt Robert Sands last year.With full offseason, how are his chances of winning the job vacated by Crocker?

— Scott Akers (@wvugodfather) July 19, 2012"

Excellent question Scott. To begin, I'm a huge Robert Sands fan, I had the opportunity to watch a lot of his collegiate games because I lived in the area. With that being said, I think the odds are stacked against him this offseason. 

It is an astute point to bring up the lockout and how it really put Sands at a disadvantage. I think the full offseason will really help him, but it is hard to tell in what way. 

You mentioned the spot left empty by Chris Crocker, which appears to be a two-man race between Taylor Mays and Jeromy Miles. That is the strong safety position. Interestingly enough, the Bengals were using Sands as a backup free safety all of last year, at least according to the depth chart. 

Sands projects as a much better fit at strong safety thanks to his size at 6'4" 210lbs, and no one is taking the free safety spot from Reggie Nelson. Sands is first and foremost going to have to show a lot on special teams to even make the roster this year, then he can worry about competing for a starting gig. 

Ahead of Sands as mentioned is Mays, who the coaching staff is probably going to give the nod to, and behind him is Miles who excels on special teams and has shown flashes. Rookie George Iloka is similar to Sands in that he can play both safety spots, so Sands will compete with him for a roster spot. 

A starting gig at strong safety is not going to happen for Sands in 2012 unless he shows a tremendous amount of improvement. Right now he simply needs to worry about making the roster at all in my opinion. 

"

@Chris_Roling Who makes the team as 3rd TE? Will Scott shows us more constitency? Who wins the 2nd WR spot?Will Rey improve a MLB?

— jared klingel (@Irishfootball11) July 19, 2012"

Great questions Jared. In regards to the third tight end roster spot, it is between Donald Lee and Colin Cochart. My money is on Cochart winning out at this point. Lee was an important piece last season as a veteran, but Cochart brings more to the table at this point. 

Cochart is reliable in the passing game and excellent at run blocking. Assuming the two to make the roster ahead of him are Jermaine Gresham and rookie Orson Charles, the team is going to need a reliable blocking tight end in certain scenarios. Cochart is that guy. 

When it comes to Bernard Scott, I'm not sure if consistency would be the correct word. He received the most carries of his career last season and his yards per game dipped heavily. Fox Sports Ohio seems to believe Scott will receive the heaviest workload of his career next season, and I have to agree. 

In my mind, that is not a good thing. He failed to show anything of merit last season, and I do not see that changing now. He is 28 years old, and a heavier workload will not do him much good. At this point, Scott is what he is—a solid change of pace back who is not going to put up huge numbers. I cannot see that changing next season. 

My pick to win the No. 2 receiver spot has been, and remains to be rookie Mohamed Sanu. He has the perfect skill set for the job. Sanu gets the tough yards over the middle and is a perfect possession receiver and could have the ability to take some pressure off of A.J. Green. 

Personally I'm still not buying into the preseason hype around Armon Binns and Brandon Tate. I like rookie Marvin Jones a lot, but he strikes me as more of a slot player. A committee approach could end up being used, but if I had to pick, Sanu is still my guy. 

I would like to think at this point in his career Rey Maualuga could show some signs of life. The Bengals need him to be a leader in the heart of the defense, and he has yet to be that.

I believe Maualuga looked solid last year before his ankle injury, and it nagged at him the rest of the season and he was not the same. If he can stay healthy I think he could have a breakout year under Mike Zimmer. The unit around him appears to be improving, but now it's his turn.

Want to participate and have your question featured in the mailbag next week? Hit the button below to follow me on Twitter and send me your questions every Wednesday! 

Follow @Chris_Roling