Why Jason Shirley Changed Positions

Not to try to trump Bob's earlier post, but I've been doing a little investigating as to why the Bengals coaching staff is so high on rookie DT Clinton McDonald.

I've been reading that some people are concerned that moving Jason Shirley from defensive tackle to offensive guard just proves that the coaching staff has little confidence in our offensive line and looking at possible ways to plug the holes. However, in my opinion, the reason why we are looking to move Shirley to guard is because we have Tank Johnson, Pat Sims, Domata Peko and Clinton McDonald. Tank just signed with the team and seems to be having a good time as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Peko signed a long extension a few years ago, Sims has several years left on his rookie deal and McDonald just signed. There simply isn't any room for Shirley as a defensive end.

It might be a project, but Shirley certainly has the size and strength to play offensive line. I think the thing hindering him on the defensive side of the ball was his lack of speed and quickness. He certainly doesn't possess the same pass rushing ability that McDonald does.

So...back to my original thought, do you want to see why Shirley is moving to guard? I'll show you why...