Could the Cincinnati Bengals' Youth Movement Hurt Andy Dalton's Second Season?

The Cincinnati Bengals have spent the past two offseasons getting considerably younger on offense. This worked out well for the team in 2011, when a tandem of rookies—quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green—helped propel the Bengals to a winning record and a playoff berth.

This year, with the loss of veteran receivers Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell in free agency, the team picked up two more receivers in the draft—Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones—both of whom have a shot to win the Nos. 2 and 3 spots on the depth chart.

In addition, the Bengals also brought on a rookie tight end, Orson Charles, to complement the playmaker they already have at the position, Jermaine Gresham.

It's not as though the Bengals lack veterans in their receiving corps. Aside from Green, Sanu and Jones, they currently have Jordan Shipley, Brandon Tate, Armon Binns, Ryan Whalen and Andrew Hawkins on the roster. However, it's the younger receivers who will likely be getting the most playing time this year.

On the surface, that seems good, even ideal. I like the way the Bengals have committed to youth leading the way on offense and how they're trying to build not just a competitive big-play passing game, but an elite one. However, there's still a chance that this strategy may backfire for Dalton as he heads into his sophomore season.

Dalton's talents as a professional quarterback are still developing, and the majority of his receiving targets will be in either their first or second seasons in the league. Even if Dalton shows he can make all the throws, the receivers will have to be there to make the catches or it's all for naught. 

The learning curve for wide receivers in the NFL is steep, though the Bengals have installed a system that seems to assist players who just entered the league. But through no fault of his own, Dalton could have a down year simply because he will be in the process of building chemistry with his new receivers.

This may not be a problem, if last offseason was any indication. Thanks to the lockout, Dalton couldn't work with Green or any of the other Bengals receivers and had to come in relatively cold when the lockout ended right as training camps were set to begin. However, he caught on quickly and the team looked as though they'd had a full offseason to get to know one another.

So it's quite possible that the same could happen in a full, normal offseason of minicamps and OTAs. However, Dalton will need to work intensively with his new receiving corps, hope that a second-year player like Green can mentor the rookies and that everyone lands on the same page.

It's a gamble to have the centerpiece of your team be comprised of players so new to the league. It worked for the Bengals last year, but they'll need to hope that lightning strikes twice so that Dalton doesn't slide in his second season.

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