Do the Cincinnati Bengals Need a Center?

Following up on Geoff Hobson's article at Bengals.com, does Cincinnati really need to draft a center in the NFL Draft two weeks from now? To me it's a no-brainer—absolutely!

Ever since the retirement of Rich Braham in 2006, the Bengals' offensive line hasn't been up to par with their '04 and '05 seasons. At that time, the Bengals' offensive line was regarded as one of the best in the NFL.

Fast forward to the 2008 season, and there are only two remaining members from that offensive line—Levi Jones and Bobbie Williams.

It is easy to blame Carson Palmer's knee injury for the reason the Bengals haven't made it back to the playoffs since the '05 season, but don't forget, Rich Braham was injured in the second game of '06. He retired that year, leaving a void at arguably the most important position on the offensive line.

In 2005, the Bengals decided to draft Eric Ghiaciuc in the fourth round out of Central Michigan. After Braham went down in '06, Ghiaciuc found himself as a starting center in the NFL.

After a relatively decent second season, the Bengals thought they had found the heir-apparent to Braham.

However, fast forward to the 2009 offseason, two weeks before the draft.

Center Eric Ghiaciuc is an unsigned free agent looking for work anywhere he can find it, and the Bengals are left with a handful of centers left on the roster, all of which are huge question marks.

Kyle Cook, who appears to be in the lead to take over the starting role in 2009, was an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State who was signed by the Minnesota Vikings but was released before the start of the season.

He was eventually signed to the Bengals' practice squad. Cook saw limited action last season before a toe injury forced him to miss the final 10 games.

Dan Santucci is another player the Bengals are hoping will compete for the starting job. Santucci was a seventh round draft choice by the Bengals in 2007 out of the University of Notre Dame.

Santucci played guard at Notre Dame and was converted to center after he was drafted. He is still a work in progress, but the team's coaches believe he has the ability and the intelligence to play the position in the NFL.

These two developmental projects competing for such a very important position concerns me. Regardless of whether Cook and Santucci can play the position, you have to believe depth at the position is a concern, and must be addressed sooner rather than later.

The upcoming 2009 NFL Draft is less that two weeks away, and it contains a very good class of centers. Alex Mack, Max Unger, Eric Wood, Antonine Caldwell, Jonathan Luigs, and A.Q. Shipley should all be considered in the first five or six rounds.

The question becomes, "Should the Bengals draft a center in the first three rounds?"

Again, I believe they should. Taking Eric Wood in the second round is the way to go. He is a hard-nosed kid who can play in the brutal AFC North and should solidify the position for a very long time.

He has experience playing the position, and has played it since day one at the University of Louisville. It also doesn't hurt that he's a local kid.

If the Bengals decide to address other needs in the second round, they can certainly hope Wood slides, or possibly pick up Luigs or Caldwell in the third.

If they don't pick a center in the first three rounds, the team will find themselves back in the same situation they are now, looking for some "stop-gap" player to fill the hole as their running game struggles.

The Bengals need to establish a running game, and to establish this they will need a solid line.

The Bengals can address their offensive line needs in this draft during the first two rounds if they choose to do so, since there are some pretty good prospects out there.

Drafting an offensive lineman is never something anyone wants to do, but they are extremely important toward building a successful team. Hopefully the Bengals will make the right moves in two weeks so they can build their way to a successful season.