Plenty of Holes Remain for Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have had a productive offseason up to this point, but still have some glaring weaknesses.

At the forefront is their youth on the offensive line. The Bengals drafted Andre Smith with the No. 6 overall pick and he will likely be the starter at right tackle.

Smith was once regarded as the top offensive line prospect in the 2009 draft, but concerns about decision-making (he left the NFL Scouting Combine without telling anyone) and weight caused him to slip a bit. Smith could very well be a good one down the line, but there are sure to be growing pains as a rookie.

Second-year pro Anthony Collins, the Bengals' fourth-round pick in 2008, will be the starter at left tackle. Former first-rounder Levi Jones was released by the Bengals, opening up a spot for Collins who was solid as a rookie in six starts at left tackle when Jones was injured.

There is a chance Cincinnati will decide to start Collins on the right side and Smith on the left, but due to Collins' athletic ability, he will likely remain on the left side. Collins appears to have a lot of potential, but he will be entering his first full season as an NFL starter.

Arguably the biggest hole on the entire team is at center. The Bengals hope they addressed that need in the draft with fourth-round pick Jonathan Luigs (pronounced luh-WEEGS). However, having a rookie come right in and start at the demanding center position is asking a lot. 

The Bengals did not re-sign last year's starting center, Eric Ghiaciuc, who is now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Ghiaciuc (pronounced GUY-check) was the team's fourth-round pick in 2005 and struggled as a three-year starter.

The Bengals are certainly hoping things work out better with Luigs. His main competition for the starting spot will come from second-year center Kyle Cook, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State who played in five games in a reserve role in 2008.

Yes, the Bengals might be younger than any team in the NFL at three very important positions on the offensive line: left tackle, right tackle, and center.

The good news is they have solid veterans at the guard spots (fourth-year LG Andrew Whitworth and 10th-year RG Bobbie Williams) but it could be a long year up front unless the rookies are able to adjust quickly.

Depth at corner also a concern

The other major weakness when analyzing the Bengals is their lack of depth at cornerback. They have a pair of former first-round draft picks as the starters in fourth-year player Johnathan Joseph and third-year pro Leon Hall, but the talent is scarce behind them.

As it stands, the Bengals' No. 3 corner is David Jones and the No. 4 corner is Simeon Castille.

Jones is a former fifth-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints who the Bengals acquired off waivers in 2007. He is entering his third season in the NFL and started seven games in the absence of the injured Joseph last year. However, Jones was often picked on by opposing quarterbacks and did not record an interception in 14 games.

Castille was an undrafted free agent in 2008 and played in eight games in a reserve role as a rookie. The Bengals are really rolling the dice at cornerback if they plan on using Jones and Castille as their top backups.

Veteran corner Rod Hood—who was released by the Arizona Cardinals following the draft—visited the Bengals in early May and he could be a good fit as their No. 3 corner.