Cincinnati Bengals' Offseason State of the Union

The Cincinnati Bengals head into the summer looking to reach 100 percent from a health standpoint while beginning to mesh many moving pieces together, the goal another postseason appearance. 

For a team with plenty of young talent—and even more added via the draft—it's a realistic goal once again, especially with the meat of the young core featuring a few years of playing experience with one another.

While official training camp doesn't begin for another month or so, there are plenty of early takeaways about the roster and its key components.

As the NFL hits a bit of a dry period before kicking into high gear once again, let's take a look at some of the more interesting situations in the Queen City in an offseason state of the union.

Passing Offense

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Quarterback remains one of the most interesting positions on the Cincinnati Bengals roster this offseason.

There's no threat to Andy Dalton's job, of course, but there was some intrigue with the addition of Terrelle Pryor, whom the team just showed the door.

It leaves second-year player AJ McCarron as the other point of interest. The Alabama product's had an outstanding offseason so far, prompting Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson to write, "...if they had to make a call now, they’d probably keep only two quarterbacks, and they would be Dalton and McCarron."

Also interesting when it comes to the aerial attack is the health of weapons. Wideout Marvin Jones appears ready to go, and according to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey, tight end Tyler Eifert caught "virtually everything thrown his way during open practices, and looked sharp in his routes."

In other words, the passing offense is approaching full strength, and the roster looks like it will get an unexpected bonus slot somewhere else thanks to the emergence of McCarron.

Rushing Offense

John Minchillo/Associated Press

It's business as usual for the Cincinnati Bengals at running back this offseason.

Jeremy Hill remains the starter, with Giovani Bernard the spell who can line up at wideout and catch the ball out of the backfield as a complement. There will be plenty of debate about the official split numbers, but for now, it's enough to know the summer will see both getting action.

Perhaps most interesting is the course of Rex Burkhead, who didn't see the field much last season but offers valuable talent as a versatile third-down back who can also catch passes.

As Bill Jones of CBS 11 captures via a quote from Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Burkhead continues to impress at wideout:

"

"best player both sides of ball last 3 weeks just may be 3rd year RB Rex Burkhead, also catching balls as slot WR" https://t.co/xYhsOXfM9c

— Bill Jones (@CBS11BillJones) June 16, 2015"

The Bengals are so deep in the backfield that the talent continues to help other positions. On the ground and through the air, it's nothing short of a good thing and something to watch all summer.

Offensive Line

The story is much of the same for the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line this summer.

One of the league's best lines continues to heal and improve, headlined by the recovery of right tackle Andre Smith, who figures to be back in the fold by the start of training camp, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

Of course, rookie tackle Cedric Ogbuehi continues his rehab as well and will be one of the more interesting storylines to watch.

Just as an aside, the Bengals won't be dealing any offensive linemen despite their impressive tackle depth. Hobson touched on the "why" recently:

"

The injuries show exactly why you can never have enough tackles. If you look at the Bengals starters, Andrew Whitworth is in the best shape of his life and Andre Smith, at 28, is heading into his prime. But Whitworth is 33 and two years removed from a knee injury and half of Smith’s six seasons have been limited by injury. Nothing alarming, but it’s nice to have insurance.

"

The Bengals are deep along the offensive line, and it's how the coaching staff wants it to stay. How the lineup looks next season doesn't figure to change much, but one thing sure to stand pat is the construction of the roster.

Run Defense and Pass Rush

If the Cincinnati Bengals are going to return to the postseason and make some noise once there, the defense will need to improve when it comes to applying pressure.

It starts and ends with defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who struggled last season on his way back from a knee injury. As a whole, the Bengals were not as good as they could have been against the run and notched just 20 sacks.

Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes says Atkins is back to his old self, though.

“Scary,” Hayes said, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It’s scary how fast and explosive he is right now. I think he has the confidence that he has his legs under him. He feels like he did.”

It's not all good news, though. Last year, an injury to promising defensive lineman Margus Hunt stalled the pass rush in the mud, and it's an issue he's still working with in the hopes of taking part in training camp.

"We're going day-by-day. I’m trying to be back as soon as possible," Hunt said, according to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "Training camp is still in the mix, it's just when in training camp that's the question."

In other words, the defensive line remains a work in progress heading to camp. Atkins is the key guy capable of making the whole unit better, but rotational rushers like Hunt need to be 100 percent for the coaching staff's plan to work—both against the rush and when it comes to pressuring quarterbacks.

Pass Defense

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Pass defense is an area of transition for the Cincinnati Bengals this summer.

Old guards such as Leon Hall and Adam Jones remain around and effective in doses, but it's not easy to fend off former first-round picks such as Darqueze Dennard and Dre Kirkpatrick.

ESPN3's Lindsay Patterson captures the thoughts of coach Marvin Lewis on Dennard:

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Marvin on @DDennard21: He has had a really good start to his 2nd yr Now when you see what the NFL is all about you're able to train for that

— Lindsay Patterson (@LndsPatterson) June 16, 2015"

As for Kirkpatrick, it sounds like he'll see starter snaps for most of the summer, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey:

"

As mentioned above, expect Kirkpatrick to start at the left cornerback position. Not only does he unequivocally believe that will happen, but he essentially was the starter there all throughout the spring. Dennard wasn't lacking in confidence the last few weeks, Kirkpatrick wasn't short on it, either. He was one of the better performing defensive players, clearly picking up where he left off late last season when he picked off Peyton Manning twice in three minutes at the close of a late-season Monday night win.

"

On a more sour note, it sounds like safety George Iloka suffered a setback in OTAs, which he'll need to work out so he can resume his role as one of the team's key pass defenders.

As a whole, though, so far it seems like Cincinnati's plan to roll with young defensive backs high in drafts will pay off—provided the summer is as successful as the spring.

Rookies

Gary Landers/Associated Press

As is the case with every team every year, rookies are the main attraction of the offseason.

This applies to the Cincinnati Bengals, even if the team did use its first two picks in the 2015 draft on offensive tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher.

The latter remains the most interesting of the two, as his health and versatility could see him break into the starting lineup. Offensive line coach Paul Alexander already told Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson that Fisher's "playing four spots…he’s getting there, and he’s going to be fine.”

In an interesting turn of events, it's C.J. Uzomah, not Tyler Kroft, putting up the best fight for the No. 2 tight end job so far.

ESPN.com's Coley Harvey explained the surprising difference between the two: "Although still comparatively raw, Uzomah—a fifth-round selection—seems to have a better handle on things than Kroft, who dropped his share of passes during organized team activities and minicamp."

Other interesting rookies continue to float around and will steal the spotlight this summer. Third-round pick Paul Dawson will continue to see serious snaps with Vontaze Burfict sidelined. Seventh-round pick Mario Alford stands a good chance at impressing on special teams.

With key young talents at important spots, it's already clear the Bengals did a solid job on draft day. Each new face stands a chance at making the roster, if not seeing the field, so get ready for an interesting, competitive summer in the Queen City.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of June 23. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.