Cincinnati Bengals Preseason: Week 3 Stock Report

With two preseason games down and as many to go, the Cincinnati Bengals aren't a difficult team to figure out. 

The Bengals, when executing and healthy, can terrorize opponents and look like a playoff contender, hence the 23-10 win against the New York Giants in Week 1 of the preseason.

Then there's this past week on Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 25-11 drubbing in which nothing seemed to work on either side of the football.

Between training camp and a wild up-and-down ride through exhibitions so far, the stock report on the Bengals looks wild at every level of the team. Within, let's take a look at a little bit of everything to see who stands where with two pseudo-scrimmages left.

Stock Up: Will Clarke, DE

John Minchillo/Associated Press

The Cincinnati Bengals took a gamble on West Virginia defensive end Will Clarke in the third round of the 2014 draft, likely with the understanding he wouldn't contribute until this year at the earliest.

Clarke hasn't made a ton of noise this offseason other than the hype about his added bulk so he can better play the run. He showed up well in the rotation this past Monday, though, as Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group pointed out on Twitter: "Will Clarke's new bulk showing up on that second-down pass rush. Nearly bulled his way through LT to get to [Bucs QB Jameis] Winston."

With Michael Johnson already hurt, Clarke might be critical depth along the line for the team this year. The coaching staff needs him as a rotational presence at the least, and Monday he showed the first signs of life as such.

Should it improve, he'll see the field at times as a sophomore.

Stock Down: Domata Peko, DT

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

The Bengals were sloppy against Tampa Bay Monday, whiffing on routine tackles and allowing running back Doug Martin to average almost 10 yards per carry.

It's a small sample size, sure, but this wouldn't be the first time the defense displayed tackling woes or let big gaps form in the trenches.

Part of the problem appeared to be veteran defensive tackle Domata Peko, who ranked second to last at No. 80 at his position last year over at Pro Football Focus.

Peko was far from the only problem Monday night, but one has to wonder how long the struggles will continue before the coaching staff decides to give more playing time to Pat Sims. It's something to keep an eye on over the course of the last two preseason games.

Stock Up: Marvin Jones, WR

Al Behrman/Associated Press

Fans broke into a slight buzz when the Bengals released their first depth chart of the summer. On an otherwise predictable team with entrenched starters, wideout Marvin Jones landed behind Mohamed Sanu.

To be blunt, it meant little. Sanu was healthy and Jones wasn't, so the order shook out like so. As the guy who caught 51 passes for 712 yards and 10 scores in 2013 before missing last season, it wasn't a secret Jones was the No. 2.

He's back to running as such with the first-team offense this preseason, too. While he hasn't posted any wow-worthy plays yet, it's going to take him some time after a year on the sidelines to get back in form.

Either way, Jones is back in the saddle and figures to play a critical role for the Bengals in 2015.

Stock Down: Russell Bodine, C

Russell Bodine continues to have a horrific week, with serious snap issues in practice the peak of the concern.

By now, everyone knows the Bengals traded up to pick Bodine in the 2014 draft and he struggled as a rookie, ranking as the 33rd center in the league at Pro Football Focus.

Bodine didn't do a whole lot to quell concerns Monday night, often losing the battle at the point of attack. Now, this needs context. Tampa Bay touts a budding, strong defense led by Gerald McCoy at tackle.

But Bodine didn't do himself any favors, and with two games left to sort out issues, there are more questions surrounding center than answers.

Stock Up: Paul Dawson, LB

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Everyone gave the Bengals a big pat on the back for "stealing" Paul Dawson in this year's draft, reminding most of the Vontaze Burfict situation from a few years ago.

Dawson continues to play at a high level when given preseason snaps, regardless of whether the chances come at strong-side linebacker or elsewhere.

Pegged as an instinctual enforcer, Dawson has played as advertised without any sort of hiccup. PFF's Ben Stockwell provided some staggering numbers: "Paul Dawson just churns out run stops. Led NCAA in run stop percentage in 2014 (23.2 percent); so far has five stops on 18 run D snaps in preseason."

Dawson looks the part, and it doesn't seem like the coaching staff will be able to keep him off the field as a rookie. They might not have a choice, but even if everyone remains healthy, he figures to enter the fray.

Stock Down: Andy Dalton, QB

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

A preface—Andy Dalton isn't in any danger of losing his job. It needs saying; one Twitter search containing his name or AJ McCarron's says it all. 

With that out of the way, Dalton's play is perhaps the most concerning thing surrounding the Bengals right now. At a time of year when he's supposed to be getting warmed up and showing steady improvement, Cincinnati's signal-caller appears headed in the wrong direction.

Monday, Dalton threw two picks. The first one went back for a score and wasn't his fault, but A.J. Green's, which is another long-term problem still in need of a fix. From there on, though, Dalton looked shaky in the pocket, air-mailed a few throws and forced a ball into triple coverage for his second interception. 

Dalton was a four-year starter in college and is heading into his fifth year as a starter at the pro level. Forcing a pass into three defenders—no matter how tall Tyler Eifert is or how high he can leap—isn't a throw he should be making. 

Mistakes happen. But Cincinnati's struggles start and end with Dalton. It's the nature of the beast at the NFL level, so keep a close eye on how he and the team react over the course of the next two exhibitions before things start to matter. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of August 25. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.