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Today, we zero in on the Offensive Line in our ongoing series of the roster battles that will be kicking into high gear most imminently with training camp set to begin in six days.  The Bengals 2009 OLine was a much improved unit in spite of getting only one start from 2009 first round Right Tackle Andre Smith.  The Bengals are hoping a year of maturation and the added cohesiveness that can come only from the experience of guys playing together will result in this group becoming the best in the AFC North division.  Offensive Line coach and noted guru Paul Alexander completely reshuffled his deck in '09.  Bobbie Williams was the only returning starter playing the same position that he had played the previous year.

In spite of the turnover and position changes the big fellas were solid in paving the way for Cedric Benson to rush for over 1200 yards.  At one point last season, Andrew Whitworth and the boys cleared the way for three different 100 yard rushers in as many games, a feat never before accomplished in the history of the league.  Left Tackle Andrew Whitworth and Right Guard Bobbie Williams are the heart and soul of this group that in a very short period of time went from probably the single worst unit in the league to a respected blue collar bunch that seems poised to continue to improve, and perhaps even destined to be considered a top five unit.  NFL network analyst Brian Baldinger recently even went so far as to rank them the second best Offensive Line in the league heading into 2010.

Cincinnati Bengals keeps nine OLinemen on their 53 man seemingly every year.  There is probably more consternation and debate to be had over who the starters will be as opposed to the nine they will keep. Andrew Whitworth, Nate Livings, Kyle Cook, Bobbie Williams, and Dennis Roland were lining up with the one's throughout OTA's and Mini-Camp.  Andre Smith is expected to take over for Dennis Roland as the starting Right Tackle as soon as health allows and is expected to be 100% to start tranining camp.  Evan Mathis is another guy who will certainly challenge for a starting role.  He started most of 2009 at Left Guard but then to a back seat to Livings due to an injury as last season wound down.  Second year Center Johnathon Luigs, and third year Tackle Anthony Collins will in all probability round out the group of nine that the Bengals will start the season with.

Rookie draft picks, Guard Otis Hudson, and Center Reggie Stephens appear to be in a pitched battle for a potential spot on the practice squad.  Tackles Gabriel Manns, Andrew Mitchel, and Guard Issac Sowells have "camp bodies" written all over them being as they are undrafted college free agents faced with the daunting task of trying to fight their way into a lineup stacked with players who have recently held down a starting position and who all performed reasonably well when doing so.  Johnathon Luigs is the only OLinemen expected to make the team who has not started at some point thus far in his career.

The only real drama to be found along the OLine being "who will start?" as opposed to "who will make the cut?" bodes extremely well for the quality of depth.  Only Kyle Cook at Center finds behind him on the two deep a player who does not have a considerable amount of starting experience.  At Left Tackle Andrew Whitworth is backed up by Anthony Collins who filled in solidly as the starting LT over the second half of the 2008 season after Levi Jones went down with the injury that precipitated the end of his career with the Bengals.  Andre Smith, the presumptive if not yet on paper, starter at Right Tackle, is set to have 2009 starter Dennis Roland taking reps with the two's behind him.  At Guard, Evan Mathis can play either the right or left side without hesitation.  If he wins the starting job on the Left side, he would presumably shift over to the right in the event that Williams were to go down and Livings would step back in on the left.  Where as if Livings beats him out for the starting role, Mathis would stand ready to come in at either Guard spot in case of injury to Williams or Livings.