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Roster Battles: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

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By Thaddeus Eley
Senior Writer / GrowlZone.com
July 29, 2010 @ 2:04 PM

The Bengals overhaul of their weakest position went from going well to "Did the rest of the league just let that happen?" real fast with the recent addition of Terrell Owens.  The tight end position has been infused with the best the 2010 draft had to offer in the form of former Oklahoma Sooner Jermaine Gresham.

I know the rookie has yet to prove anything and TO is not what he once was nor is Chad for that matter, but seriously, all apologies to the defenses that will be trying to quarantine these boys.  Say what you will about the thirty something's that will be atop the Bengals' receiver depth chart, Ocho and TO are easily still top 15 NFL wideouts, andAntonio Bryant ain't exactly a guy many NFL corners can take for granted either.

Third rounder Jordan Shipley, third year man Andre Caldwell and perhaps even Matt Jones will apparently battle it out for the fourth wide receiver spot.  Last year's punt returner Quan Cosby and sixth round draftee Dezmon Briscoe headline the rest of the players who will try to scratch and claw their way into a final group of  six, which is the number of wideouts the Bengals usually keep on the final 53 man roster.

Tight End Chase Coffman will look to drastically improve his prospects after a rookie season in which injury and ineffective blocking relegated him to the sidelines.  Jermaine Gresham, barring an extended holdout, is expected to be the starter with veteran blocking ace Reggie Kelly also in the mix providing leadership and stability at a position where the Bengals two deep could very well feature a couple guys in Gresham and Coffman who have yet to take an NFL snap.  With that trio seemingly set to fill out the three spots the Bengals use on tight ends it has yet to be confirmed if Mayor Mallory will in fact declare a holiday and give city workers the day off upon Dan Coates getting cut, which thankfully in the eyes of most Bengal fans, appears likely at this juncture.

Which six wide receivers the Bengals will keep has been the subject of much consternation, even before the TO signing.  Now,Marvin Lewis admittedly has the rather tough chore of determining the right mix of veterans and younger players that is best for the team now and going forward.  Teams usually need the receivers at the bottom end of their depth chart to help out on special teams so that also has to be considered.  Matt Jones would appear to be the player whose chances of making the team suffered the most from the addition of Owens being as young guys like Shipley (who's a lock anyway, being a third rounder), Caldwell, Cosby and Briscoe seem poised to offer more from a special teams perspective.

Players like the hard working Maurice Purify and disappointing former second rounder Jerome Simpson appear long shots at this point to make the team.  Ochocinco, TO, Bryant and Shipley are stone cold locks and Andre Caldwell isn't far behind in that regard. That being the case, it appears as though Matt Jones, Dez Briscoe and Quan Cosby will be battling for that final spot.  Due to the high probability that he may not clear waivers if the Bengals had any notion of putting him on the practice squad, Dez Briscoe is probably in the driver seat in the competition to nab the final WR slot on the final 53 man roster.  Unless he performs terribly from the line of scrimmage or proves to be simply useless on special teams look for Briscoe to make the team.

So in a preview of the preview, so to speak, with my final roster predictions forthcoming later this afternoon on this fine opening day of training camp, here is how I see the wide receivers and tight ends depth charts shaking out once the Bengals make their final cuts later this summer.

Wide Receiver: Ochocinco, TO, Bryant, Shipley, Caldwell, Briscoe

Tight End: Gresham, Kelly, Coffman

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