The Cincinnati Bengals signed defensive tackle Tank Johnson to a four-year deal on Monday. He was signed by the Bengals to a one-year deal last season after stints with the Chicago Bears from 2004-06 and the Dallas Cowboys from 2007-08.

As a team well-known for offering troubled players a second chance, Cincinnati received some criticism for signing Johnson after numerous run-ins with the law. He even received a suspension by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in 2007 for eight games because of his off-the-field issues.

Now, Johnson appears to be on the right path after his first season with the Bengals and can hopefully continue to play an effective role in their defense. In 2009, Johnson started 13 games for Cincinnati and played a major part in the success of stopping the running game on defense. He finished the season with 29 tackles and two sacks.

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Now that free agency officially kicked off last week, the rumors are beginning to heat up about the Cincinnati Bengals signing Terrell Owens to play alongside his good friend, Chad Ochocinco.

The rumors of Owens heading to the Bengals have been swirling for over a month now, ever since Ochocinco started his campaigning for the six-time Pro Bowler in Cincinnati.

While the odds seemed as likely as the St. Louis Rams selecting a kicker with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, this deal seems more likely to happen now with everything that's taken place this offseason.

Here's the first part of why Owens signing with the Bengals could happen.

Laveranues Coles Release

Last week, the Bengals released Laveranues Coles after he fell nothing short of disappointing during his first and only season in Cincinnati. The organization was criticized most of the season for signing him to a four-year deal worth $28 million, despite the fact he turned 32 in December.

With Coles and his hefty contract around, Owens to the Bengals seemed highly unlikely from a financial perspective. Now that there's a need for another wide receiver in Cincinnati and an extra $4.65 million from Coles' base salary in 2010, Owens playing alongside Ochocinco next season seems more realistic than it did over a month ago.

Carson Palmer Would Welcome Terrell Owens With Open Arms

Throughout most of his career, Owens has established a reputation as a player known for causing headaches in the locker room—although he deserves credit for his actions with the Buffalo Bills last season.

Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, and Tony Romo have all experienced life with Owens—both the positive and negative. While they've enjoyed his presence on the field, they've also had to deal with a few controversies off the field.

If any quarterback is capable of handling a player like Owens, it's Palmer. He's managed to keep it cool playing alongside Ochocinco throughout his career, so why shouldn't he be able to handle Owens?

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Numerous reports have emerged over the weekend about the Cincinnati Bengals possibly making a move to trade for Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall. The Bengals entered the 2010 offseason knowing the main focus should be improving the wide-receiving core, and Marshall could have an immediate impact on a team that finished 26th last season in the passing game.

Last Thursday, the Bengals released Laveranues Coles after just one season in Cincinnati. Coles was signed last March to fill the hole left by T.J. Houshmandzadeh as an effective No. 2 wideout to play alongside Chad Ochocinco. Instead, he fell nothing short of disappointing as he finished 2009 with just 43 receptions for 514 yards and five touchdowns.

As intriguing as Marshall playing for the Bengals next season sounds, it won’t be easy to acquire the two-time Pro Bowler from the Broncos. Denver tendered Marshall with a first-round pick, which means Cincinnati would have to be willing to give up the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft to do so—which seems highly unlikely.

The Bengals have been linked to a number of wide receivers to pursue during free agency—including Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant. The reports may just be small talk for now, but it should be interesting to see how this story progresses over the next couple of days.

It’s clear Cincinnati is in desperate need of a wide receiver; the only question that remains to be answered is which one will end up wearing stripes next season with the Bengals.

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Now that the Cincinnati Bengals have officially terminated the contract of Laveranues Coles after a disappointing 2009 season, it appears the team will now try and make a splash for a big-name wide receiver during free agency.

Coles was signed last March to a four-year deal worth $28 million in hopes of filling the void left by T.J. Houshmandzadeh as an effective No. 2 wide receiver for the Bengals. During his last four seasons with the Bengals, Houshmandzadeh was arguably the top No. 2 wideout in the NFL.

In 59 games, he flourished with opposing defenses focusing on Chad Ochocinco, finishing with 372 catches for 4,084 yards and 32 touchdowns. After Houshmandzadeh left for the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati signed Coles in anticipation his speed and quickness would draw similar results playing alongside Ochocinco.

Instead, Coles established a reputation amongst fans as a player unable to hold on to the ball, finishing his first and only season in Cincinnati with just 43 receptions for 514 yards and five touchdowns. After last season, it was clear the Bengals regretted signing the 32-year-old Coles to such a hefty contract and now will save $4.65 million from his 2010 base salary.

With Coles out of the picture, the Bengals need even more help in the passing game. There may be potential for newly-acquired Matt Jones, but at this point, he will be considered nothing but a risk until proven otherwise.

If the Bengals can take anything from the Coles’ situation, they will hopefully take age into consideration before offering a player a long-term deal. There are plenty of big-name wide receivers that could make an impact in Cincinnati next season, but most are already at an age the Bengals would feel more comfortable giving just a one or two-year deal to.

Antonio Bryant, Chris Chambers, Kevin Walter, and Josh Reed all appear to be on the Bengals’ radar now that Coles is no longer with the team.

As lucky as the Bengals would be to sign any of the players listed above, there is one wide receiver that seems to be drawing interest again from a Cincinnati team who declared they had no interest in signing him.

Terrell Owens.

The 2010 offseason has been filled with plenty of discussion on the chances of Owens landing with the Bengals, mainly from Chad Ochocinco—who has been campaigning his signing in just about every way imaginable. It seemed highly unlikely at first—two star wide receivers well-known throughout their careers as the go-to wide receiver playing side-by-side without any issues.

The Bengals are in need of another go-to guy at wide receiver for the upcoming season. While Owens may not have lived up to his $6.5 million deal last season with the Buffalo Bills, he has proven to be effective throughout his career with the right quarterback.

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Less than 24 hours before the beginning of free agency, the Cincinnati Bengals decided to release Laveranues Coles—exactly one year after he signed with the team. He joined the team last March as a replacement for former wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks after spending his entire seven-year career with the Bengals as arguably one of the top No. 2 wideouts in the NFL.

Cincinnati signed Coles hoping his speed and quickness would make him just as effective—if not better—of a No. 2 wideout as Houshmandzadeh was when he was with the Bengals. While Houshmandzadeh managed to stay consistent taking advantage of defenders focusing on Chad Ochocinco to find open gaps down the field, Coles struggled to do the same a majority of the season.

Instead of using his speed and quickness to be an effective wide receiver, Coles established a reputation amongst Bengals fans as a player who struggled to hold on to passes thrown from Carson Palmer.

Coles finished the 2009 season with 43 catches for 514 yards and five touchdowns after signing a four-year deal last March worth $28 million. Despite starting 16 games, he failed to cross the 100-yard mark this season, with the closest game coming against the Baltimore Ravens in Week Nine in which he finished with six receptions for 72 yards.

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Chick Ludwig of Cincinnati.com recently posted an article regarding the Cincinnati Bengals drafting Tim Tebow in the upcoming NFL Draft. He seems convinced the organization will take a chance on the former Florida standout who played a major role in the Gators two National Championships in 2006 and 2008.

As crazy as it may sound for a team like Cincinnati to take a chance on a player like Tebow considering their quarterback situation, Ludwig makes some convincing points as to why it would make sense for the Bengals to at least take a chance on Tebow if he’s still available after the first round.

After arguably one of the best careers in history for a college quarterback at Florida, many analysts and critics around the league have criticized Tebow over the last few months. They claim his style of play worked at the college level, but it would be ineffective at the professional level.

Of course, the heavy criticism is the type of fuel Tebow loves to apply towards determination and motivation to prove doubters wrong—which seems to be what he does best.

While most of the top quarterbacks entering the draft—like Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen—decided to sit out, Tebow displayed his athletic ability at the NFL Combine and fell was nothing short of impressive for scouts on hand. He tied the all-time record for quarterbacks on the vertical leap with 38.5 inches and finished with a 4.72 time in the 40-yard dash.

The statistics may come across as impressive for scouts, but Tebow will most likely be the type of player who needs a few years to develop before becoming an effective quarterback in the NFL.

Ludwig makes some interesting points about the Bengals quarterback situation. Not only does Palmer turn 30 this season, but the chances of J.T. O’Sullivan or Jordan Palmer taking over the starting position in the future seems highly unlikely.

With this in mind, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea for the Bengals to take a chance on Tebow if he falls past the first round—especially since Cincinnati appears to be determined on selecting a tight end with the 21st pick.

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After spending most of his career showing off his dance moves in th endzone, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco will get a chance to display his talent on ABC's Dancing With The Stars .

Ochocinco was named one of 11 participants that will compete against one another beginning March 22 that include other well-known celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Evan Lysacek, and Erin Andrews.

Throughout his career, Ochocinco has established his reputation as a player known to run his mouth for fun—which should make the show's 10th season even more interesting. Numerous reports have indicated ABC approached Ochocinco about joining the upcoming season after the entertainment he provided during HBO's Hard Knocks before last season.

Whether he's eliminated early on or lasts until the finale, there's no question Ochocinco will provide the audience and viewers with plenty of entertainment during his appearance on DWTS. However, the 10th season is expected to last until May 25—which is part of the reason why some fans are showing signs of concern.

The Bengals begin their volunteer workouts at the end of March, which means the show will take place the same time many wish Ochocinco would work with Carson Palmer to prepare for the 2010 season. However, there's no reason to be concerned in Cincinnati just yet.

Ochocinco hasn't participated with the Bengals in camp for the last two seasons as he prefers to workout on his own. For those who watched Hard Knocks last season, it's no secret he's one of the hardest working players at his position—which is why there is no reason to worry about his shape for 2010.

Despite the Bengals finishing 26th in the passing game last season, Ochocinco reached his sixth Pro Bowl after finishing the season with 72 catches for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns after showing up to workouts last June.

With this in mind, there should be no reason for Bengals fans to worry about his condition for the upcoming season. If Palmer's excited to watch Ochocinco compete and show off his dance moves, there's no reason why Cincinnati fans can't be as well.

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