After finishing 26th among NFL teams in the passing game, the Cincinnati Bengals realize how important it is to address the wide receiver position during the offseason.
In a season which the running game and defense carried the way to a 10-6 record and the first 6-0 sweep of the AFC North in franchise history, the Bengals failed to stay consistent moving the ball down the field through the air—despite the amount of talent in the passing game.
A quarterback in Carson Palmer, who has proven at times in his career he can be one of the top players in the NFL at his position. One of the most dangerous wide receivers in Chad Ochocinco and the addition of Laveranues Coles—who signed with the team last March after T.J. Houshmandzadeh and the Bengals decided to part ways.
So what went wrong for the Bengals’ passing game this season?
There seemed to be a number of factors behind Cincinnati’s inability to stay consistent in the passing game. The absence of Chris Henry—who passed away in December—took away the deep threat down the field. An unacceptable high number of dropped passes by the Bengals’ wide receivers. Even Palmer can be blamed for numerous passes that were over or under thrown to his targets.
Whatever the reasons behind the struggles, the main factor is the No. 1 task in the offseason for the Bengals should be figuring out a way to improve their wide-receiving core.
With the 2010 NFL Draft quickly approaching on April 22, there are a handful of wide receivers that could become a valuable target for Carson Palmer—including Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant and Notre Dame’s Golden Tate. Both players seem like a good fit for a Cincinnati team desperate for help in the passing game.
The only question now is when the Bengals are on the clock with the 21st pick, will they select a wide receiver right away or wait until a later round?
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