Recent reports have indicated Texas safety Earl Thomas will visit the Cincinnati Bengals April 1-2 to see what type of impact he could have on Mike Zimmer's defense for the 2010 season. Considered by many to be selected in the first round, Thomas is arguably one of the top safeties in this year's draft class, which may make the Bengals want to consider focusing on the future.

Last season, the Bengals' defense were among one of the best in the NFL when it came to stopping the run; they finished fourth overall. Zimmer seems to have his duo at safety with Roy Williams and Chris Crocker, but that doesn't mean Cincinnati should stay away from using their 21st pick to select a player like Thomas if still available.

While Crocker has three years remaining on his four-year deal, the recent one-year signing of Williams could be considered as a second test run for the Bengals.

Williams signed with Cincinnati following his release from the Dallas Cowboys after the 2008 season. After five-straight Pro Bowl seasons from 2003-07, he was arguably considered one of the top safeties in the NFL—which is why the Bengals took a risk on him last season.

Unfortunately, Williams played in just four games during the 2009 season after he was forced to be put on season-ending injured reserve after fracturing his forearm. His injury last year prevented him from living up to his full potential in the defense. He is capable of using his veteran experience to play a major role in the Bengals’ defense for the upcoming season.

However, there’s a good chance Cincinnati may decide to part ways with Williams after 2010 if things don’t work out next season. If this happens to be the case, Thomas or another safety may be a strong candidate for the Bengals in the near future.

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One day after his visit, the Cincinnati Bengals signed free agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant to a four-year deal worth $28 million. The team also spent Tuesday night and Wednesday meeting with free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens--who Chad Ochocinco has been campaigning for the team to sign ever since the week of the Super Bowl.

Bryant turned 29 on Tuesday and will be entering his eighth season in 2010. He brings a reliable deep threat to the Bengals' passing game which is in need of another big-name wide receiver to play alongside Ochocinco--especially after the release of Laveranues Coles last week.

Last season, Bryant played 13 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite struggling with knee injuries all season, finishing with just 39 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. The Bengals will be his fifth team after stints with the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers before signing with the Bucs in 2008.

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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.

After the first part was published Monday, here's the second part of why Owens signing with the Bengals could happen.

The Relationship Between Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens

If Owens does end up in Cincinnati next season, the Bengals will have Ochocinco to thank for bringing in the six-time Pro Bowl receiver.

Ever since the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Ochocinco has campaigned for his close friend to receive an opportunity to play for the Bengals in 2010. The rumors started on his UStream page, continued at his Mansion party for the Haiti Relief Fund and continued to develop throughout the offseason.

At first glance, Ochocinco's comments towards the situation seemed to be nothing but another joke to members of the media. Now, Owens to the Bengals has arguably become one of the hottest debates during the first week of free agency.

Of course, that and the Brandon Marshall situation in Denver.

Number of Suitors Seem Smaller Now That Boldin is With The Baltimore Ravens

Numerous reports indicated last week that the top two teams interested in Owens were the Bengals and Ravens. After Baltimore exchanged a third and fourth-round pick to acquire Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals, the Ravens appear to be out of the running for Owens.

Sure, the 2010 free agency period may not even be a week old, but the Bengals are the only other team that has even shown the slightest bit of interest in having Owens for next season. He and agent Drew Rosenhaus have a history of asking for a big pa day when it comes to negotiating contracts with teams.

If Owens doesn't draw interest from any other teams, he may have to accept whatever deal the Bengals offer him—assuming they end up offering one.

Owens' Twitter Comments and Recent Visit To Cincinnati

Owens arrived in Cincinnati Tuesday night to have dinner with the Bengals coaching staff and will take a tour of the offices on Wednesday. Before his arrival, there was some activity emerging between him and good friend Ochocinco about his meeting with the Bengals.

OGOchoCinco @terrellowens: hey where you at? You sign on that dotted line yet

terrellowens @OGOchoCinco: i'm on the plane!

OK, so these "Twitter comments" shouldn't be taken too serious, but they do show some signs of excitement between Ocho and Owens about the possibility of playing together next season.

If all goes well Wednesday, their wish may come true; Ochocinco and Ochouno may be playing side-by-side in orange and black stripes with the Bengals next season.

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After meeting with free agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant Tuesday, the Cincinnati Bengals rescheduled their visit with free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens for Wednesday. The news was first reported by Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The original plan was for both Bryant and Owens to visit with the Bengals on Tuesday in hopes of striking a deal between at least one of the free agent wide receivers to help improve last year’s 26th ranked passing game. Cincinnati knew their top priority entering the offseason was to help improve the wide receiving core for Carson Palmer and either player could make a significant impact playing alongside Chad Ochocinco next season.

Rumors of the possibility of Owens to the Bengals have been swirling since Super Bowl week when Ochocinco started campaigning for the organization to take interest in his good friend. While the organization seemed uninterested at first, Drew Rosenhaus indicated Cincinnati was interested in talking to the six-time Pro Bowler—especially after last week’s release of Laveranues Coles.

The number of potential suitors for Owens slimmed down after the Baltimore Ravens acquired Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals. The Bengals are desperately in need of another wide receiver if they want to make a run at their second-straight AFC North title.

It almost seems like a match made in heaven; the only question left to be answered is whether or not the Bengals and Owens can come to a deal both sides can agree on. Owens is the type of player who will expect a hefty contract for the short term.

Considering Bryant is seven years younger, the Bengals may show more interest in him considering the possibility of a long-term deal.

For now, it looks like Bengals fans will have to wait at least one more day before finding out if a deal is offered to either Owens or Bryant for next season.

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Free agent wide receivers Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant will meet with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The team is in need of another big-name wide receiver to help improve last year's 26th ranked passing game.

Rumors of the Bengals interest in Owens have been swirling ever since Chad Ochocinco started campaigning for the six-time Pro Bowler during Super Bowl week. While the talks at first seemed to be nothing more than Ochocinco running his mouth for the fun of it, the rumors became more realistic last week after Cincinnati decided to terminate the contract of Laveranues Coles after just one season.

If Owens does end up signing with Cincinnati, the Bengals would immediately contain one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL for 2010. With one of the top running games and defenses in 2009, all the team needs is some improvement in their wide-receiving core to be considered favorites for winning their second straight AFC North title.

However, the one factor that could stand in the way of this happening is the price Owens may ask for. After signing a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills last season for $6.5 million, there’s a good chance Drew Rosenhaus—who is arguably one of the top agents in sports—and his client will ask for a hefty contract.

Bryant on the other hand is arguably one of the top unrestricted free agents left on the market and will be turning 29 on Tuesday—which could become a major factor for Cincinnati. The Bengals received heavy criticism for signing Coles to a four-year contract worth $28 million despite the fact he turned 32 in December. The fact that Bryant is seven years younger than Owens could play a major factor if the team has to decide between the two wide receivers.

It’s no secret the Bengals need help in the passing game. Imagine how much easier life would be for Carson Palmer if Owens or Bryant lines up alongside Ochocinco next season in Cincinnati.

First things first though; let’s hope everything goes well on Tuesday for the sake of the Bengals’ passing game.

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Last week, numerous reports indicated the top two teams interested in free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens were the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. After the Ravens made a move last week to acquire Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals, it appears the Bengals are the only team interested in signing Owens at the moment.

Like the Bengals, the Ravens were in need of another big-name wide receiver for Joe Flacco to throw to. They traded their third and fourth-round picks in the upcoming 2010 NFL Draft in exchange for Boldin and a fifth-round pick.

With this in mind, Cincinnati needs to make a move on Owens not only for the sake of improving their passing game, but to compete in the AFC North.

For the first time in franchise history, the Bengals swept the AFC North last season and won their first division title since 2005. After the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers clashed in the AFC Championship the previous season, many analysts expected one of them to win the division in 2009.

Instead, Cincinnati emerged as one of the top sleeper teams in 2009 on their way to the fourth seed in the AFC, thanks to a strong defense and a powerful running game led by Cedric Benson.

While the Bengals managed to stay consistent on defense and in the running game for most of last season, the passing game was an area opposing defenses used to their advantage.

Despite Chad Ochocinco being named to his sixth Pro Bowl, wide receivers Laveranues Coles—who was recently released—and Andre Caldwell failed to be an effective part of the passing game. Not to mention Palmer lost his top deep threat in Chris Henry after he fractured his arm against the Ravens in Week Nine.

The AFC North was considered one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL last season and was expected to be in 2010. Now that Boldin is with the Ravens, it’s safe to say the division will be even more competitive next season than originally expected.

If the Bengals want to repeat as AFC North champions, they will need to acquire a big name wide receiver either in free agency or the upcoming draft just to compete with the other teams within the division. Owens has proven to be one of the top wide receivers in the NFL with the right quarterback throwing him the ball.

Palmer has proven to be an effective quarterback with the right weapons on offense. If Ochocinco and Owens line up by his side next season, there’s no telling what type of season Palmer would have.

The Bengals are in need of a big-name wide receiver and the potential suitors for Owens seem slim—especially now that the Ravens appear to be out of the running. All signs seem to point to Owens ending up in Cincinnati; now it’s just a matter of whether or not a signing that once appeared unimaginable to even consider actually happens.

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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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Now that the Buffalo Bills have made an official statement that they have no plans of re-signing wide receiver Terrell Owens, he will become a free agent March 5 and be free to hear offers from any team showing interest.

Over the last month, Chad Ochocinco has made quite the headlines as an attempt to convince Owens and the organization as why No. 81 would make a great fit with the Bengals next season.

Two of arguably the top wide receiver playing together side-by-side would drastically improve a passing game in need of help after finishing 26th last season.

The city of Cincinnati seems to be split about whether or not Owens would be a good fit for the Bengals.

As great as it would be to bring in a wide receiver who may end up in Canton one day, the question of whether or not it would be worth the risk considering his history problems with previous organizations comes into play.

He may not lived up to the $6.5 million contract with just 55 catches for 829 yard and five touchdowns, but the argument can be made those numbers would have been higher with a different quarterback.

While Ryan Fitzpatrick is decent for a starting quarterback, he's nowhere nearly as talented as most of the other quarterbacks in the NFL.

While he may not agree, Owens has proven to flourish with the right quarterback over his 14-year career.

No wide receiver can be as effective without the help of their quarterback—which is why the argument can be made that Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, and Tony Romo have all played a major role in the success of Owens over the years.

If Cincinnati somehow manages to sign Owens for the 2010 season, Carson Palmer could join the list of fellow quarterbacks listed above. However, there's another young quarterback the Bengals may have to be concerned with that could help Owens succeed next season.

Joe Flacco.

Numerous reports have indicated the Baltimore Ravens are beginning to draw interest in Owens to provide another target for Flacco—who continues to show potential as he continues to develop into an effective quarterback.

In his first two seasons, he's started every game with the Ravens while throwing for a combined 6,584 yards and 35 touchdowns with an arguably mediocre receiving core.

Not only would Owens make an effective target for Flacco to throw to, but the argument can be made the Ravens would immediately be considered one of the top contenders in the AFC for 2010.

With a defense that continues to rank near the top of the league year after year, Baltimore could easily become one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL as well considering they already have a powerful running game with Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le'Ron McClain.

These reports may be nothing to worry about for the time being, but even just the thought of Owens in the AFC North next season is scary for Bengals fans to think about.

After the way the 2009 season played out, it's safe to say the division will be just as competitive next season, making it harder for the Bengals to reach their second-straight AFC North title.

And if Owens does end up joining Baltimore next season, it's safe to say the Bengals will have their hands full on defense not once, but twice next season when they play the Ravens.

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