With the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham to provide another target for Carson Palmer.

The Bengals knew one of their top priorities this offseason was finding a solution to improve last year's 26th-ranked passing game that averaged just 180.6 yards per game. They were moving in the right direction by signing Antonio Bryant and Matt Jones , but there was still a need for improvement at wide receiver.

Now, the addition of Gresham provides the Bengals with an effective pass-catching tight end for the first time in Palmer's career, which should have an immediate impact in the passing game.

As far as team needs are concerned, Cincinnati entered the draft looking to improve at safety, wide receiver, tight end, and defensive end. Many were hoping for Texas safety Earl Thomas—who went to the Seahawks at No. 14—or South Florida defensive end Jason-Pierre Paul—who went to the Giants at No. 15—would slip in the first round to help improve an already stellar defense that finished fourth overall in 2009.

However, the Bengals and their fans should be satisfied with the type of talent Gresham brings to the table. He's proven his injured knee from last season is no longer a factor and is being compared to San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates for his skills as a "big wide receiver."

With two days remaining, the Bengals still have eight picks over the next six rounds. Along with the 54th overall pick, Cincinnati received two compensatory picks—a third round (96th overall) for the loss of T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks and a fourth round (131st overall) due to Stacy Andrews signing with the Eagles.

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Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson is coming off the best season of his five-year career after rushing for 1,251 yards and six touchdowns in 2009.

Now, he enters 2010 with a personal goal of his own. Along with helping his team reach the Super Bowl, he wants to break Rudi Johnson's single-season rushing record.

In 2005, Johnson set the team's franchise record by rushing for 1,458 yards on top of his 12 touchdowns. Considering Benson missed the mark by just 207 yards and finished eighth among running backs—despite playing in just 13 games—there's every reason to believe Benson has what it takes to accomplish his personal goal for 2010.

The argument can be made that Benson would already hold the record had he played in those three games. While he sat the regular-season finale against the Jets' top-ranked rushing defense to rest for the playoffs, he missed two games against the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns—who finished last season in the bottom five for rushing yards allowed per game—due to a hip injury.

After playing during most of the Carson Palmer era for a team known to have a strong passing game, the Bengals became a unit that relied heavily on the strength of their ground game last season.

As important as the team's needs were this offseason to add another wide receiver to improve last year's 26th ranked passing game, Cincinnati knew their top priority was to re-sign key members of the offensive line.

The two members of the offensive line the Bengals had to worry about for next season were offensive guard Bobbie Williams and center Kyle Cook. After reaching deals with both players last week, Cincinnati's offensive line has the potential to be just as effective next season, if not better, depending on Andre Smith's status.

All the cards are in place for Benson to break Johnson's record with the Bengals next season; it's just a matter of whether or not the star running back carries over his success from last year into 2010.

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The Cincinnati Bengals continued their success with free agency by re-signing restricted free agent cornerback David Jones to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million. With Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph occupying the jobs as starting cornerbacks, Jones will return for his fourth season with the Bengals to compete for the No. 3 spot at cornerback.

The Bengals acquired Jones from waivers during the 2007 preseason after he was released by the New Orleans Saints—who selected the former Wingate standout as the eighth pick in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Jones played in 12 games with Cincinnati last season after missing the beginning of the season with an injury. A fractured his foot at the beginning of training camp and was forced him to miss the first four games of the regular season, finishing 2009 with 11 tackles and a deflected pass. He was also a key member on special teams as well.

If he can manage to stay healthy, Jones has an opportunity to play a key factor on a Bengals’ defense that finished ninth overall last season. Over the last two seasons, he’s been effective filling in for both Hall and Joseph when they dealt with injuries.

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After displaying their best performance of the season with the rumba, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco and his partner Cheryl Burke survived elimination again to advance to the top eight on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Soap opera actor Aiden Turner was eliminated after receiving a combined score of 33 out of 60 this week.

Since he was heavily criticized for his performance of the fox trot, Ochocinco has drastically improved over the last two weeks. Of all of the dances he’s performed this season, the Latin routines seem to be his strength as he received his best scores the last two weeks.

This was the first week of the competition in which each couple would receive two separate scores from the judges. With the rumba, Ocho received scores of 21 for technique and 23 for performance—both topping his previous high score of 20 for the Paso Doble.

Now, Ochocinco and Burke survive for at least one more week after advancing to the top eight and look to continue the improvement shown the last two weeks. Ever since the show debuted four weeks ago, the judges knew there was high potential for the Pro Bowl wide receiver; they were just waiting for him to show it.

The rumba was by far his best performance of the season. His posture improved, the movement of the hips was impressive, and the judges could not help but rave Chad for finally living up to the potential they’ve waited all season for.

With another week under his belt, Chad will now spend next week in Cincinnati to perform workouts with the Bengals in the morning before spending nine hours practicing with Cheryl during the afternoon. If he continues to progress like he has over the last two weeks, Ocho should be safe for at least a few more weeks.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco continued his improvement for the second straight week after he and Cheryl Burke performed the rumba during the fourth week of ABC's Dancing With The Stars.

This week, each couple had the option to perform either the tango or the rumba as their fourth dance of the season. Ochocinco and Burke were looking for another strong performance from a Latin routine as they chose to go with the rumba—also known as the dance of love.

For the first time this season, the couples received two separate scores for technique and performance from the judges. The days of nine-hour practices paid off as they received scores of 21 for technique and 23 for performance—topping their previous high score of 20.

Last week, Ochocinco and Burke bounced back with the Paso Dablo after a disastrous performance of the fox trot that left that received nothing but criticism from the judges. Len Goodman said it best when he compared the performance to a snow storm—glad when it's finally over.

After the rumba, the argument can be made Ochocinco's performance this week was his best of the season. Not only did No. 85 show improvement in his posture, but the hip movement was impressive—which is why the judges couldn’t help but rave Chad for the progress he’s made over the last four weeks.

Of course, whether or not Ochocinco advances to the top 8 depends on the votes received from the fans. The couple will return Tuesday night to find out if they will advance to the third week of the competition. Fans can vote for the two by clicking here or calling 1-800-VOTE4-01.

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The Cincinnati Bengals continued to stay busy in free agency by re-signing center Kyle Cook earlier this week to a one-year deal for $470,000. He will return for his third season with the team after first signing with the practice squad in 2007.

Cook started all 16 games during the 2009 season and played a key role in drastic improvement on the offensive line after winning the starting job during training camp. After finishing the 2008 season 30th overall, the Bengals contained one of the top offensive lines last season, finishing ninth overall and contained one of the top ground games in the NFL—setting a franchise record with running backs crossing the 100-yard mark eight times.

As much as they were in need of improvement in the passing game, Cincinnati entered the offseason knowing one of their top priorities was to reach deals with two key members of their offensive line—Cook and offensive guard Bobbie Williams. After finally reaching a two-year agreement with Williams last week, the Bengals offensive line should live up to the same level they performed at last season—if not better.

Now that Cook and Williams have officially signed, all members the Bengals’ offensive line will return for the upcoming season. And with the potential of last year’s first-round pick Andre Smith competing for the starting job at right tackle after a disappointing rookie season, the unit should be strong again for the upcoming 2010 season.

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Antonio Bryant will be seen by the national media as the top acquisition for the Cincinnati Bengals during free agency. Fans of the defending AFC North champions realize two more signings were far more important for the upcoming 2010 season: the re-signing of offensive guard Bobbie Williams and center Ryan Cook.

After finishing 2008 with the 30th-ranked overall offensive line, Cincinnati bounced back last season to contain one of the top 10 units in the NFL with the help of Williams and Cook.

They played a major role in the Bengals' running backs setting a franchise record with eight 100-yard performances and look to continue that same success for the upcoming 2010 season.

Last week, Williams reached a two-year agreement with the Bengals to bring him back for his seventh season in Cincinnati. He hasn't missed a start in three seasons, and played a key role in the drastically improved offensive line last season.

Williams joined the Bengals in 2004 after a four-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. He's started 93 of 96 regular season games in six years with Cincinnati, and his signing was arguably the team's top priority entering the offseason.

Cook, on the other hand, may turn out to be a steal for the Bengals if he carries over his success at center from last season. After signing to the team's practice squad in 2007 following his release from the Minnesota Vikings, Cook won the starting job at center during training camp, and played all 16 games for Cincinnati last season.

He's young, has potential, and was a key member in the success of the offensive line last season.

Cook signed a one-year tender with the Bengals this week, and if he finds success for the second straight season, a long-term deal could be in place for him following next season.

Offenslive lineman never fully receive the credit they deserve when it comes to doing their job opening the space for the ground game or protecting their quarterbacks—which is why most football fans outside of Cincinnati may not be as familiar with Williams or Cook.

The Bengals and their fans realize how important these recent signings are to the success of the offense in 2010. Last season, Cincinnati went from being a pass-happy team to a squad that heavily relies on the success of the running game.

Without Williams or Cook, the argument can be made that the Bengals would never have established themselves as a threat in the AFC North. Now that both players are officially set to return next season, Cincinnati should be just as dangerous, and will contain just as strong of a unit in the offensive line—if not better.

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The rumors of free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens possibly signing with the Cincinnati Bengals are emerging once again after a recent column in the ESPN.com rumor mill.

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com mentioned the possibility of Cincinnati taking a shot at Owens if he’s still available after the NFL Draft at the end of April. If the number of teams showing interest in Owens is slim before the start of training camp, Hobson believes there’s a chance the Bengals could consider the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver—despite the recent signing of Antonio Bryant.

While the 29-year-old Bryant seemed to be the ideal candidate over the 37-year-old Owens at the beginning of free agency, money also played a major factor. Owens seems determined on finding a team willing to pay him $5 million for the upcoming 2010 season, but not many teams seem interested in paying him that much because of his age—which could benefit the Bengals.

If the market is slim in a few months, Owens may have no choice but to accept a cheaper offer from a team like the Bengals if he really wants to play in the NFL next season.
Chad Ochocinco has been campaigning for his good friend to sign with the Bengals for over two months now.

Carson Palmer has already expressed how he would love to have a player like Owens playing in Cincinnati next season. With the possibility of him, Ochocinco, and Bryant playing alongside one another next season, the Bengals would immediately contain one of the most dangerous passing games in the NFL—which is one of the main areas in need of improvement after finishing 26th last season.

With this in mind, there still seems to be a slight bit of hope Owens could end up wearing orange and black stripes next season by signing with the Bengals. It may just be small talk right now—but small talk is a lot better than no talk at all.

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