Mandatory Minicamp: What to watch for

The Cincinnati Bengals are now past the stage of the OTA's and on to the mandatory minicamp as training camp inches closer and closer. The minicamp, starting this Tuesday and running through Thursday, features everybody on the roster and will surely be helpful to the coaching staff in figuring out who has the jumpstart on playing time.

Andre Smith, who has been absent during the offseason, will be back on the field for the minicamp. Smith signed a 3 year extension with the Bengals after taking hold of the starting right tackle job for the last 2 seasons. It is widely believed Smith was absent from OTA's because of a minor weight issue, an issue that Smith has hopefully taken care of through strenuous and private workouts over the last few weeks. It will be interesting to see how Smith looks when he arrives in Cincinnati. Will he be closer to his playing weight of 330 pounds, or has he ballooned to his rookie weight, when he broke his foot in training camp, of 350 pounds or more?

The experimentation of the offense will continue this week. Jay Gruden believes the Bengals will take major steps this season, and these opportunities to practice with everyone on the field are invaluable to the growth of the offensive chemistry. Andy Dalton says he has improved his deep ball accuracy this offseason. He should get some looks at one on one coverages on AJ Green and Marvin Jones on deep routes because of the complexity of double tight end sets the Bengals have planned with first round pick Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham. Mohamed Sanu will also display his toughness over the middle on intermediate routes, where Dalton excels with his accuracy given he has the proper protection.

Also, it seems as though Gio Bernard is vying for the starting running back gig. Bernard has impressed Hue Jackson and Marvin Lewis since becoming the first running back taken in the 2013 NFL Draft. Bernard has all the tools to be a standout in the West Coast system, and since he is so versatile, he might beat out Benjarvus Green-Ellis. Green-Ellis is great at fighting for yards, but he isn't a superb pass catcher like Bernard. The competition will continue on through training camp, but Bernard should see plenty of snaps this week.

Finally, Rey Maualuga needs to step up and lead the defense. Maualuga is in the best shape of his career, according to reports. He has been quiet throughout the offseason, but if he really wants to make up for a poor performance in the playoff loss to Houston, Maualuga should take a more vocal role on the defense. The leaders of the defensive unit seem to be Leon Hall, Domata Peko, and Geno Atkins. These three are standouts on the field, and Maualuga should emulate them not only to gain some swagger in his play, but to also become a more noteworthy professional throughout the league.