Hunt debuts against Falcons

Margus Hunt has the benefit of playing behind Michael Johnson and Wallace Gilberry this season. Those two have been around the league for a long time and are expected to provide Hunt with a shorter learning curve than most rookie defensive ends. Hunt should be pretty comfortable learning the techniques of an NFL defense all throughout this season because he won't feel the pressure of having to step into the line of fire right away. The Bengals are most likely grooming the rookie from SMU to take over the starting job in a year or two. Hunt is twenty-six years old but has only played the game for four years after coming to the United States from Estonia. Hunt was a talented shot putter in his native country, but his adventurous spirit drove him to the U.S. to eventually pick up the game of football and become the Bengals' second round draft pick.

Hunt is one of the most athletic defensive ends to ever participate in the draft process. According to Mel Kiper, Hunt's pure physical ability is as strong as anyone he's ever seen. Hunt is a towering player whose 6'8, 280 pound frame should intimidate tackles immediately. Hunt has learned the game well enough to earn a reputation as a dominant player on special teams in college and an eight sack rusher his senior year. 

Against the Falcons tonight, Hunt will be on a defensive line with Devon Still and and Dontay Moch. Moch, Still and Hunt all have the same standout pass rushing abilities in common. The defense hasn't been concentrating much on the second round pick just because of the mega-talents Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson already featured on the Bengals' line. Hunt can earn his way onto the field on third down snaps by performing well in the preseason. To be able to go up against backup linemen on the Falcons will be a good measuring strip of Hunt's progress since being drafted. If he looks like a mismatch out there, he may be bumped up to competing with Robert Geathers and Gilberry for regular season snaps. 

The pick on the Bengals' part was a smart one in that the team can afford to take a chance on potential alone with Hunt. The worst case is Hunt doesn't reach the field at all this season, which may be cause for inner motivation for Hunt's NFL future. I don't think that will end up happening though. I believe Hunt will have multiple sacks in the preseason and open the eyes of Mike Zimmer. If Hunt can keep his pad level low enough, he will be a nightmare on the outside. Pass rushers with a combination of immense size and speed are just hard to find in the league. JJ Watt has been the ideal pass rusher for the last couple of years. Hunt is taller and almost as strong as Watt, and probably is quicker off the line as well. All everyone can do is wait and see if Hunt has the fire to excel in the league. His physical tools are already better than most, so he may just have the DNA to mold into a star. 

Bengals cut Wharton, create more cap room

The Bengals made another trimming of the roster move on Monday after cutting Jamaal Anderson on July 10 by releasing offensive guard Travelle Wharton. Wharton was signed in 2012 as the first free agent of that year to agree to play for the Bengals with a three year contract, and he was expected to become the starter at the right guard spot with the departure of Bobbie Williams. Wharton then missed the entire season with a torn ACL, but was rehabbing properly since his surgery and would have been a quality backup at both guard spots this season.

The Bengals might have a corresponding move in mind after releasing Wharton, who at the very least would have fit well as a veteran in the Bengals' locker room after showing he could contribute in games for Carolina before joining Cincinnati. The move creates an extra two million dollars of cap space, leaving the Bengals in a situation of being almost eighteen million dollars below the salary cap. The releases of Jamaal Anderson and Travelle Wharton are due to one of two things.

First, the Bengals could be giving themselves as much financial flexibility as possible in order to re-sign Geno Atkins before the season and Michael Johnson after the season. Atkins will be due to make more than Haloti Ngata in 2014 based on his production with the team. Ngata signed a five year deal worth nearly fifty million with the Ravens, so the Bengals would probably have to start the negotiations at five years for at least sixty million to get Atkins to think about signing.

The second option the Bengals might be thinking of with the release of Wharton is bringing in either Kerry Rhodes or Chris Crocker to compete for the strong safety spot. Rhodes and Crocker would demand at least two million on a one year contract, so that could be why the Bengals released Wharton now instead of letting him play out training camp.

Crocker was a solid presence for the Bengals last season. Mike Zimmer really likes the security Crocker brings to the secondary, and since not everyone on a defense can be an All Pro, there is always room for a well traveled and savvy veteran like Crocker. Rhodes would be a big splash in free agency for the Bengals considering he was rated as a top ten safety last season. However, it may be difficult for him to learn the Bengals' defense in such short notice before camp and fit in with a new team atmosphere after playing in New York and Arizona throughout his career. Rhodes would also demand a little bit more money than Crocker for signing a contract, but would also probably provide Cincinnati with better statistical production in 2013-14.

Top 10 veterans to make an impact: Part 2

The top five veteran players on the Bengals will be expected to bear a heavy load to help carry the team to the playoffs for three consecutive seasons in the NFL, a feat that only the elite teams in the league such as Baltimore and New England can claim. These vets have experienced the successes in Cincinnati since 2011, and they are a large reason the Bengals have experienced a rebirth and culture change in the second half of Marvin Lewis' tenure. Here are the five players the Bengals will lean heavily on for production and leadership in the locker room.

5. Michael Johnson-Johnson is the most productive defensive end on the roster, and probably the most feared by opponents as well. Johnson earned $11 million this season after a career year in 2012-13 when he added muscle weight and collected fifty-two tackles and 11.5 sacks. Basically, the Bengals are expecting Johnson to duplicate what he did last season and will pay about a million dollars per sack if he reaches last season's career climax in his fifth year. Johnson is the type of menacing defensive end every team in the NFL covets. He is 6'7 and weighs 270 pounds and is built like Bears star rusher Julius Peppers. This might be Johnson's final season in a Cincinnati uniform, and that might motivate him to play even harder. Johnson knows the significance of a standout season in terms of financial reward, and there's no doubt if he can mimic what he did last year, someone will invest the future of a franchise in Johnson. 

4. Leon Hall-Hall could easily be the most underrated cornerback in the NFL. He is a versatile and athletic corner who can cover the opposing team's best receiver if given the assignment. Hall is also the leader of the defensive backs and has proven to be a playmaker since 2007 with twenty-two interceptions during that time. The secondary should be largely in tact this season, and with Hall gaining stability on his previously injured Achilles, he should easily surpass his total of two interceptions last season. Hall is the best lockdown corner in the AFC North.

3. AJ Green-Nobody disputes the ability of third year wideout AJ Green. In fact, many people are wondering what two players could possibly be ahead of Green on this list. Green has shown freakish talent since coming out of Georgia. He built on a fabulous rookie season with ninety-seven receptions for 1,350 yards and eleven touchdowns last year. Green should be expected to catch one hundred balls this year with more attention concentrated on talented targets Mohamed Sanu, Tyler Eifert, and even Giovani Bernard. Green does everything really well, but the thing that holds him back slightly from being the best in the league is his tendency to disappear at times in the game. If Green can consistently get open over and over again throughout the sixty minutes of an NFL contest, there's no reason he can't overtake Calvin Johnson for the best receiver spot.

2. Andy Dalton-I really like Dalton in year three. His quiet confidence displayed throughout the offseason tells me he is gearing up for a special year. Dalton now considers himself in charge of the offense and he will certainly demand more out of himself and the players around him this year, which include new additions Cobi Hamilton, Tyler Eifert, and Giovani Bernard. Not many quarterbacks have done what Dalton has his first two seasons in the league in terms of winning. Dalton transformed TCU into a Rose Bowl Champion, and now he is shifting Cincinnati from a laughing stock to a top five team. Look for Dalton to throw for over thirty touchdowns this season and cut down on the major thing that plagued him last year, interceptions. Dalton has gotten off to hot starts in each of his first two years but has faded down the stretch. With two full years under his belt, the "red rifle" should be more prepared for the long haul.

1. Geno Atkins-Atkins is one of the best players in the NFL, and certainly is the best defensive tackle the league has to offer. Since becoming a steal of a draft pick in 2010, Atkins has used his ideal pass rushing body type to confuse offensive lines. Atkins is one of the strongest players on the team at 6'1, 303 pounds, and creates leverage issues for opposing offenses, exposing mismatches and getting to the quarterback. Atkins had three games with two sacks last year and finished with 12.5 total sacks and four forced fumbles. Atkins is also in a contract year and is in line for a large extension possibly before the season. 

Extension of Dunlap leaves Johnson in limbo

The Bengals agreed to a contract extension with one of their defensive ends yesterday. The extension was not the one that had to get done with Michael Johnson before the deadline of the franchise tenders officially going through for the 2013 season. Instead, Carlos Dunlap got the big five year extension worth $40 million. It's an interesting signing for the Bengals more based on potential than production at this point.

No doubt Dunlap is the most talented defensive end on the roster. He has freakish pass rushing ability with a combination of a quick first step and brute power. However, Dunlap has had trouble staying healthy and consistent since his rookie season. Dunlap was unstoppable in 2010 when he recorded 9.5 sacks in just twelve games after becoming the team's second round pick out of Florida. Dunlap followed that year with 4.5 sacks in 2011 and six in 2012, and he also picked off a pass for a touchdown last year.

The problem with giving Dunlap a pay raise at this point is he has failed to start more than a single game in each of the past two seasons. Dunlap is still just twenty-four years old and will undoubtedly grow in Mike Zimmer's defense, but although he looks like one of the best defensive ends in the NFL at times with his 6'6, 280 pound frame, he also plays too fragile during games and has never made it through an entire regular season. Dunlap has taken plays off during his career, although that may be due to not being one hundred percent healthy during a few games. In order for this extension to be worth the money for the Bengals franchise, Dunlap will certainly be counted on to start at one defensive end spot for the next several years starting in 2013.

Michael Johnson is probably the more deserving player of an extension right now. The Bengals could have waited until the end of the year to re-sign one of their two players in order to find out who had the better 2013 season. The Bengals wanted to get one player extended or the other before training camp, and the fact that Johnson is playing on a one year deal worth over $11 million could end up haunting the Bengals after the season. The Bengals were negotiating with Johnson along with Dunlap, but the final offer for Johnson that was close to the dollar amount that Dunlap received was not sufficient for a veteran still coming into his own after 11.5 sacks. Johnson, the 6'7, 270 pound fifth year player out of Georgia Tech can play his way to the ultimate pay day in free agency next year if he follows up last season with a similar 2013. Johnson is the more consistent option for the Bengals at defensive end right now. He started fifteen games last season and along with the sack total of 11.5, he also had fifty-two tackles, a pick, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.

Michael Johnson will be playing with a massive chip on his shoulder this year after the Bengals decided to stick with the franchise tag contract and pay the player behind him on the depth chart. I predict Johnson will have a historically great season for a Bengals defensive end and like Jonathan Joseph a few years ago, leave the Bengals to become a premier defensive player on a team with more salary cap room.

Rich Hidy
Cincy Sports Spot

Bengals d-line returns in tact

The Bengals defense finished in the top 10 last season in large part due to generating a total of 51 sacks. The majority came from 2 contributors in the starting lineup, Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson. Atkins is widely considered the best defensive tackle in the NFL. He had a total of 12.5 sacks and was virtually unblockable last year. The scary thing for opposing NFL teams is that Atkins hasn't even reached his prime as a player yet as a 25 year old player in his fourth season. If Atkins continues to improve and stay healthy, he could end up a Hall of Famer at the end of his career.

Atkins on the inside opened up rushing lanes on the outside of the defensive line with Michael Johnson's 11.5 sacks. Johnson is a physical specimen with his 6'7, 280 pound frame. He took a huge step in 2012 and earned the franchise tag this offseason. The Bengals are hoping Carlos Dunlap steps up and earns the starting gig opposite Johnson in his contract year. Dunlap is probably the team's most talented lineman since being drafted out of Florida in the second round in 2010. Dunlap has shown flashes of being dominant, especially in his rookie season. He finished last year with 6 sacks, but his main problem is staying healthy and productive on the field. Dunlap can't just be a third down specialist this season if he wants to cash in and receive a long term extension.

What makes the defensive line the Bengals' deepest position group is the second unit of linemen, who can support both the pass and the run. This veteran group knows what it takes to be consistent in the NFL. Robert Geathers and Wallace Gilberry will return to the team after both earning new contracts. Geathers has been a Bengal for his entire career, and although he isn't the same pass rusher he once was, he is a dynamic presence in the locker room. Gilberry bursted onto the scene last year with his best season as a pro. He was picked up during the season and ended up third on the team with 6.5 sacks.

Domata Peko is a rock solid run stopper whose infectious personality makes him one of the primary leaders on the team. Peko is joined by Brandon Thompson and Devon Still, 2 second year players looking to make an impact. Still could be a starter this year if he can improve on his pass rushing skills, which helped him get drafted in the second round in 2012. Thompson has a similar style to Peko, and a combination of Still and Thompson on the field in a 4-3 set to give Atkins a breather could be an effective second unit.

The final lineman that could push this team into a category of one of the best position groups of all time is rookie Margus Hunt. Hunt, a 6'8 former track and field star out of SMU, will be molded to play like Michael Johnson if Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer has his way. Hunt will work his way on the field in third down packages, probably across from Johnson. Imagine trying to throw the ball over those two huge linemen with their hands up.

The Bengals have a lot to work with on the defensive line. The defense could be dominant this season if the line steps up like last year in the battle in the trenches. A standout defensive line makes the entire defense better, including a weaker secondary, which the Bengals could have if Adam Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick are not on the field.