Cincinnati Bengals: 3 Players to watch in Preseason Week 2 vs. Dallas
By Kenn Korb
***Brandon Bell
The linebacking corps for Cincinnati may somehow have been the group in the most dire straits by the end of last season — possibly even moreso than the putrid offensive line. While the latter group has at least had some high-profile additions in the offseason though (trade for Cordy Glenn, first round pick spent on Billy Price), the former hasn’t seem quite as much investment. Besides signing Preston Brown and spending a third-round pick on Malik Jefferson, there isn’t much new or exciting brought to the table to try turning things around for an expectedly weak unit.
You know what that means: everything hinges on internal development! There aren’t any proven answers beyond Vontaze Burfict at the position as of yet, but there are plenty of young faces who will be given opportunities to not only fight their way onto the roster but garner themselves a major role. Having someone (or even better, multiple players) step up and show themselves to be positive contributors is especially important early for this team, since Burfict will miss at least four games this season (suspension) and could easily find himself losing more due to either injury or his poor reputation forcing him out of the lineup yet again.
Bell may not be the first name to jump off the page in terms of the young linebackers in tow, but he could become a pleasant surprise for a team which could use a few. The young backer was in on 10 tackles as Cincinnati won their final two games last season, finishing with seven tackles (on 26 snaps) in the surprising upset of the Baltimore Ravens to end the year. Last week against Chicago, he put in another positive effort: five tackles, a pass knockdown and an interception.
Bell should get plenty of action through the preseason to continue solidifying a roster spot for himself. The bigger thing to watch may be if he can do enough to push down (or out) some of the veterans entrenched above him. Burfict and Brown are going to be the top two, but beyond them everything should be up for grabs.
Nick Vigil was elevated to starter last year, but did poorly in that role. Vincent Rey already saw his role reduce last season; now, he’s 30 and coming off a down year, so there’s a chance he could find himself cut if the young guys step up. Bell may not be starter material, but leeching away snaps from those two would give him a much more substantial role. Putting together a strong effort against Dallas would be a strong step in that direction.