Seattle signs Tight End Chris Baker. What about Chase Coffman?
by Josh Kirkendall on Mar 14, 2010 1:00 PM EDT
in Analysis
53 comments
Tight Ends. Bengals. A collection of words when combined brings little to the imagination, if not a frustrating sigh heard through the city, or Bengaldom, as some call the Bengals fanbase. It's not pretty. Take the tight ends on the Bengals roster and the most productive and experienced tight end we have is Daniel Coats. I know. Scary. Right?
| Career numbers by tight ends signed on the Bengals roster in 2010. | ||||
| Player | Games | Receptions | Yards | TD |
| Daniel Coats | 47 | 30 | 291 | 0 |
| Chase Coffman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Hill | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | 30 | 291 | 0 | |
One Tight End that the Bengals were willing to take a look at this week came off the free agency board over the weekend. On Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks signed tight end Chris Baker to a two-year deal worth $4.7 million. The Bengals have appeared at college Pro Days the past week with notable tight ends, such as BYU's Dennis Pitta and have expressed interest with USC's Tight End Anthony McCoy. While suspiciously knowledgeable about a certain team's needs or even interest in a certain player, many mock drafts have the Bengals drafting Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham, who is often considered the most talented tight end in the draft. Though, even that is somewhat arguable, considering he had surgery last year to repair torn cartilage in his right knee.
There's also still a possibility that the Bengals could bring J.P. Foschi back to generate competition at the position. And lastly, there's been very little chatter about the former Bengals tight end Reggie Kelly. Little has been said about the Bengals; even less has been heard from the 31 other NFL teams.
However, one person is often being disregarded. Maybe it's justified. What we saw last year was unimpressive, to say the least. However, I know there's a small part of you that can't totally disregard him because of the circumstances. You understand, because you're smart. When a Tight End plays like a wide receiver for most his collegiate career, how fair is it for us to tell him to line up as a pro tight end and be awesome?
Chase Coffman came into Cincinnati as a project, if you will. Considering the Bengals already had their blocking tight end in Reggie Kelly and their receiving tight end in Ben Utecht, Coffman wasn't expected to make much of a difference his rookie year. You could see it during Hard Knocks when Coffman's blocking skills were showcased and required a lot of work -- if not a project that could last a season, if not two. Either way, Coffman, at best, would be the team's third tight end and guys like Daniel Coats would have been released on cut-down day and J.P. Foschi is never signed.
That didn't happen.
Unfortunately for Chase, both of the team's primary tight ends went down to season-ending injuries within a few days of each other. Would it have been nice if Chase could step up and haul in 50 receptions, over 500 yards receiving and a few scores? Absolutely. Was it fair that we expected that his rookie year after playing a position that was really more like a receiver than a tight end? Absolutely not. He just wasn't ready. As a result of the team's injuries, Coats was upgraded as the team's starting tight end and Foschi was signed off the streets.
So maybe in the end, the Bengals will elect to give Chase a shot. Maybe he's put on some weight, bulked up, added "decent blocker" to his NFL resume. That's all we want. Get in the way of a defensive end on a run and stretch the middle of the field on a pass. We don't know if he's close. We're not even sure where he's at. But maybe, just maybe, the Bengals will push Chase up the depth chart and get him on the field, rather than using a draft pick or signing an inflated backup tight end.
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Even if Coffman is ready...
we’d probably be in the position of having to sign someone or use a draft pick. Beyond him, we’ve got: Kelly, who may or may not be able to come back from his injury; Darius Hill, who hasn’t given any sign of being a solution so far; Foschi, who’s unsigned; and Coats… ugh.
We need another game-ready, non-project player to fill one of the TE roster spots. If the team doesn’t make a move on one of the remaining free agents, then they should be looking at using a 2nd to 4th round pick. Not Gresham, though; that’s asking for a Utecht scenario all over again. Too risky to spend a 1st rounder on.
At this point...
I’m on the “draft anybody, any round, that can play the position.” I don’t care if they have to draft tight ends each and every round, just f*****g find somebody.
It eludes me
How you can be the son of a former NFL tight end and be that terrible at blocking.
What's up hurt guys? I don't talk to hurt guys.
Question #18- When do you not run a 40 with your shirt off?
hes never done it
my dad sells furniture. Dont ask me a thing about a coffee table. i couldnt tell you
www.fantasydaddy.com
Yea but no dad is ever going to take you out in the backyard and spend the afternoon going over the finer poitns of furniture sales.
There had to have been some backyard training sessions with his Dad showing him how to block. The era that his father played in, if you couldn’t block as a tight end, then find a new proffession.
What's up hurt guys? I don't talk to hurt guys.
Question #18- When do you not run a 40 with your shirt off?
thats true. And its not like he cant block. He just cant block DE and OLB. He blocked in the open field in college. Im not sure how deep your knowledge goes. So im talking to the people who dont understand the differences in the spread offense.
Hes always upright, lined up like a WR. never has his hand in the dirt, never has to block a DE in pass pro. Never has to seal the edge in the run game. the most blocking he does in after a teammate catches the ball, he might block a safety or CB.
And even in High School most teams are playing the spread, so he may not have lined up inside against a quality defensive player since his dad was playing with him in the backyard
www.fantasydaddy.com
Maybe it’s just because of the way I was taught the position. All I ever did was block in high school.
I really hope he gets it figured out though. Would love to see us with a TE that is actually a threat in the passing game. Hopefully even if Kelly isn’t back, he will still hang around to tutor Coffman.
What's up hurt guys? I don't talk to hurt guys.
Question #18- When do you not run a 40 with your shirt off?
Doesn’t this all beg the question: Why the hell did we draft him in the first place?
You have a player who is so awful in one aspect that it precludes him from seeing the field at all. And I don’t even have to mention the super talented studs that were more or less stealing his playing time.
Amazes me that a team who needs multiple field-ready players every April is arrogant enough to draft “projects” in the first 3 rounds. Idiots, when you win a playoff game for the first time in my adult life, maybe you start to think about rolling the dice on questionable players.
When we drafted him
We were in a completely different situation when we drafted Coffman. He was drafted with the mindset that he’d be playing behind Kelly and Utech and that he could take his time to develop. His ability as a receiver completely justified that decision.
This is our year!
by Carsonorbust on Mar 15, 2010 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions
That's my point
Since when are the Cincinnati Bengals so loaded and successful that they can afford to draft a 3rd string tight end in the 3rd round that they don’t expect to contribute?
I liked the pick at the time and I’m really pulling for the guy to contribute, but there’s something wrong here. 3rd round picks should see the field. Any GM or coach will tell you the same. He’s either got a very long way to go or it’s the coaching staff’s fault for not finding a way to work him in.
My guess is that he knows how to block.
He just wasn’t ready to try and block NFL starter DE’s and OLB’s.
I also think he probably got the message loud and clear, and learned how to do it, and hit the weight room. I expect to see him ready to roll in the preseason.
However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aggressively going after a couple in the draft. Just don’t do it on someone with torn ACLs as our first pick.
by UpStateMike on Mar 15, 2010 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions
i just played a game of madden
Coffman had 5 rec for 67 yards. So i still have faith in him.
But seriously. Chas will never be an outstanding blocker. So we will need to sign a vet or draft somebody who can block
www.fantasydaddy.com
I don't want Gresham
I’m less concerned about the injury than I am about the fact that he played in the spread—I’d rather have someone who either played in a pro-style offense or already knows how to block. Preferably both, but I’ll take either one at this point.
I think we should take a guard or a defensive player in the first (someone who can either generate pressure or cover, as per Zim’s new dictum) and then take a TE between rounds two and four. Give me a Gronkowski, McCoy, Pitta, Moeaki, Peek, or Garrett Graham. I don’t want an injured spread TE that admits he needs to work on his hands.
here's the thing...
if there’s a college TE who ever had a 1000 yard season then i don’t want him. he’s obviously a product of his scheme and is probably not well-suited for blocking. Pitta comes to mind. we already have him in Coffman. Gresham has much more blocking experience than Pitta but neither would be worth my 1st rd pick.
mccoy sounds like a great choice since he comes from a pro-style offense. he’s a guy i would want to take in rd 2. i’m really hoping we do. this would be the best scenario for us. those other guys wouldn’t be terrible i guess but i see them as more late-round picks who we’d have to turn into a project.
Running out to frontyard laughing! -Fat Vegas Alan
+2 on McCoy
Why anybody would want a TE whose blocking is a question mark is beyond me. I would definitely take McCoy in round 2.
wanted Ben Watson
he’s a brown now. didn’t want coates, he’s a bengal now.
would love the bengals to take a look at Randy McMichael. cut coates, resign foschi, and hope coffman shows up this season.
"wherever Brad St. Louis is and Shayne Graham is about to be." -R.F. Mehl
crumpler is still out there and i have always liked him...
he’s 32, makes catches when he gets thrown to, and blocks as good as any TE in the league. he would be my pick for a FA pickup. mcmichael could be good for us i guess.
Running out to frontyard laughing! -Fat Vegas Alan
Wasn't He Injured?
I was under the impression that his foot had never really healed. Could be that his blocking skills need work, but I would think part of his problem in blocking was due to pain in his foot. He eventually was put on injured reserve. I don’t think we can really evaluate him yet. If we grab a tight end in the draft, I don’t think it will be first round. At the 21st pick going for Gresham would be a risk and a stretch. I’m guessing Lewis et al will have their list of players prioritized in order, and whoever is available on their list will be our pick. Could be offensive guard, could be safety, could be DE. It will depend on who is available. Kind of doubt it will be TE. Also, I think damn good TEs that wont be a reach, but good value picks, will be in later rounds. I think the only sure bet in the draft this year is Berry, and hope he doesn’t go to someone else in division.
Draft?
Any tightend in the draft will have a big learning curve on blocking schemes. This will be Coffman’s year to prove his worth. I am waiting for Kyle Rudolph in a few years, big, strong, & smart.
by Vman in Germany on Mar 14, 2010 4:21 PM EDT reply actions
I’d love to see a mid-round draft pick traded for Olsen whom the Bears are shopping. Foshi needs re-signed atleast for now…no way Coats makes team!
by Bdub14 on Mar 14, 2010 4:35 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
As long as we're writing off a fully healed Gresham...
We might as well start looking to move Palmer, Odom, and Andre Smith. Too much of a risk to count on these guys for anything, right?
So in your post above you...
complain about taking risks on unpolished players in the first 3 rounds of the draft….and then you propose taking a risk on a guy that’s had an injury history in the first round? Is Gresham not a “questionable player”, or the type of player in your previous post you called the Bengals idiots for not avoiding?
I believe the word I used was “projects”, as in wide receiver from a 1-AA school or TE who never blocked in college. Gresham had 25 touchdowns his sophomore and junior years and is scouted as an able blocker. 6’6, 260 pounds. Doesn’t sound like a project to me.
His knee injury was cartilage damage, nothing to do with the ligaments. As many of you have said, he didn’t “blow his knee out”. Could be wrong, but I’ve read nothing that suggests he won’t make a full recovery, if he’s not already at 100%. At that point, he’s just as likely to get injured as anyone else on the field. Adrian Peterson slipped because of a freak injury to his collar bone. He missed a good chunk of his senior season and turned out pretty well(fumbles aside).
And if for what ever reason he doesn’t check out, we look somewhere else, plain and simple. I’m just tired of the Bengals skirting around this position with second rate free agents and mid to low round draft picks. If he’s there and we like him(or another tight end) let’s nip this in the bud and wipe out that black hole in the middle of the field.
it isnt about writing off gersham
Its about making sure we have an nfl starter level TE next year. Regardless of Gershams scouting reports, if one expects a 22 year old who hasn’t played in a year to be your day 1 starter, well I’ve got some interesting investment ideas for you.
The bengals need to sign a TE with NFL starter skills and foschi and coats aint it.
by goffchile on Mar 14, 2010 5:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
1. Of the remaining free agent tight ends, who are you suggesting we sign with NFL starter skills?
2. Gresham, despite the injury, is still the #1 tight end by most projections. A top 15 pick if he’d come out after his junior year. More talent than any Bengal tight end since Rodney Holman, and you’d have major reservations starting him?
I’ll respectfully decline any ideas or advice you might have, but I appreciate the offer.
Id take anthony Fasano, David Thomas, Randy McMichael
even though i think the first 2 a RFA
www.fantasydaddy.com
If I had my pick
…I’d go after Fasano—but he’s tendered at a 2nd rounder so its unlikely. After that I think McMichael and perhaps LJ Smith.
The point is that if we assume Gersham to be our starter and don’t have a contingency plan—get ready for Dan Coats to be your starter.
what about our style of offense?
What do you guys think about how the Bengals’ offense is run? My impression has been that the tight end is primarily a blocker (probably why I was curious about the Coffman pick in the first place). It begs the question why we would draft Gresham at all… why not just draft the best player available (obviously with exceptions)? When our offense was at it’s peak, it was because of our receiving core, not because we had an Antonio Gates type player on the field. I’d rather spend the first round pick on Brandon Marshall, but we all know that’s not happening now…
The Bengals are going to increase the role of the TE position in the passing game.
by virginiastripes on Mar 15, 2010 12:39 AM EDT up reply actions
coffman wr
Why not use him as a WR since he’s been used as such? It would avoid the blocking DEs and OLBs, and we would at least get value out of him with his good hands.
At the time, Coffman was not expected to contribute
in his first year. We had Kelly and Utrecht. Coffman was worth a 3rd round pick b/c he was the best ever at TE in catching the football. Coaches expected to have 1-2 years to coach him up on blocking in the NFL. Then both Kelly and Utrecht went down to injury. Now you’re stuck with Coats and Foschi. I still feel that Coffman will become a decent blocker and an awesome TE in the passing game.
Of course the Bengals are going to give Chase Coffman a shot to start at TE. That’s why they drafted him. After all,the job is wide open and he is by far the most talented TE on the roster. As for Chris Baker,who cares? Is he really an improvement over JP Foschi? I think one thing is certain-the Bengals won’t go into the 2010 season with the same cast of TEs that they finished with in 2009. I also think that if they draft a guy like Rob Gronkowski to throw in with Coffman, Darius Hill and Reggie Kelly, they will be fine. Inexperienced as they are, both Coffman and Hill have real talent. These two guys are huge, athletic, and have superior ability to catch the ball. After a year of NFL blocking school, they should be ready to go. But don’t get me started on Dan Coats. Nate Livings probably has more ball skills than Coats.
by virginiastripes on Mar 15, 2010 12:36 AM EDT reply actions
These two guys are huge, athletic, and have superior ability to catch the ball.
…with zero NFL catches. Why not?
Re: Why not?
Lack of development at a specific skill set (blocking big NFL monsters), leading to failure to fit into a specific scheme. This has been discussed ad infinitum. Do you really need a recap?
“Big NFL Monsters”….Jesus Christ, you make it sound like Coffman is a kid. And I didn’t need his scouting report, but the condescension is always appreciated.
When someone here pulls a Geoff Hobson and gushes over players that have enjoyed little or no success, I’d like to know where they pull their information. What Coffman and Darius Hill did in college doesn’t mean squat to the bengals unless they can do the same at this level.
PS: Jason Shirley is a monster! He’ll be the best guard in football in 2 years! He’s fast…he’s strong…..someone shoot me.
Chase is ready..........according to Bengals training staff
I just read an article on Chase a while back, and all indications are, the Bengals are ready for him to step in.
That article I read said they were fully expecting him to step up and be in the line up this year. They’ve also said, they are expecting big time receiving out of him and stated he hasn’t missed or dropped a single pass this offseason at all. I wish I had bookmarked the article now so that I could post the link.
Either way, Chase should be ready, at least that’s what was said.
Please post it if you find it.
I’ve had the tentative feeling that the lack of any sort of interest being expressed in the TE position seems to indicate confidence in Coffman in the coaching staff.
I’ve read Brat quotes where he says the passing game is going to get the same kind of attention that the running game got last year…could this mean a bigger role for the pass-catching TE? I really hope so. With Coffman contributing and the personnel we have at WR now, this offense could really be something next year. Add in a D that sees some improvement through the draft, and damn – I’m getting a little psyched just typing this.
The best bet in the draft
Would be McCoy, at this point. He’s played in a pro style offense and is solid all-around. They need to address the TE position as well as Guard, D-Line and Safety. They’re actually surprising deep at some other positions and have a decent amount of picks, so they should look at trying to move up to get guys they really want.
Either way, they’ve ignored TE and Safety for almost two decades now and it’s time to address them with effective players. To solve the Guard and TE issues, I think they need to look at free agency AND the draft to fix it.
by BengalAnthony13 on Mar 15, 2010 3:33 PM EDT reply actions
I agree on McCoy
I am in the school of Mike Martz. If a TE can’t block you may as well put WR in the position. That is why I am for bringing in TO. If you have 3 WRs who can handle 1 on 1 and a line that can give them time to get open Carson will have a target on every down. Then we can put a good blocker in there and not telegraph pass or run. If your TE is McCoy he is big enough to block and does it at a reasonable level and will improve as he seasons. He can also catch the ball pretty dependably.
I think we are putting a bit too much emphasis on TE, not that a good one wouldn’t help. A QB can seldom have time to go thru a 4 receiver progression anyway. The key is a very good possession receiver in the slot who can go over the middle catch the ball and hold onto it. I am not a big fan of Caldwell but he has talent and maybe the light will go on for him. I would not draft a TE before the 2nd and McCoy should be the best available there. We only had one WR last year who Carson trusted. With Caldwell maturing, Chad and Bryant we have a pretty good 3 but it would be better with TO. That would be 2 and very likely 3 targets for Carson one of which will be open. Chad, Bryant and TO would beat one on ones and you can’t double all three. One of them will be open. The TE would be gravy but not essential. The key is for Caldwell to be able to beat one on one coverage, catch it and not give up the rock. A good slot guy can do what the TE does in the passing game. I am not saying don’t draft one. I am saying there are other positions where the #1 pick would improve out team more. At this point I would say that is Iutapi. If he is gone take Mays. If he is gone I would settle for Gresham.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
I'm not sure anyone gets it
What don’t you people get about TE’s and FB’s tell me one just one who had a really great year as a rookie it doesn’t happen they have a huge amount to learn coming in to the league they don’t play until they are a couple years in at least look at all the good TE’s in the NFL and they are all veterans not rookie and when they were rookies they sat the bench
by Henson58 on Mar 19, 2010 1:33 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
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