When it comes to cornerback, Leon Hall has his position locked up. However, the team's other starting cornerback is somewhat up in the air. While Terence Newman started there last year and was re-signed, he isn't necessarily going to be named the starter without a little competition.
Here's who could be starting on the other side of the field from Hall:
The Favorites:
Terence Newman:
Newman started most of the team's games at corner opposite Hall in 2012 and he played fairly well despite his age. He's familiar with Mike Zimmer's defense and, while he didn't have a Pro Bowl season, he wasn't bad at all. He finished the year with 75 tackles, he broke up 10 passes and intercepted two. He was re-signed by the Bengals this offseason on a two-year deal and is likely on top of the depth chart as of right now.
Dre Kirkpatrick:
Kirkpatrick was selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, but a knee injury kept him out of the preseason as well as the first half of the season and a concussion and re-injuring his knee eventually landed him on Injured Reserve. Kirkpatrick should be at 100 percent when training camp and the preseason roll around. He's talented and in his time at Alabama he was a very good pass defender. However, we have no clue what to expect from him right now.
Adam Jones:
Jones had an outstanding year in 2012 and was considered one of the best third cornerbacks in the league. He's very good in coverage and could slide into either starting position should someone get injured. Due to the fact the Bengals were in the nickel formation for two-thirds of the team's snaps, Jones got a lot of playing time.
The Rest:
Brandon Ghee, Chris Lewis-Harris, Onterio McCalebb, Shaun Prater, Troy Stoudermire