The Cincinnati Bengals have talked about using Orson Charles in the backfield, even assigned him as an "H-B" on the team's roster. And for the uninitatied, "H-B" stands for "H-Back" (think Reggie Kelly), a term we've already been applying to Charles since the offseason training program closed shop several week ago.
There was always a thought, or a sliver of belief, that Charles would still be defined as a tight end playing in the backfield.
We might as well drop those perspectives.
Bengals running backs coach Hue Jackson says that's he moving to the backfield. Story closed.
"I’m excited about the group of guys we have," Jackson said via the Dayton Daily News. "BenJarvus Green-Ellis is obviously the guy we’re going to follow, and trying to develop Orson Charles at fullback. He’s a guy we know can play tight end but we’re moving him to the backfield. He brings athleticism and natural pass-catching ability to the position. I think we have the ability to be more creative in the backfield this season."
We believe that this is a move to find any excuse for keeping him on the 53-man roster. A smart move, in our opinion. A talented kid that could deliver a balanced foundation with soft hands but also as a decent blocker, Charles was starting to look like the odd man out after the team drafted Tyler Eifert and signed Alex Smith in free agency.
The only thing at this point is deciphering if the team plans on keeping Chris Pressley and Charles or if we're brewing for a slobber-knocker.