FanPost

5 Bold Predictions for the last week of the NFL Offseason

John Grieshop

Many analysts every year say they have without a doubt predictions, bold choices and assumptions based on certain facts they can string together. I do not claim to be any better than them at performing these particular dances, but I hope to entertain you with the ideas I can come up with. Here's what will happen in the next week for the Cincinnati Bengals before the regular season gets under way in Baltimore.

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#1 Cobi Hamilton is waived in favor of one of "Hue's Guys"

Among the cuts this week in New York was WR Jacoby Ford. Ford played as a WR and KR under Hue Jackson in Oakland and flourished in his system. He has been bitten by the injury bug multiple years in the NFL and has played under some pretty bad quarterbacks in his tenure in Oakland. Not much can be said about his Preseason performances with the Jets as he only recorded 3 catches for 18 yards this year and that was all in one game. Hamilton has been wildly unimpressive this preseason despite having the most offensive snaps of any receiver on the team (62) and being targeted the most of any second stringer, he's only caught 5 of his 16 targets. Yes, there is probably a lot to say about quarterback play in the Jets game. But he also didn't fight very hard for Campbell's first pick six in Kansas City, he dropped an easy one in Arizona that effectively ended a drive. I really wanted him to take that 3rd position by the balls and become an integral part of this system but he just hasn't been able to produce against second string talent. That's alarming. Marvin Jones' rookie year he was lighting up the second stringers because that's how good he was. Hamilton supposedly has all this talent but can't get it done against the most mediocre of talent. During Ford's one year under Jackson as an OC in Oakland Ford churned out 470 yards and 2 TDs on 25 catches and 155 yards and 2 more TDs on 10 carries. Also one should note, Ford had 4 Kick Return TDs in his time with Oakland that's double what Tate has. Speaking of Tate....

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#2 Brandon Tate's solid yet unspectacular play is traded for Ford's upside

If it's not Hamilton it will be Tate. But I think both could happen. Brandon Tate has been a rock for special teams in the past 3 years. Dependable, consistent, but most of all, boring. He has the Bengals franchise records for return average and total yards in a season, but he's not someone any team plans for. He isn't scary. His legs do not bring fear. He almost fumbled in Arizona Sunday night, he was better last year about when to run out of the end zone or when to take or fair catch than he was in 2012 or 2011. But he isn't someone who can routinely flip field position or can have a possibility of taking it to the house every play. If it came down to a player that only had the responsibility of the return duties or just kick return with Adam Jones taking the punt reps, I think you have to go for the guy with the home run ability. Ford I think has that home run ability. Certainly much more than Tate.

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#3 Sean Porter takes Jayson DiManche's spot as #5

Porter made an excellent bid for the team with an excellent night in pass coverage, including a game-ending interception. His 2013 season was cut short by a torn shoulder muscle after being drafted by the Bengals in the 4th round of last year's draft. Linebacker seems to be a very talented crowded room for the Bengals this year. This is not to say DiManche will be off the team. The Bengals traditionally keep 6 linebackers on the team and with the top 4 locked. (Burfict, Maualuga, Lamur, Rey) The last two spots seem to be up for grabs, with Porter only playing one preseason game, DiManche has the edge, but I think Porter will show up well against the Colts Thursday and push him up two spots on the depth chart, leapfrogging DiManche and Flowers. This will send Flowers to the practice squad pending he clears waivers.

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#4 The secondary goes short

It seems, if Kirkpatrick can stay healthy he is finally getting to a serviceable point in this secondary. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time doesn't he? He has made some big plays. The ball in the air, unlike some defensive backs, seems to just stick to his hands. Conversely, he has been burnt very convincingly in the past. A lot of that might be attributed to his lack of experience in the game because of his extensive injury history. But with him and Traditionally, the Bengals keep 10 defensive backs. The make up of how many safeties and corners differs from year to year, but typically 10 is the magic number here. The Bengals opt to only keep 9 this year because the lack of any discernible depth at corner after the top 5 and the top 4 for safety. Hall, Jones, Newman, Kirkpatrick and Dennard will be the team's corners. Nelson, Iloka, Williams and Mays will round out the safeties. I just haven't seen enough from Daniel Manning to constitute a roster spot for him. Chris Lewis-Harris is out for a two game suspension. I bet they let him go for the two weeks of his suspension and pull him back into the fray if he's still available. With only 9 defensive backs the Bengals will opt for a position with excess of talent, like LB. But they will likely keep an extra Offensive of Defensive lineman.

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#5 TRADE ALERT: Indy does it again

A couple times, in the last 7 years, the Bengals have made a tough cut for running back, and the Colts have been there to scoop up the player. In particular, in '08, it was DeDe Dorsey, remember him? and last year, it was Dan Herron, who seems to be having a good preseason over there this year. But The Colts get fed up with the man that is Trent Richardson. He lost something along the way and now he's going to get replaced. The Bengals seem to have effectively found his replacement in rookie Jeremy Hill, and he just doesn't match the system Hue Jackson runs. Jackson incorporated a large amount of (effective) rushing in Oakland, we all know this. But the 3 back attack used that year also caught 80 passes out of the backfield for 1034 yards. That's pretty darn impressive. In fact that's good enough for 30% of the teams passing yard in 2010. BJGE has, in his Bengals career, caught 26 balls for 126 yards and 0 scores, including only 4 catches last year. That doesn't seem like a scheme fit to me. However the running back hungry Colts could use a little muscle and dependability. The Bengals give them their RB cut this year early in a trade that yields them a 6th round pick in 2016 or a conditional one in 2015. In the immortal words of N'SYNC, Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis, "You may hate me but it ain't no lie, BYE BYE BYE."

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.