DeDe Dorsey - Dorsey had an impressive start this pre-season, but his productivity dropped off against Green Bay and Indy -- only eight carries. The thing with Dorsey was that his impressive stint was against junior varsity defenses -- he got no opportunities to play against varsity defenses. The biggest hurdle for DeDe was Quincy Wilson and Kenny Watson. Dorsey finished the pre-season second on the team with 149 rushing yards.
Ben Wilkerson - The #3 center was brought on last year as an undrafted free agent rookie. Injury prevented Wilkerson from going high in the draft and from making the team this year. With Eric Ghiaciuc, the eventual successor to Rich Braham, Wilkerson didn't have a chance. The Browns, after losing 5,214 centers this year, will probably pick up the former 2004 All-SEC first team center. I'm just guessing though...
Reggie McNeal - I don't understand this one. The team picked him to make Antwaan Randle El like contributions. Instead, he played little and likely didn't impress anyone. What was the point of this? Just to draft someone because you had to?
Darnell Sanders and Ronnie Ghent - Combined, both tight ends caught 2 passes for 11-yards (both by Ghent). With the team only keeping two tight ends on roster -- actually three if you include long snapper Brad St. Louis -- if Reggie Kelly goes down then our starting tight end is Tony Stewart. Uh-oh. But this move doesn't surprise me -- the Bengals have to be the team that least uses their tight end in the offense.
Ethan Kilmer - I'm glad Kilmer got a spot. Kilmer has shown to be in the here and now on special teams. The depth at safety isn't as deep like other positions, but Kilmer has shown he can play in the NFL.
Linebackers - You figure Pollack, Simmons, Johnson and Wilkins were assured spots. Wilkins, if you're not aware, is a good special teams guy. Brooks is very raw and will improve as time goes on. Nicholson made a couple of special teams tackles this pre-season and will probably settle in that role. Rashad Jeanty, to me, created the most buzz for a new guy. His pass rushing skills and point of attack in the backfield was very impressive. I can't wait to see what Jeanty can do during the regular season. Caleb Miller was a toss up. But his saving grace was his contributions on special teams and ability to play all linebacker spots.
Greg Brooks - Brooks has been on the bubble since the team drafted him in '04. He hit the IR with a hamstring injury in `04 and played sparingly in '05. Brooks, likely, was kept for his special teams play and big-play moments during the pre-season.
What are your thoughts?