Thoughts On Jonathan Martin To The Bengals?

By now, you would have to have been living in a bomb shelter to not know the story between Miami Dolphins offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. While most have painted Incognito the villain (and have good reason to), while others have made the proclamation that Martin just needs to toughen up. Whichever camp you're in, it's hard to dispute the notion that Martin likely won't be back in South Beach for the 2014 season.

Since the Ted Wells report came out on Friday, Martin and his representation have been saying that Martin will definitely be playing football once again next season. In both college at Stanford and in his two seasons as a pro, Martin has played at both left and right tackle. There is even a possibility that he could play guard, if absolutely needed. Regardless of which position he plays next season, it's very likely that Martin would play much better when out of the toxic Dolphins atmosphere.

The Cincinnati Bengals locker room, by most accounts, is rock solid and very cohesive at this point and it's fair to say that there wouldn't be any kind of the "harassment" or "bullying" that Martin received with his old team. With the team potentially looking at a left tackle option because of the free agent status of Anthony Collins and a possible preference by the staff to keep Andrew Whitworth at guard (even though it isn't his preference), could Martin become a player that Cincinnati looks at?

It's all about price of course, and one would have to assume that his value is pretty low at the moment--especially if we are talking about a trade here. He missed nine games last season because of this issue, has played somewhat inconsistently and a media circus could follow Martin wherever he lands. Teams will be doubting his commitment to football as well as his tenacity on the field.

Still, he was a second round pick and has a lot of athleticism and talent. As mentioned earlier, Martin could thrive in a more positive environment and see a career renaissance. If the Bengals want Whitworth at guard, are unable to re-sign Collins and can get Martin at a bargain price would/should they do it?