Now that final cuts have been made and the Bengals are preparing for week 1 against the Broncos, let’s compare the Bengals starters against week 1 of last season. Are the Bengals a better team or not? We will see.

Offensive Comparisons:


Position – 2008 Starter – 2009 Starter

QB – Palmer – Palmer -- No Change
Hopefully, Palmer will be back to full strength this year and ready for another 4,000 yard season. However, Carson has had trouble with injuries and taken many hits over his time as a Bengal. The offensive line this season has everyone nervous, but Carson needs to avoid hits and stay healthy for the Bengals to have any chance of success.

RB – Chris Perry – Cedric Benson – Improvement
The Bengals seriously entered last season with Perry and Watson as the 1-2 punch? Neither of them is currently in the NFL, were the people behind last season’s decision fired? Nope, they are on a 20 year run of ridiculous decisions, why change now? Benson, Dede, Scott and Leonard provide much better depth at RB, but Benson is not near the savior the Bengals promote him to be. Benson averaged 3.5 yards per carry last season, and his 2 monster games were in week 16 and 17 against the Chiefs and Browns. They are 2 of only 5 teams that were worse than the Bengals last season.

WR -- Ochocinco – Ochocinco – Improvement
Chad this season appears to be much different than Chad from 2008. In 2008, Chad came in out of shape and angry about his contract. He also separated his shoulder in the preseason. With a renewed focus and a healthy Palmer, Chad should return to the top of the AFC WR list.

WR – Houshmandzadeh – Coles – Downgrade
While Coles is a steady and experienced pro, TJ has been with the Bengals since Palmer’s first day in the building. Replacing that time together cannot happen in one offseason. However, the improvement in Chris Henry will be a huge boost to the WR corps as a whole. We will have to see if someone can step up and become Palmer’s 3rd down go to.

LT -- Levi Jones – Whitworth – Improvement
Whitworth is the best Lineman on the Bengals, so he is charged with the task of protecting Palmer’s blindside. Levi’s strength during his career was his athleticism, but knee injuries over the years took his athleticism away. That is why Levi is currently out of the NFL. Whitworth is a solid and dependable left tackle.

LG – Whitworth – Livings – Downgrade
Livings spent 2006 and 2007 on the Bengals practice squad before being made active for the last 6 games of 2009. In those games he played well, however, those were late season blowouts and meaningless games against the Chiefs and Browns. This season will be Living’s first season of true action.

C – Ghiaciuc – Cook – Does it matter?
Kyle Cook was on the Bengals practice squad in 2007 and injured reserve in 2008. He has yet to take his first NFL snap at center. Replacing Ghiaciuc should not be too difficult, but Cook was on the roster the last 2 years behind Ghiaciuc. That has to make the Bengals backfield uneasy.

RG – Bobbie – Bobbie – No Change
Bobbie Williams has been solid since his first day as a Bengal. The Bengals know the RG spot is still on lockdown.

RT – Stacy Andrews -- Anthony Collins – Downgrade
Stacy Andrews was playing under the franchise tag last year and did everything he could to leave the Bengals. Due to Andre Smith’s holdout, Anthony Collins is starting in his second season. Collins should improve as the season progresses due to his NFL career being so young.

TE – Reggie Kelly – Daniel Coats -- Downgrade
The Bengals lost their top 2 TEs in training camp. Reggie Kelly played a large role in the running game and helping in pass protection. Daniel Coats played his way onto the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Coats is a decent all around TE, but he does not have the blocking skills of Kelly, nor the receiving skills of Utecht.

FB -- Coats/Utecht / Jeremi Johnson – Upgrade?
Not only did the Bengals enter last season with Perry and Watson, they also did not carry a fullback in week one 2008. Instead, Daniel Coats played some fullback while Ben Utecht sometimes entered as a 2nd TE. While Jeremi Johnson has had his issues over the years, at least he is a fullback. That should help the Bengals running attack and pass protection.

The Bengals are much improved in the backfield going into this season, but they are facing trouble with the O-line. Three of the five starting linemen and the TE are facing their first significant starting duties of their careers. If they can step up and come together as a unit, the Bengals offense will be extremely dangerous. However, if a few members falter, opposing teams will find and expose the Bengals weaknesses. Depth is also an issue as the four 1st time starters are backed by players with even less experience. Injuries are a fact of NFL life and injuries at the wrong position could quickly turn the Bengals into a 4 win team again.

Check back for a defensive comparison later in the week.