A Look at the Bengals’ LBs (post-Odell Edition)
By david
According to Mark Curnutte, Bengals beat writer at the Cincinnati Enquirer, the team still has 11 linebackers even after the release of Odell Thurman. I would argue the number is substantially smaller, more like…two.
With Thurman’s departure, the team has only two LBs who have proven they can start at the NFL level, nine-year vet Dhani Jones, and former CFL defensive end Rashad Jeanty. Jones, formerly of the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and, briefly, New Orleans Saints, was an emergency signing two games into the 2007 season, pulled in off the street after injuries blew up the Bengals’ linebacking unit. He responded by posting 89 tackles — the second-highest number in his career — a sack, two forced fumbles and three passes defensed in 14 games (9 starts). Arguably the team’s best linebacker last year, the Bengals rewarded him in February with a three-year deal and a starting job at either weak or middle linebacker.
Jeanty spent three years as a defensive end with the Edmonton Eskimos before signing with the Bengals in 2006. Playing on the strong side, he hasn’t been much of a sack threat (zero sacks in two seasons) but has been stout against the run. He has had some problems staying healthy, missing four games in 2006 and six in 2007 due to foot and leg injuries.
But beyond that, the Bengals have little more than question marks.
First-round pick Keith Rivers? Yes, he looked good in drills during rookie camp, and everyone believes he will quickly become a fixture at WILL, but he isn’t even on the team yet. The Bengals are notorious for rocky negotiations with first-round picks — the last LB they drafted in the first, David Pollack in 2005, missed all of training camp due to a contract dispute — and the owners’ vote today to opt out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement will only add to the contractual complexity this year. Toss in the fact that we’re talking about owner Mike Brown forking over top-10 money and, well, I won’t say, expect a holdout — but don’t be surprised if it happens.
Ahmad Brooks, taken in the third round of the 2006 supplemental draft after problems with Thurman began to surface, remains an enigma. Coming in late as he did, Brooks lagged behind the rest of the ’06 class and saw only limited action, appearing in 11 games (5 starts). His performance was mixed. At times, he flashed brilliant ability; other times, he looked completely lost. However, there was enough of the former to believe that with experience, Brooks could be a stud ‘backer, and he was named starter at middle linebacker prior to the 2007 season.
Unfortunately, Brooks’ season ended almost before it began. He suffered a groin tear in the opener against Baltimore that eventually required surgery. As of this writing, he is still recovering, and could manage only limited reps during last week’s voluntary OTA. It’s not known whether he’ll be ready by September. Even if he is, he may not be at 100%. On top of that, he has a pending court appearance to answer charges that he punched a woman in the face during an argument with a neighbor, and so could face discipline (read: a suspension) from the Commissioner’s office.
What about Eric Henderson, a standout college DE who went undrafted due to “tweener” status and injury concerns? He signed with the Bengals in 2006 and spent the year on the practice squad learning the linebacker job. Coming into 2007, he appeared to have a good chance to make the roster, but a broken wrist in preseason landed him on IR for the year. During last week’s OTAs, Henderson indicated that he was being moved back to defensive end. But even if Odell’s departure and Brooks’ injury questions cause the coaching staff to reverse themselves again, Henderson has yet to appear in a regular season game.
Darryl Blackstock? A free agent out of Arizona, where he backed up Calvin Pace, Blackstock scored three sacks last year as a situational pass rusher. He appeared in 46 games with the Cardinals, but notched just 2 starts, the most recent of which was week 2 of the 2006 season. Brandon Johnson? Yet another refugee from the desert, Johnson played in 9 games (no starts) in two years with the Cards. Jim Maxwell? He’s on his fourth team in five years. Corey Mays? His sole start in three years with New England and Cincinnati came last season in Cincy, when the Bengals were about one injury shy of having to pull guys out of the stands and suit them up. Anthony Hoke and Dan Howell? Undrafted free agents whose prospects of making the final roster are slim.
Now, maybe one or more of those guys really is an undiscovered LaVar Arrington or Ray Lewis, but the odds on that couldn’t be called good. All we know for certain is that the team has two guys who are solid, two guys who might be, eventually and if healthy and if not suspended, and then a whole bunch of career backups and special team types who have a great opportunity to win a job. Stripe Hype wishes those guys the best of luck, not just because they need it, but when it comes to the LB corps, so do the Bengals.