Nov 18, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (12) runs after a catch against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Cincinnati won the game 28-6. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

This offseason at the NFL owners meetings, Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis was asked about Mohammed Sanu and his progress of becoming cemented as the Bengals number 2 wide receiver opposite A.J. Green. Lewis commented on how versatile and mature Sanu has become and even went as far to say, “Hell, he could start for us at free safety if he wanted to.” I know Marvin is really making a compliment toward how much Mohamed Sanu has progressed as a 2^nd year player, but it begs me to ask, how good is this guy? Can he be the answer to the ever important number 2 wide receiver question?

It’s also worth noting that Lewis also said that he believes Sanu is ahead of where former Bengals wideout Chad Johnson was entering his second season in 2002.

Here is a quick history on Sanu since it has been nearly a year since he was drafted by the Bengals. Sanu was talented enough at Rutgers University to play wide receiver and when needed, quarterback. Sanu set a Big East record in 2011, catching 115 passes for 1,206 yards, a record previously held by Larry Fitzgerald. Sanu was also the victim of a cruel hoax when someone pretending to be Mike Brown called him and said the Bengals were selecting him 27^th overall. Everything did turn out okay though when Sanu’s phone rang two days later and the real Mike Brown said the Bengals were drafting him 83^rd overall.

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Our first look at Mohamed Sanu, besides preseason, came in week 3 against the Redskins when, on the first play from scrimmage, Sanu lined up in the Wildcat formation and threw a play action bomb to a streaking A.J. Green for a 73 yard touchdown. With that throw, he became the first Bengals receiver to throw a touchdown pass. Fans and media began to really pay attention to Mohamed Sanu when he caught his first touchdown pass against the reigning super bowl champion New York Giants. Over the next two weeks Sanu became a favorite red zone target for QB Andy Dalton, where Sanu had 7 catches, 3 of which were touchdowns. On November 30, 2012, Mohamed Sanu’s season was cut short to have surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot.

Moving forward to 2013, and there is no reason to think that Sanu can’t slide into the #2 receiver role. The guy has a reputation for having great hands, being a versatile player, and an obvious red zone threat. Sanu came into the league at 6 foot 2, and 210 lbs, which is the right size and pedigree of that #2 receiver position. With Andy Dalton targeting A.J. Green 38% of the time last season, there is no doubt someone needs to line up opposite him to take that pressure away, and a healthy Mohamed Sanu is that guy. I just don’t think he will be playing free safety anytime soon, but, you never know.

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September 24, 2011; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Tyler Eifert (80) runs after a pass reception against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Irish won 15-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

There’s already a lot of expectations for rookie tight end Tyler Eifert to come in an d have an immediate impact on an offense that ranked 19th in  Football Outsider’s passing offense efficiency rankings last year.

Sean O’Donnell thinks expectations need to be tempered a little when it comes to Eifert, and while he sees the Notre Dame rookie as the future at TE, don’t expect him to rack up stats this year:

Although he will not be starting, Eifert will see plenty of time when he spells Gresham or in two-tight end sets. However, there are so many different weapons on the Bengals offense this season that it may be difficult for Eifert to get many touches even when he does see some playing time.

Yes, Eifert will be the tight end of the future for the Bengals. However, his expectations as a rookie should be tempered due to the aforementioned factors.

2013 Projection: 38 receptions, 417 yards, two touchdowns.

It’s easy to see rookie running back Giovani Bernard having a big impact in his rookie year after he scored 31 touchdowns in the past two seasons at North Carolina while posting a school-record 5.9 yards per rush in racking up 2,481 rushing yards and 852 as a receiver. Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis had this to say in a statement yesterday after the team signed him to his rookie contract:

Giovani is a dynamic guy, both running the football and catching it. And he was one of North Carolina’s hardest-working guys on the team, so he fits the mold of guys we like – not only good, but extremely hard-working.

And be sure to listen to Episode 3 of Bengals Central Radio, as Sean and Chris Roling talk about the NFL Draft and fantasy football with Shane P. Hallam, the President of DraftTV.

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Sep 30, 2012; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones (24) celebrates after a fourth quarter touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Everbank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Our first question comes from @razor_michael:

@stripehype why doesn’t @realpacman24 return punts on a full time basis? That dude creates excitement when he touches the ball!

— Michael Villanueva (@razor_michael) May 19, 2013

My guess is that it has to do with his durability more than anything. He basically gets starter’s snaps at cornerback with Mike Zimmer using 5 defensive backs so often, and having him do full-time punt-return duties would likely lead to him getting injured and missing multiple games.

Adam used to be a better return-man than an actual CB, but after managing to play in 16 games last year for the first time in his 6-year NFL career, he graded out among our top ten corners in terms of coverage grade (+9.9, including playoffs) by Pro Football Focus. That kind of impact is what made the Bengals defense elite last year, and that’s much more important than Jones being on the punt team full-time.

Other Twitter responses

@stripehype Dalton going deep is music to every fans ears, and perfect to aj so he can maximize his potential, whodey!

— michele prince (@mizzshelby73) May 24, 2013

@stripehype year 3 baby!! Time to shine!!

— Carl Unchained (@2wyckedcarl) May 23, 2013

Responding to our article Andy Dalton has to Shed “Average” Label for Bengals to Win Big in 2013, Mark Naltner shared his thoughts on Facebook:

He has the o-line and all the weapons he needs to do that this year. No excuses if he can’t.

Very well said Mark. Dalton has had a tough first two years with A.J. Green being his only consistent weapon. Jermaine Gresham is too inconsistent, and having to throw to the likes of Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson, and a pair of rookies last year, it’s been tough for Dalton to establish good chemistry with his receivers.

Between Cedric Benson and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, he also never had a safety-valve to dump the ball off too when under pressure, and more often then not was forced to take a sack or throw up a prayer.

With Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones back along with the addition of Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard, there’s no more excuses for Dalton. He has to come out and post a QB rating better than 87, which used to be good by NFL standards, but in toady’s pass-happy league, you need to be better than that. He also can’t take 46 sacks when he has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

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