Dec 13, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler (68) blocks Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Cedric Thornton (72) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Bengals defeated the Eagles 34-13. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

In the past the Bengals have gotten away with taking 9 offensive linemen onto the final roster, opting for a guard/center or tackle/guard hybrid in order to increase depth at other positions; however, this year it would not be surprising if Cincinnati decided to take a starter and a backup at each position in addition to an amalgamation in one of those reserve roles.  A couple reasons why this makes sense – first, both Wharton and veteran center Kyle Cook have been shown to be injury prone, and second, with the amount of experience that these veteran players have, increasing exposure to as much potential talent in your young ranks is the smart part of the investment and continuity.  Further, it shouldn’t be a shock if at least one of these guys ends up on the practice squad as a placeholder.

At this point some roster spots are all but spoken.  Andrew Whitworth (LT), Andre Smith (RT) and Kevin Zeitler (G) are as close to locks as one can get, and with Travelle Wharton (G) it can be assumed that by retaining his services to the tune of $3.375M a year that he is intended to be kept as well.  Same line of logic would retain Kyle Cook (C) despite his abysmal play during the past several years.  Strangely enough, these five have the initial markings of the starting lineup.

However, the up-and-comers may have a say in all this.  Clint Boling (G) may be forced into the back seat by Wharton, but his play as a starter all last season was nothing short of outstanding for a 23-year old sophomore project from Georgia.  He’ll easily earn a seat at the table.  Same for Trevor Robinson (G/C).  The undrafted rookie took over as the third string center last season and was the only productive starter at that position.  However, past that, it’s a crap shoot.

Nov 11, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (16) celebrates with guard Trevor Robinson (66) after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the New York Giants at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Much of the Bengals draft grades have focused around the top four picks and their overall immediate utility, but Cincinnati’s real step forward was projecting considerable depth at every position, including some that many seem more concrete than others.  With the resigning of Andre Smith to right tackle, the gut feeling in greater Bengaldom is that the offensive line is now fully intact and ready for the season.  That may be a bit premature of a statement.

In January 2013, PFF and cincyjungle.com dished out the final grades for the Bengals offensive line.  Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith received scores of +22.8 and +29.2 respectively.  Rookie Kevin Zeitler notched a +13.3 score, and second year guard Clint Boling received +7.0, however; both struggled with their run blocking contributions towards the overall grade.  Nonetheless, center was by far the weakest position on the line with undrafted rookie Trevor Robinson having the highest score (-1.8) between himself and veterans Kyle Cook (-6.6) and Jeff Faine (-13.0).  More startling is that earlier in the spring of 2012, PFF had already ranked Cook the 4^th worst center in the NFL over the past 3 seasons.  While Robinson is a bit of a fan favorite and shows a lot of promise, it’s important to remember that he was brought in as a G/C hybrid for malleable depth on the roster, not to take over as the starter.  The Bengals like to 9-to-10 offensive line men on the final 53-man roster so justifying Robinson as dual-hatted or even a pure back-up guard very easy to swallow, considering that trifecta of talent in Boling, Zeilter and returning veteran Travelle Wharton.

However, while greater Bengaldom raises the proverbial eyebrow at last week’s news, a few things should be realized.  First, the terms of this deal aren’t public, which would indicate that the amount of guaranteed money in this contract is probably next to nothing, further suggesting that Tate isn’t part of the primary players the Bengals are looking to retain; he’s insurance.  Second and closely related, Coach Lewis routinely becomes even more guarded and pragmatic against the media during February, March and April than he does during the regular season.  It wouldn’t be surprising if another aspect of inking a largely meaningless, though public contract with Tate is a psychological wrinkle that is strategically put out for other teams around the NFL as they formulate their own Draft strategies.

Nov 18, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jalil Brown (30) is called for pass interference against Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Brandon Tate (19) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Conspiracy laden as it may be, the numbers don’t lie.  Tate’s average return was 24.8 yards last season which was tied for fifth in Bengals franchise history, however; when broken down, that’s the average of 32 returns totaling 795 yards, which is a net reduction from 2011 when he returned 42 for 998 yards and an average of 23.8 yards per return.  While the delta between 2011 and 2012 is only a yard, let’s remember that in 2011 Tate was 17^th among kick returners while this year he’s being heralded within a franchise’s history books by the Bengals lead writer, Geoff Hobson, a.k.a. Baghdad Hob.  What a difference a year makes…Or does it?  In 2012, of kick returners who fielded more than 15 kick-offs, there were not only 17 players who had a higher return average than Tate, but 14 of those also exploded for at least one longer return than Tate’s during the course of the season, and more than half found the end zone as well.  In the past two seasons with the Bengals, Tate has not only been unable to return a kick-off for a touchdown, but he also hasn’t ripped one off for more than 45 yards either.  More concerning than any of the previous stats, Tate’s instincts are terrible when returning within the red zone.  Thankfully, the Bengals have taken notice of this as well, significantly reducing his punt returns from 51 attempts in 2011 to 21 attempts in 2012.  Regardless, while Tate’s total returns, punts and kick-offs, were reduced by 40 to 53 returns in 2012, he still managed to cough up 4 fumbles – one more than in 2011.