That being said, it’s never too early to start considering the odds.  The position with arguably the most talent and the least vacancies is linebacker, which ironically was often touted as one of the largest areas of need for the Bengals during the off season.  Over the past three seasons, Cincinnati has taken 6 or 7 linebackers onto the final 53-man roster; a bit heavy for a team that ran more than 50% of its defensive snaps from a nickel package last season.  Undrafted rookie phenomenon, Vontaze Burfict is all but a lock to make the roster, and with the signing of James Harrison and the re-signing of Rey Maualuga, two more names seem obvious to pencil in as well.  That leaves reserve, developmental talent, or specialty package players with which to slate the remaining roster positions.

December 9, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Emmanuel Lamur (59) tackles Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin (19) at Paul Brown Stadium. Dallas won the game 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Emmanuel Lamur is the most likely of the remaining candidates to pick up a slot, but in no regards is that guaranteed.  The undrafted converted safety-to-linebacker was one of the first of his kind to make it onto a Pro roster before such a conversion became vogue and seemingly a prerequisite for linebackers during this year’s NFL Draft, but his single-year familiarity with Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defensive schemes may still get out-weighed by some of the other talent behind him, despite seeing time in almost half the Bengals games last season.  Let’s not leave Vincent Rey out of this pool either.  The 3^rd year player from Duke still has a year left on his contract. 

Nov 25, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Oakland Raiders fullback Jeremy Stewart (32) is tackled by the Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict (55) and middle linebacker Rey Maualuga (58) during the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Raiders 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Specifically with the linebackers.  It’s no secret that Rey Maualuga’s play at MIKE down the stretch was an Achilles’ heel for Cincinnati, which led greater Bengaldom to cry out for an overhaul at the position.  Common thought is this would be accomplished in the Draft with the likes a player like Alec Ogletree or Manti Te’o, both of whom come with visible ‘buyer beware’ tags.  To most’s chagrin, the Bengals may be finishing all linebacker upgrades in the next week without tripping any League-wide alarms at all.

Historically, the Bengals keep six to seven linebackers on the final roster.  The numbers usually break down as follows: three starters, a back-up MIKE, a coverage WILL, a pass-rushing SAM, and a developmental rookie with one of the later three being a special teams-oriented player.  Vontaze Burfict and Rey Maualuga can be safely counted two of as the starting three at this point.  Emmanuel Lamur played very well done the stretch last season, and was excellent in coverage, making him a very special third-down rotational linebacker and back up WILL.  Vincent Rey, third year linebacker out of Duke also signed his tender as a RFA this past February, and has seen a lot of time on special teams.

(AP Photo/David Kohl) edited by NobodysBurfict.com

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