The Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up their 2010 preseason with a 30-28 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. With the starters seeing little action, the game was highlighted by the numerous players attempting to make their case for a spot on the Bengals 53 man roster.
After adding key players throughout the offseason, the defending AFC North champions displayed some interesting position battles during training camp. With all 32 teams required to have their roster slimmed down to 53 by Saturday, the final preseason game against the Colts was considered a do-or-die situation for some players on the bubble. Here are five players who made a strong case for a spot on the Bengals roster.
Mike Nugent
The competition between Mike Nugent and Dave Rayner for kicker was expected to be one of the most interesting position battles during training camp—and it certainly lived up to the hype.
Over the first few weeks, Rayner appeared to have a slight edge over Nugent—mainly because Nugent missed the beginning of training camp with a groin injury. Once he returned, it seemed to be an even competition between the two kickers. But as of late, Nugent has emerged as the favorite for the starting spot at kicker on the Bengals roster.
In five preseason games, Rayner has converted on 6 of 8 kicks while Nugent had made 3 of 4. However, Nugent has the edge over Rayner considering he was successful on two kicks beyond 50 yards—one from 54 against the Bills and another from 52 against the Colts.
Cedric Peerman
As bad as it sounds, Brian Leonard’s foot injury was the best scenario for Cedric Peerman.
Last season, Leonard was one of the most valuable players to use on third down for the Bengals. Unfortunately, the status of his return is still unknown after injuring his foot during the Hall of Fame game against the Dallas Cowboys.
With Leonard out, Cincinnati was in need of another third-down running back to play behind Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott. After Thursday’s game against the Colts, Peerman appears to be the candidate over James Johnson—who re-joined the Bengals shortly after Leonard went down.
Johnson has looked impressive, but it’s hard to deny Peerman the spot after his performance against the Colts and Eagles this preseason. Along with his 93-yard touchdown run against Indianapolis, Peerman rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns two weeks ago during Cincinnati’s 22-9 win over Philadelphia.
Jordan Palmer
While this pick may seem a bit absurd considering the Bengals have no other options at quarterback beyond Jordan Palmer, take into consideration all of the discussion surrounding Carson’s brother the last few weeks.
Palmer has been decent so far this preseason, but hasn’t been impressive enough to guarantee him a roster spot. In fact, a few analysts even suggested the possibility of Cincinnati keeping just two quarterbacks on their 53 man roster considering the talent level at other positions.
Before Thursday’s game, Palmer had completed 19 of 38 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions during his first four preseason games. Against the Colts, Palmer made a strong case for why he deserves a roster spot, completing 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Jerome Simpson and Dezmon Briscoe
Now that Antonio Bryant is no longer part of the team, the Bengals have four players (Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Jordan Shipley, and Andre Caldwell) that are considered “locks” for a roster spot. Cincinnati will most likely keep two players for the No. 5 and 6 spot at wide receiver—with Jerome Simpson and Dezmon Briscoe as the favorites for the final spots.
The Bengals have been waiting for Simpson to live up to his potential after selecting the former Coastal Carolina standout in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has just one career catch for two yards—which seemed to make his chances for a roster spot difficult considering this is arguably one of the most talented groups of wide receivers in a long time. However, Simpson may have earned a spot after his performance against the Colts after hauling in six catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.
As for Briscoe, he only made one reception against Indianapolis—but it was a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Palmer that ended up being the difference maker in the win. He may have been a sixth-round pick, but the Bengals will most likely want to hold on to Briscoe because of the high potential he shows at wide receiver.
Briscoe was considered one of the most talented wide receivers in this year’s draft class, but his stock slipped because of his off the field issues. If he can manage to stay out of trouble, the Bengals may end up with a steal in Briscoe considering he finished with 1,407 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns during his sophomore season at Kansas.
For more coverage on the Bengals 2010 offseason, click here.
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