[Stardust]

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Chad Ochocinco is looking to bounce back. Photo by Jeff Swinger/The Enquirer
Who’s back: Receivers — Starter Chad Ochocino; Reserves Andre Caldwell, Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson, Antonio Chatman, Maurice Purify. Tight ends - Starter Reggie Kelly; Reserves Daniel Coats and Ben Utecht,

Who’s new: Receivers - Laveranues Coles (free agent), Freddie Brown (seventh round), Quan Cosby, Greg Orton and David Richmond (college free agents). Tight ends - Chase Coffman (third round) and Darius Hill (college free agent).
Who’s gone: Receivers - T.J. Houshmandzadeh (free agency to Seahawks), Glenn Holt (free agency to Vikings), Mario Urrutia (released, later signed by Jets).

Looking back: The receivers struggled to gain any sort of consistency after Carson Palmer injured his elbow. With Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, he didn’t have the ability to throw it as long downfield and also scrambled at the slightest hint of trouble, forcing the receivers to improvise. Houshmandzadeh led the team in catches for the third straight year (91) but Ochocinco posted his lowest numbers since his rookie year (53 catches, 540 yards). Henry played the final 12 games and had 19 catches, including two for TDs while Caldwell showed his potential in the season finale against Kansas City with 83 all-purpose yards. Simpson was plagued by injuries the entire year and had only one catch, which came in Week 7 against Pittsburgh. As for the tight ends, Kelly started 15 games and set a personal Bengals high in receptions with 31. Utecht struggled with injuries for most of the season and finished with 16 catches.

Four Downs
Which Chad shows up? Yes, he’s been doing plenty of talking and tweeting, but Ochocinco did come into OTAs and minicamp in great shape. He looks determined to return to prior form which means over 90 catches, 1,000 yards and 7-9 touchdowns. If he can also stretch defenders deep, that means more opportunities for Coles, Caldwell and Henry.

Laveranues Coles
Coles steps in: He doesn’t say a lot in the locker room, but Coles did make his presence known on the field, making many nice grabs near the sidelines. He will step into Houshmandzadeh’s role as a possession receiver and could also stretch defenses deep since he is a little better on yards after catch.

Third-down receiver: Houshmandzadeh led the league last year in third-down catches with 31. That’s a lot of catches to make up, but Caldwell and Henry look ready to step up. In three-receiver sets, Caldwell looks like he will play on the inside, which makes him one of the top options for Palmer while Henry, who had the best offseason of everyone, looks physically and mentally ready to become that big-play receiver fans loved in 2006.

Other options: Utecht and Coffman could also become valuable for Palmer. Both are more receiving tight ends than blockers and can get open on downfield routes. Coffman had a broken foot and missed most of the offseason workouts, but his quickness in picking up blocks will determine how often he gets on the field.

An Outsiders View
Robert Weintraub of Football Outsiders talks about the Bengals receivers and tight ends: “Our KUBIAK projection system forecasts Lavernues Coles to make up for about two-thirds of T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s lost production, mostly as a complementary receiver. He certainly cannot match Touraj’s competitive fire and swinging ponytail. That means Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry are squarely on the spot. Henry’s 2008 was essentially lost–without Palmer at QB, Henry’s deep routes were just sprint drills. Ryan FitzPopgun couldn’t reach most of Henry’s routes with two throws. But Palmer loves throwing to Henry, so look for him to become a crucial part of the offense.As for the mouth that never sleeps, our projections foresee un ano grande from Senor Ochocinco–over 1,000 receiving yards and ten touchdowns.Chad’s increasing fragility is a concern, along with his tenuous mental health. But if he responds to the challenge of making up for Housh’s absence, he could return to prominence, and daily SportsCenter appearances. Andre Caldwell projects as a solid fourth receiver, and should get some runs out of the slot position. Hopefully someone can break a few tackles–the Bengals were last in the league in Yards After Catch.

Ben Utecht was an injury-riddled disappointment in 2008, and with the drafting of Chase Coffman, Utecht needs to get off to a fast start. His catch percentage plumetted from 84% in 2007 to 57% last year, and he dropped from the second-ranked tight end in DVOA to the 42nd. Worse, he seems not to enjoy the physical aspects of the game, a decided handicap in the smashmouth AFC North. Coffman broke his foot in OTAs, so he’ll be a bit behind. It remains to be seen if Coffman’s long frame and loping gait translates to the quick-hitting NFL patterns he’ll be asked to run, but his collegiate production was exceptional. Reggie Kelly is the best blocker, and as Carson Palmer’s buddy will always have a gig.”

[bigjim4packers]

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