It's early I know, still need to see TC and preseason games. But who you think makes the final cut ? Usually 6 make the 53 and then probably at least 1 on the PS.

We know the locks: AJ, Boyd, and Ross. Who are the final 3 and PS ?

Ventell Bryant - R
Cody Core - 4
Alex Erickson - 4
Josh Malone - 3
Stanley Morgan - R
Hunter Sharp - 1
Auden Tate - 2
Kermit Whitfield - 1
Damion Willis - R

I'd say there's a real good chance Alex Erickson makes it, I'm not sure I'd call him a lock ?

I've always thought Josh Malone was gonna develop into a good 4th WR but thus far he's not really produced.

Of course ST always figures into final couple guys.

Who's your final 3 to make the cut ? Who makes the PS ?

Erickson, Core, and Malone probably, with Tate on the PS. So basically nothing changes.

(06-08-2019, 10:38 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: It's early I know, still need to see TC and preseason games. But who you think makes the final cut ? Usually 6 make the 53 and then probably at least 1 on the PS.

We know the locks: AJ, Boyd, and Ross. Who are the final 3 and PS ?

Ventell Bryant - R
Cody Core - 4
Alex Erickson - 4
Josh Malone - 3
Stanley Morgan - R
Hunter Sharp - 1
Auden Tate - 2
Kermit Whitfield - 1
Damion Willis - R

I'd say there's a real good chance Alex Erickson makes it, I'm not sure I'd call him a lock ?

I've always thought Josh Malone was gonna develop into a good 4th WR but thus far he's not really produced.

Of course ST always figures into final couple guys.

Who's your final 3 to make the cut ? Who makes the PS ?

Hard to see say as 2 guys have not seen field yet (rookies). I think Tate and Erickson are close to locks. I think Malone will have to have a great training camp. I think Mprgan is the unknown who could win a job in camp. So as of now, I say 6th spot goes to either Core, Malone or Morgan. If Morgan can play ST well, I think he beats out Core. Malone seems to add no value on ST so he may be in trouble.

I think we are going to see more turnover at the bottom of the roster than most fans think. Taylor has said he wants his type of guys and there are probably some guys that will lose their spots just because of that and not past performance.

Green
Boyd
Ross
Erickson
Morgan
Bryant

P.S. - Tate, Sharp, Willis

Bye to Core and Malone.

(06-08-2019, 11:16 AM)Yojimbo Wrote: I think we are going to see more turnover at the bottom of the roster than most fans think. Taylor has said he wants his type of guys and there are probably some guys that will lose their spots just because of that and not past performance.

Green
Boyd
Ross
Erickson
Morgan
Sharp

P.S. - Tate, Sharp, Willis

Bye to Core and Malone.

I tend to agree, I'm not so sure Core or Malone will make it ?

(06-08-2019, 11:41 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I tend to agree, I'm not so sure Core or Malone will make it ?

I agree as well. They (especially Core) have had numerous chances to make an impact. They are always meh. Get some new blood in there for Zac to work with. Easier to get new guys to buy in IMO.

Unless a lot of somebodies really step up Alex Erickson is a lock. None of the other receivers have shown the versatility and durability that Alex has. The other 2/3 positions are totally up for grabs. I don't think there is a leader for those positions It will be interesting to watch the camp battle for the final roster spots. It will come down to how they perform on special teams, which is how Core has kept his job.

(06-08-2019, 10:38 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I'd say there's a real good chance Alex Erickson makes it, I'm not sure I'd call him a lock ?

I've always thought Josh Malone was gonna develop into a good 4th WR but thus far he's not really produced.

I'd say Erickson is a lock.  If Erickson is healthy and gets pushed off the roster then we are in great shape at WR.  He is not a star, but he could make about any NFL roster.

Agree on Malone.  I watched most of the games he played at UT.  He is very athletic and made a bunch of tough catches in college, but based on last year he could easily get cut.

After Erickson it could be anyone.

I tend to agree with the upthread post that ZT is going to bounce some Marvin fixtures. So Erickson, Sharp and Morgan. I think ZT is looking for players more than athletes.

(06-08-2019, 12:05 PM)pally Wrote: Unless a lot of somebodies really step up Alex Erickson is a lock.  None of the other receivers have shown the versatility and durability that Alex has.  The other 2/3 positions are totally up for grabs.  I don't think there is a leader for those positions It will be interesting to watch the camp battle for the final roster spots.  It will come down to how they perform on special teams, which is how Core has kept his job.

I see you haven't read the article about HUNTER SHARP at bengals.com

According to the website, Sharp has been AMAZING at the OTAs!

(06-08-2019, 12:26 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I'd say Erickson is a lock.  If Erickson is healthy and gets pushed off the roster then we are in great shape at WR.  He is not a star, but he could make about any NFL roster.

Agree on Malone.  I watched most of the games he played at UT.  He is very athletic and made a bunch of tough catches in college, but based on last year he could easily get cut.

After Erickson it could be anyone.

Agree, I'd be pretty surprised to see Erickson cut. He's not gonna blow you away with speed and agility but... he's just one of those guys that gets the job done. 

I'd say Core and Malone are gonna have to really shine to stay around. Like others have said I'd say ZT will be looking for guys that "fit" his schemes. I won't be all that surprised to see some guys who've been around for a bit cut.

Erickson. he can return kicks and he would make a good possesion WR

Tate. He's not a burner but he has a huge frame and he did play special teams last year.

Morgan. He gives them a thicker bodied run after catch element.
his film shows he has a extra gear.great upside.
if your the 1st WR ever at Nebraska to get 1,000 that speaks volumes

PS Willis
Sharp

cut Core Malone Whitfield

(06-08-2019, 10:38 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: It's early I know, still need to see TC and preseason games. But who you think makes the final cut ? Usually 6 make the 53 and then probably at least 1 on the PS.

We know the locks: AJ, Boyd, and Ross. Who are the final 3 and PS ?

Ventell Bryant - R
Cody Core - 4
Alex Erickson - 4
Josh Malone - 3
Stanley Morgan - R
Hunter Sharp - 1
Auden Tate - 2
Kermit Whitfield - 1
Damion Willis - R

I'd say there's a real good chance Alex Erickson makes it, I'm not sure I'd call him a lock ?

I've always thought Josh Malone was gonna develop into a good 4th WR but thus far he's not really produced.

Of course ST always figures into final couple guys.

Who's your final 3 to make the cut ? Who makes the PS ?

Whoever the final 3 WRs are I sure hope they are players who can make plays if AJ or Boyd miss time.

Here's an interesting stat from 2018 that I had to calculate from the raw numbers. Percentage of targets that went for a 1st down.

Tyler Boyd 54 1st downs on 108 targets for 50.0%
AJ Green 37 1st downs on 77 targets for 48.1%
Cody Core 7 1st downs on 28 targets for 25.0%
Alex Erickson 7 1st downs on 29 targets for 24.1%
John Ross 13 1st downs on 58 targets for 22.4%
Josh Malone 1 1st down on 5 targets for 20.0%
Auden Tate 2 1st downs on 12 targets for 16.7%

Targeting Green and Boyd delivers a 1st down about half the time. The rest of the guys it take 4 or more targets to get a 1st down, which sucks cause you only have 4 downs.

The next interesting thing is to remove TDs. TDs scored by the offense count as 1st downs. So if we want to get an idea of how a receiver plays on most of the field we can use 1st downs minus TDs and get how many 1st downs the player contributed on the drive.

Tyler Boyd 54-7=47 1st downs on 108-7=101 targets for 46.5% (every 2.15 throws resulted in a 1st down that was not a TD)

AJ Green 37-6-31 1st downs on 77-6=71 targets for 43.7% (every 2.29 throws resulted in a 1st down that was not a TD)
Cody Core 7-1=6 1st downs on 28-1=27 targets for 22.22% (every 4.5 throws resulted in a 1st down that was not a TD)
Alex Erickson 7-1=6 1st downs on 29-1=28 targets for 21.4% (every 4.67 throw resulted in a 1st down that was not a TD)
Josh Malone 1-0=1 1st down on 5-0=5 targets for 20.0% (every 5 throws resulted in a 1st down that was not a TD)
Auden Tate 2-0=2 1st downs on 12-0=12 targets for 16.7% (every 5.99 throws resulted in a 1st down that was not a TD)
John Ross 13-7=6 1st downs on 58-7=51 targets for 11.8% (every 8.47 throws resulted in a 1st down that was not a TD)

Now this isn't an entirely fair calculation because we don't know how many of the targets were in or near the endzone that didn't result in a 1st down or TD, but it does tell us about how many throws to the receiver it takes to get a 1st down out of him.

But we can see, once again, that after Green and Boyd we didn't have a good chance of getting 1st downs targeting the other WRs.

Next we have a stat I didn't need to calculate from the raw numbers, catch %:

Tyler Boyd 76 catches on 108 targets for 70.4%
Alex Erickson 20 catches on 29 targets for 69.0%
AJ Green 46 catches on 77 targets for 59.7%
Cody Core 13 catches on 28 targets for 46.4%
John Ross 21 catches on 58 targets for 36.2%
Auden Tate 4 catches on 12 targets for 33.3%
Josh Malone 1 catch on 5 targets for 20.0%

Since every WR (except for Green) had the same QBs for the season you can erase QB incompetence from the stats above. They all had to deal with the same QBs.

My opinion about this is:

1. Malone and Tate should be done for with the Bengals unless they somehow show renewed skill and competence for the game of football during training camp.

2. Any WR not named Green or Boyd needs to improve significantly over 2018.

3. Erickson was the most underutilized of the WRs on the team. His high catch percentage and low 1st down percentage means we might be able to get more out of him if we ran him on deeper routes. He is capable.

4. Ross has really good numbers in the redzone and really bad number outside of it. To have to throw to him 8.47 times to get a 1st down out of him means why bother. This area of his game is one he should be working on improving every day from here on out. And just to repeat, he had the same QBs that Boyd, Erickson, Core, Tate and Malone had all season, so just realize that when you hear it was QB competence that cause Ross to have a poor catch % that you are being fed BS.

 

Erickson is a lock due to his versatility.
I believe that Morgan earns a spot by impressing as a rookie.
The final spot may be either Malone or Tate, depending on who fits better. I would think that Malone would have the edge, but Tate may win out if he can display great hands and plays STs well.

everyone forgets Tate was very raw at FSU.
limited route tree.
and limited by his QB at FSU.
he was stashed on the practice squad in 2018 until injury
opened a door for him.
its not he had alot of reps with Driskel either.

(06-08-2019, 03:51 PM)BengalChris Wrote: 4. Ross has really good numbers in the redzone and really bad number outside of it. To have to throw to him 8.47 times to get a 1st down out of him means why bother. This area of his game is one he should be working on improving every day from here on out. And just to repeat, he had the same QBs that Boyd, Erickson, Core, Tate and Malone had all season, so just realize that when you hear it was QB competence that cause Ross to have a poor catch % that you are being fed BS.

 

It's going to be very interesting to see what Ross does under ZT and Co. And all the rest for that matter.

Nice breakdown btw

(06-08-2019, 06:54 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: It's going to be very interesting to see what Ross does under ZT and Co. And all the rest for that matter.

Nice breakdown btw

Yeah, I'm interested to see if they can get Ross running good routes outside the redzone. If they can, then Ross could become a game changer for the Bengals. AJ Green is always a factor when healthy. Mixon will be a factor whenever he's on the field. Boyd has come into his own is going to require some respect from defenses. If Eifert is a factor and Ross becomes a factor, then the offense could become very, very potent and difficult to stop.

TY

 

(06-08-2019, 07:06 PM)BengalChris Wrote: Yeah, I'm interested to see if they can get Ross running good routes outside the redzone. If they can, then Ross could become a game changer for the Bengals. AJ Green is always a factor when healthy. Mixon will be a factor whenever he's on the field. Boyd has come into his own is going to require some respect from defenses. If Eifert is a factor and Ross becomes a factor, then the offense could become very, very potent and difficult to stop.

TY

 

Exactly,

If Ross can become a factor between the 20's this offense could be a force to reckon with.

(06-08-2019, 07:29 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Exactly,

If Ross can become a factor between the 20's this offense could be a force to reckon with.

Last year we were hoping that Ross would take pressure off AJ and open the offense, but it didn't work out that way and he didn't put up good numbers even when he was out there in the WR1 role. Lazor did, however, figure a way to get Ross involved in the redzone, which I believe surprised pretty much everyone.

So his game did improve from awful to he has a role. Maybe he can take another step forward.

I think Erickson is a lock because of special teams and he has been reliable. SO the final two spots will probably go to Morgan and Malone or Sharp. Core plays special teams but has not looked well as WR since being drafted. He has been a disappointment. Tate will go to PS.