Andy Dalton fell to the 2^nd round and was the 5^th quarterback off the board in the 2011 NFL Draft because of his lack of arm strength. Dalton showed as a rookie that he has enough arm strength to get by, leading the Bengals to the playoffs with a record of 9-7. However, according to NFL Films’ Greg Cosell, the Bengals do have some doubts about Dalton and say there are some things they’re not comfortable doing with him.

The Bengals obviously refuted the report immediately, but that’s to be expected. That doesn’t mean it’s not true, but it also doesn’t mean it is true. Cosell really has no reason to lie. Dalton played well to start last season, completing 61.5% of his passes for an average of 6.6 YPA, and 12 touchdowns to 7 interceptions, leading the Bengals to a 6-2 record.

However, in the 2^nd half of the season, teams seemed to catch on and the Bengals went just 3-5 as Dalton completed just 54.6% of his passes for 6.6 YPA, and 8 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. The Bengals also didn’t beat a playoff team all last year, going 0-8. Against a tougher schedule and with the league catching on to his game, Dalton could have a down season this year. I think he’s one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the league.

There was a time when Colt McCoy had a decent rookie year, but teams caught on eventually and now he’s a backup. Dalton was a similar player coming out of school. Even if Cosell didn’t actually hear that the Bengals have doubts about Dalton, I would agree with his assessment that Dalton’s lack of arm strength could be a legitimate concern going forward. Cosell knows his stuff and I called Dalton a “backup type prospect” coming out of TCU, a statement that has yet to be completely proven wrong.

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According to the Chicago Tribune, Bears franchise player Matt Forte is seeking 8.5 million per year in contract negotiations. This report comes at the same time that the National Football Post reported that Ravens’ franchise player Ray Rice is seeking 10 million per year. Forte’s asking price is more in line with what backs like Chris Johnson, Arian Foster, and LeSean McCoy have gotten in the past calendar year and there it’s more reasonable. Though there have been no recent talks between the two parties, I do expect a deal to get done and probably earlier than the Ravens get a deal done with Ray Rice.

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According to the National Football Post’s Dan Pompei, Ray Rice is asking for 10 million dollars per year in contract negotiations with the Baltimore Ravens. That amount would make him the 2^nd highest paid running back in the NFL behind Adrian Peterson and is more than what Chris Johnson, Arian Foster, and LeSean McCoy have gotten in the past calendar year. It’s also more than the 8.5 million dollars Matt Forte is asking for from the Bears.

There was a report earlier this week that Rice and the Ravens were making progress in negotiations, but that report was disputed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. I trust Schefter’s ear on this over anyone else’s and I highly doubt the Ravens are willing to give anywhere near what Rice is asking for. These negotiations could last a while.

Rice is set to earn 7.742 million in 2012 under the franchise tag and the Ravens can actually have him play out the season under the franchise tag and then franchise tag him again next offseason before having to pay him 10 million dollars in a season. Rice would be wise to lower his asking price into the 7.5-9 million dollar range that Johnson, Foster, and McCoy got. That’s what Matt Forte is doing.

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Josh Cribbs’ is one of the Browns’ most dynamic and well known players, with 11 special teams touchdowns in his career, while contributing some offensively as a receiver. However, Jeff Schudel of the Cleveland News-Herald believes this could be Cribbs’ last year with the team as he is a free agent next offseason.

Schudel’s reasoning for this is that Cribbs turns 30 next offseason and kick returners have a relatively short shelf level so they won’t see him as worth what he’ll want and what others might give him. Schudel also mentions the NFL’s new kickoff rules as something that diminishes his value. Cribbs has also not turned into the offensive weapon they envisioned he could be, catching just 84 passes in the last 3 years.

The Browns have used picks on wide receivers like Greg Little, Mohamed Massaquoi, and Travis Benjamin in recent years and it’s possible that all 3 will be above him on the depth chart next year. He’ll compete with 4^th round rookie Travis Benjamin for the slot receiver job in Training Camp and the Preseason. Benjamin was a dynamic return man at the University of Miami so he could be their long term solution on special teams over Cribbs. All signs point to 2012 being the last year in Cleveland for Cribbs. He’ll make 1.438 million.

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Buccaneers’ wide receiver Arrelious Benn was a 2^nd round pick of the previous regime in 2010, but the Buccaneers fired Raheem Morris this offseason and replaced him with Greg Schiano. They also brought in Vincent Jackson to start opposite Mike Williams, pushing Arrelious Benn out of his starting job. However, at Buccaneers’ OTAs it’s become clear just how far out of his starting job he has been pushed.

Benn, a disappointment thus far with just 55 catches for 836 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2 seasons, has been practicing with the 3^rd team behind not just Jackson and Williams, but Sammie Stroughter and Preston Parker. Stroughter and Parker are more natural fits for the slots so it looks like Benn could be as low as 5^th or 6^th on the depth chart. If he stays there, he’d be a complete nonfactor in 2010, assuming he makes the roster. I wouldn’t rule out the Buccaneers cutting him at this point. He’s clearly not on good standing with the new regime.

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There was a time when Shawne Merriman was one of the most feared pass rushers in the league. From 2005-2007, he had 39.5 sacks in 3 seasons and won Defensive Player of the Year. However, since then, he’s struggled mightily with injuries and has managed just 5 sacks. He appeared on the verge of a comeback last year after a strong preseason, but managed just 1 sack in 5 games before being put on season ending injured reserve once again.

This offseason, he appears to be in great shape, according to the National Football Post’s Dan Pompei. Pompei said that Merriman is getting “outstanding reviews” and that it “looks like he will” be healthy and able to help the Bills this season. With Merriman, somehow only 27 years old, it’s an “I have to see it to believe it” type thing now so there’s absolutely no guarantee that he’ll make it through the season.

Unlike last year, he does not have a starting job waiting for him as the Bills grew tired of waiting for him and signed both Mario Williams and Mark Anderson as free agents this offseason. Merriman, if healthy, could be a situational player and rush the passer on nickel downs with Mario Williams moving inside to tackle. He’ll have to compete with an incumbent starter, Chris Kelsay, to even do that.

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Ras-I Dowling was a 1^st round talent out of Virginia coming out in the 2011 NFL Draft last year, but he fell to the 2^nd round because of his injury history. Dowling missed the majority of his senior year with injury and then reinjured himself at The Combine. The Patriots were not rewarded with their gamble on Dowling last year as he missed the whole season with a hip injury.

However, now it appears he’s finally healthy and on the road to being able to play for the Patriots this year. He will work out with the team at OTAs and according to ESPN Boston, the extra hip surgery he had this offseason was just a minor cleanout and not a major setback at all. Barring another setback, Dowling will be 100% ready for Training Camp, Preseason, and most importantly the regular season. He’ll open the season as the Patriots’ #3 cornerback behind Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington.

If he can play up to his abilities, it’ll go a long way towards fixing the Patriots’ awful defense. The Patriots are also counting on Patrick Chung staying healthy, Devin McCourty bouncing back from a down season, and strong play from rookies Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower, Tavon Wilson, and Jake Bequette, all selected in the first 3 rounds of April’s NFL Draft. If they get all that, their defense will be a solid compliment to their explosive offense.

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When the Raiders drafted Juron Criner in the 5^th round this year, it was not a need pick at all, but it was a tremendous value pick. Criner has been really impressing in practice thus far. Drafting good wide receivers has become something of a trend for the Raiders over the past few years and now they have a huge depth of talented young receivers.

Darrius Heyward-Bey was a publicly shamed pick at 7 overall in 2009, but finally started living up to the pick last year. Denarius Moore was a great value as a 5^th round pick last year. Jacoby Ford was a 2010 4^th round pick, Louis Murphy was a 2009 4^th round pick, and of course Criner this past year. With so much talent at the position, some think that a trade could be on the way.

ESPN’s Bill Williamson, who is an expert on the AFC West, feels differently. He feels that the Raiders will keep all of their receivers and see how things play out in camp. That does leave the door open for a trade in the future, but nothing is imminent. If a trade were to take place, Louis Murphy might be the odd man out. Currently penciled in at #5 on their depth chart, Murphy is too talented and too expensive (1.26 million) for that role. He could be a #3 receiver elsewhere and would bring back a late round pick and some cap flexibility for a team with very little.

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The Redskins overhauled their receiving corps this offseason, cutting former leading receiver Jabar Gaffney and signing Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan. They also have 2011 3^rd round pick Leonard Hankerson back and healthy and ready to compete for a starting job. Meanwhile, veteran Santana Moss, a 33 year old in June who has spent 7 years with the team, is on the roster bubble after missing a large portion of last season with injury.

It’s unclear how it will all shake out right now, except that Pierre Garcon will probably be Robert Griffin’s #1 receiver. Many beat writers are listing Leonard Hankerson as the starter over Josh Morgan and Santana Moss, including CSN Washington’s Rich Handler. Hankerson played barely as a rookie, but has tremendous physical gifts and caught 8 passes for 106 yards in his final game before going down with a hip injury.

Hankerson starting leaves Morgan, who signed a 12 million dollar deal over 2 years this offseason, in the slot, which leaves Santana Moss on the outside looking in. Due 2.65 million this year, that might suggest that Moss would be let go, but Handler also mentioned at the same time that he considers both Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, another candidate for release, as guys who will make the final 53. Cooley would be a pure backup to Fred Davis if that were to happen. It’s certainly a very interesting situation and one to monitor in Training Camp. I certainly don’t see Moss and Cooley as locks at this point, but a Garcon/Hankerson/Morgan trio makes the most sense to me in that order.

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