Bengals mailbag: Pacman's role in his return; concern over Bodine

The Walkthru is a daily look at the Bengals, your questions and whatever else spills from the brains of beat writers Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski. You can follow them on Twitter (@pauldehnerjr, @JimOwczarski), Instagram (@enqbengals) as well as Enquirer Sports on Facebook for behind the scenes and breaking news.

We love interacting with the listenership with the Bengals Beat Podcast (#BBP), viewership (with all the videos), readership and social media followers and we decided to open up a Bengals mailbag during our Walkthrus to get to your pressing questions.

Let’s go with this week’s mailbag!

LOVE this question. And honestly it’s my fault for not digging deeper into this topic once William Jackson III started all the preseason games but Dennard got the call in Week 1. The safe assumption is Adam Jones moves opposite Kirkpatrick, Dennard shifts inside in nickel – Jackson III to the bench and special teams. People inside the building felt Jones had a good camp and preseason and proved he still has the juice. I know Pro Football Focus liked his coverage in 2016. I think it starts out like last year but I thought, aside from a ticky-tack pass interference and losing Danny Woodhead in coverage once, Jackson III played well in his debut.

I’d like to see him get more third down snaps in obvious pass situations to give Jones a breather so he can get back on punt return. This team needs explosive plays. Jackson III has a nose for the ball, Jones has an ability (I think) to make magic happen on special teams.

And

The days of 30-plus carries for this team by a single back ended back in 20xx with Cedric Benson. It’s been a multi-back, pass-first offense (like every other offense in the league) with the changes in the rules and the additions of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. That said, there are three, second-round running backs on this roster and an offensive line that struggles to pass block. As far as this Thursday night goes – let those linemen fire off the ball and get these back rolling. I can’t say that should be the game plan every week, but this might be a good week to at least try and pound it out early. You’ve got two huge backs in Jeremy Hill and Joe Mixon who can do (or should be able to do) just that.

Plenty of tape on Watson from the preseason and a half of football on Sunday. The Texans will run some plays that “fit” Watson (notice the read-option that led to the Texans’ lone touchdown) but he is largely unknown. As Marvin Lewis always says, you “defend the offense” but I would imagine it does change slightly if Watson starts. I think there is enough tape to have a good idea of what Watson likes and is good at.

No. Unless it’s his turn in the rotation and the team goes on a 13-play drive.

The rookie drew praise from Marvin Lewis and showed well and actually played quite a bit. He played 22 snaps and had a team-high 11 touches.

Bernard's usage was a function of the pace of the game. He replaced Jeremy Hill on third down, which he always did, and just happened to be the guy on the field for some long drives. And that was because Bernard averaged 5.7 per rush and 9.9 yards per touch – helping those long drives occur.

Whew. I thought this would be another Jeremy Hill question.

But much like with those Jeremy Hill questions about his place on the depth chart, I'm not sure what to say here anymore. Bodine has started every practice and every game since he was drafted back in 2014. He did not have a good day, along with all the others, on the offensive line. But he’s the starter. The club did not enter any negotiations to extend him in this offseason, so he will play it out in a contract year. T.J. Johnson, the backup center, is under contract in 2018 and he did fill in for Bodine for a possession in Baltimore last year. It’s possible there is a changing of the guard at some point, but with Johnson first up to replace the injured Trey Hopkins…there really aren’t any other options. And there haven’t been for four years.

On tap

The Bengals (0-1) host the Texans (0-1) tonight at Paul Brown Stadium.

As part of the season-long 50th anniversary season of the Bengals, the club is hosting and recognizing players from its history. On Thursday, the following players will be honored:

Cris Collinsworth

Max Montoya

Chad Johnson

Bill Bergey

Takeo Spikes

Rich Braham

Ken Blackman

Neal Craig

Jonathan Fanene

Corey Mays

Shaun Smith

Bengals new video of the day

John Ross made his “Hot Seat” debut on Tuesday night and it went really well. It’s a must-watch.

Bengals old video of the day

Bengals fans have been in the dump for the last few days – here’s something to make you smile from a victory over an NFL team in Houston.

In case you missed it

The Bengals are hoping to really work in a true rotation on the defensive line as this season rolls on.

Paul Dehner Jr. digs deep into the numbers to find an ugly truth after ugly openers.

Doc finally breaks – the “start McCarron” ship has sailed.

Around the division

Baltimore: The Ravens get a rookie quarterback in DeShone Kizer this week and John Harbaugh’s group is pretty successful against rookies in this tenure in Baltimore.



Cleveland: #TrustTheProcess

Pittsburgh: After one week (following no camp) people already wondering if Le’Veon Bell and his $12 million salary are being phased out of the offense.

And finally

Going old school. But it’s pretty simple tonight.