Jerome Simpson and Ben Utecht led the Bengals in catches during the preseason. Inexperience and injury prevented them from making a similar impact during the season. They have fewer combined catches in 15 regular-season games than they had in four exhibition games.
The Bengals' hopes in 2009 might depend on how well those obstacles can be avoided in their second run.
There is a growing sense within the locker room that at least one of the team's high-profile receivers will play for a different organization next season -- either T.J. Houshmandzadeh via free agency or Chad Ocho Cinco via a trade. Add in the uncertainty at tackle, where Levi Jones has fought persistent injuries and Stacy Andrews recently suffered a major knee injury, and the Cincinnati offense could undergo a makeover in the offseason.
If so, it will be even more important that Utecht stay healthy and become a weapon in the passing game from his tight end position while young receivers such as Simpson and Andre Caldwell develop into productive players.
"I still have a lot to prove here," said Utecht, who signed a three-year, $9 million deal in the spring and has been limited by chest, rib and foot injuries to 15 catches in nine games.
If he plays up to the contract next season, it would lessen the sting of losing a Pro Bowl receiver.
"We did it in training camp, we did it during the preseason and had success with it," Utecht said. "I hope we get back to it eventually. I think it could be great if we get back to it and I stay durable."
Caldwell started last week for the injured Ocho Cinco and likely will again Sunday against Kansas City. He has been energized by the increased playing time. Though he has only six catches, he has frequently been used as a blocker at the point of attack on running plays, and he has had success on special teams.
"I feel a lot more comfortable out there," Caldwell said. "I'm putting myself in a better situation."
He is looking forward to playing in better weather this week than Sunday in Cleveland, when high winds made passes difficult and the Bengals' early lead rendered the passing game unnecessary.
"We're going to air it out a little bit more," Caldwell said. "I think we're going to showcase what some of us young guys can do going into next year."
In recent years, the team's success centered on Ocho Cinco, Houshmandzadeh and quarterback Carson Palmer, but they were rarely on the field together this season. Ocho Cinco and Houshmandzadeh skipped offseason practices; Ocho Cinco was slowed by an ankle injury during minicamp and the start of training camp, then by a shoulder injury late in camp; and Palmer has missed most of the regular season because of an elbow injury.
It seems more likely than ever that Ocho Cinco and Houshmandzadeh will be split up for the first time since 1999. They were teammates at Oregon State in 2000 and with the Bengals ever since.
"It's been a long road, him and I," Ocho Cinco said last week. "It's going to feel like somewhat of a bitter divorce. He's been a big help, man. It'd be kind of funny to see somebody else on the opposite side of me. I'm sure the same for him."
spriestle@dispatch.com
