The Bengals have one of the stronger passing attacks in the league, but most of that production comes from the wide receiver positions.  The club hopes the signing of former Colts’ tight end Ben Utecht adds balance to their attack.

Utecht was primarily a backup behind Dallas Clark with the Colts, but saw a lot of snaps the past couple seasons as the number two guy and was productive as a starter when Clark was out of the lineup. 

The Bengals hope Utecht can provide them more production in the passing game from the tight end position.  Reggie Kelly has been a decent pass catcher, but his value remains in the run game at the line of scrimmage. 

Utecht has worked himself into an adequate positional type blocker off the line of scrimmage, but most of his assignments will be in the passing game.  He’s a pretty good athlete.  He’s not great off the line and can be neutralized if linebackers focus on jamming him off the line, but he knows how to get open if you scheme him properly in the slot.  He has enough size and speed to create favorable matchups within the intermediate passing game. 

The only question with Utecht is how much more can the Bengals ask of him than he gave Indianapolis in terms of snaps.  Durability has always been one question that surrounds Utecht with many scouts and personnel types around the league. 

In some other recent moves around the league, one of the sleeper signings this spring could be Cleveland’s addition of linebacker Shantee Orr.  Orr is a natural 3-4 linebacker who has good burst off the edge and long arms as a pass rusher.  He’s been stuck playing within the Texans’ 4-3 scheme the past couple seasons.  Orr should fit well in Cleveland with his workman-like mentality and find a role as a pass rusher. 

The Patriots continue to restock on veteran cornerbacks after getting cleaned out here early in the free agent period with the signing of Fernando Bryant last week.  Bryant has been nicked up a lot throughout his career and doesn’t make many plays, but he’s an experienced cover guy who played adequately to solid in Rod Marinelli’s zone scheme in Detroit. 

Carolina added a stop-gap to stabilize their secondary for next season with the recent addition of Terrence Holt to pair with Chris Harris at the safety positions.  Holt has a lot of limitations in man coverage and is very erratic in run support, but provides some veteran leadership and does a passable job in zone coverage.  He shows enough intelligence on the field to help lineup the rest of the secondary.  That is something the Panthers needed in their secondary at this stage. 

I liked the move by Minnesota to add former Kansas City defensive back Benny Sapp.  Sapp is strictly a role player, but plays hard and does everything that is asked of him.  He’s aggressive on special teams.  He has too many limitations in the secondary to play outside the slot, but handles limited assignments well out of the slot – especially as a blitzer. 

The New England Patriots are a dangerous team.  The additions of Randy Moss and Donte’ Stallworth represent that danger both ways.  If they fit within Bill Belichick’s culture, both have the ability to create a lot of favorable matchups for Tom Brady.  Former Dolphin Wes Welker will bring a lot of spark from the slot.  Ben Watson must become a more consistent playmaker at tight end.  Watson has the athleticism to create a lot of matchup problems, but must learn how to get open more consistently.  The Patriots will again have a strong front seven on defense – especially with the addition of Adalius Thomas.  They will shut down the run and will have no problems getting after the quarterback.  The biggest question again will be the secondary – more so with questions with the status of Asante Samuel.  Having a strong pass rush certainly covers up a lot of problems, but this unit could be major downfall if Samuel isn’t on the field or if the pass rush dries up. 

Most of the talk around the Buffalo Bills has been centered around all the veterans they let go, but Marv Levy is building an intriguing young core of talent on both sides of the ball.  J.P. Losman has shown signs of developing into a solid quarterback.  Losman can push the ball downfield, but needs to take another step forward with his grasp for reading defenses.  They have good speed at wide receiver.  Lee Evans is a playmaker who can stretch the field.  Roscoe Parrish has the quickness to make plays underneath.  Marshawn #### should make an early impact at running back with his speed and versatility.  The offensive line is improving with the emergence of Jason Peters at left tackle.  The major concern again is stopping the run on defense.  They hope John McCargo can get healthy and become a disruptive presence inside with his quickness.  That’s only a start.  They have growing talent in the secondary.  Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson will form a strong tandem at safety for years.  And look for Ashton Youboty to step up in his second season at cornerback.  The Bills love his natural athleticism and approach to the game. 

The New York Jets have the mindset to become a playoff contender again this season, but it wouldn’t be surprised if they take a step back this season.  Eric Mangini did a tremendous job last season getting his team to play above their talent on paper.  He’ll need to make this happen again and he’s already continued building a strong culture this spring.  The addition of Thomas Jones to stabilize the backfield should help the offense build upon its efficiency.  Chad Pennington isn’t going to create plays, but gets the ball where it needs to be.  They just don’t have a playmaker who scares opponents.  Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles are solid, but not game-breakers.  Stopping the run remains a question on defense.  Dewayne Robertson played better down the stretch, but he’s not a natural nose tackle.  Eric Hicks and rookie David Harris could help.  They also must create more turnovers at cornerback.  Darrelle Revis should bring instant energy to this unit, but will have his growing pains as a rookie. 

Building continuity has been a problem for the Miami Dolphins lately – especially after Nick Saban abandoned the organization after only two seasons.  Now they must clean up the pieces.  Trent Green is a short-term fix at quarterback, but also represents an enormous unknown.  He’ll be 37 when camp starts and is coming off a bad concussion.  He won’t have the same pass protection he enjoyed with Kansas City, but is savvy and has a strong comfort level with Cam Cameron.  Cameron and Green love building around the tight end in the passing game, but David Martin is a question mark.  Martin is coming off a solid year in Green Bay, but durability has been a problem throughout his career.  Ronnie Brown has posted solid numbers on the ground, but hasn’t shown any special traits or the temperament to become a franchise back.  The defense should remain solid under Dom Capers.  They should be steady against the run.  Jason Taylor is always a presence off the perimeter.  Jason Allen should make a bigger impact moving to cornerback, but the secondary is filled with questions. 

Buffalo Bills: Marv Levy and #### Jauron used this spring and draft to cement their own identity in Buffalo.  Willis McGahee never meshed with Jauron’s coaching staff.  So now they are banking their run game behind Marshawn ####.  #### is a very instinctive and versatile back who can make big plays, was never a durable workhorse in college. 

Despite the development of J.P. Losman last season, this coaching staff isn’t yet sold on whether he’s their long-term answer at quarterback.  That led the Bills towards Trent Edwards.  Edwards was physically beaten up at Stanford and will need a year to clear his head, but is smart and has good natural tools.  He could surpass Losman in terms of his feel for the intermediate passing game.  The Bills also replenished themselves at linebacker with Paul Poslusnzy.  He’s smart and instinctive while possessing the mentality to fit in the blue-collar culture around Buffalo. 

Miami Dolphins: Ted Ginn will provide a big-play dimension in the return game, but its very uncertainty whether he’ll be able to justify himself as the 9th pick in the draft.  He’s not very polished in the passing game and lacks the toughness to get dirty in traffic, but has the speed to stretch the field.  John Beck has physical limitations, but is a great fit in Cam Cameron’s offense and could become a late bloomer like Trent Green.  But going for Beck in the second round was a reach.  Beck is smart and will make good decisions with the football. 

Lorenzo Booker was a nice pickup to complement Ronnie Brown in the backfield.  He displays good run instincts and versatility.  Samson Satele is raw, but has the physical tools to eventually make an impact as an interior blocker.  Paul Soliai has excellent size and strength to develop at nose tackle, but is very raw. 

New England Patriots: The Patriots have struggled with depth issues, forcing Bill Belichick to piece together a secondary the past couple years.  Eugene Wilson has regressed the past two seasons and hasn’t been durable.  Rodney Harrison has been breaking down physically. 

So Brandon Merriweather should be a nice addition.  Merriweather is a smart and versatile defender who is athletic enough to cover slot receivers, but tough enough to support the run.   Most importantly, Merriweather is a true football player who loves playing.  He'll make his presence felt within the New England defense. 

And the Patriots got tremendous value using their fourth round pick for Randy Moss.  Moss is motivated and hungry for a championship.  Moss is motivated and hungry for a championship.  That means we’ll see Moss at his best this season and the Patriots will be a team very difficult for opposing defensive coordinator to match up against.   

New York Jets: Eric Mangini came away with two solid starters for his defense in cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris. 

Revis fills a major need for talent at cornerback.  Andre Dyson is their most accomplished veteran and he’s better suited as a nickel corner at this stage.  And the rest of the secondary returns fringe players.  Revis displays good instincts and physical ability to make an impact within Mangini’s cover-2 scheme.  And Harris provides the Jets with a physical presence inside to take pressure off Jonathan Vilma against the run.  Vilma hopefully can have more freedom to use his quickness and instincts on the move rather than take on blockers.  Harris is strong at the point of attack and displays good instincts as a run defender. 

Bill Belichick has played the market well again with the addition of veteran cornerback Tory James.  

James is coming off a down season with Cincinnati as age is catching up to him, but is an ideal fit in New England as his career winds down.  With uncertainty surrounding Asante Samuels’ contract, James provides experienced insurance and should greatly enhance depth in the secondary for New England, which is much sought here. 

James may lack speed to match up with receivers in man coverage, but is very smart and brings a lot of experience to the Patriots.  Belichick craves that type of experience and intelligence in his complex scheme where he mixes up multiple coverages.  James plays his best when the football is in front of him where his excellent recognition skills and burst to the ball should be well-suited in New England.  James has a knack for creating turnovers and will be in a position to make a lot of big plays for the Patriots.    

More thoughts on some recent moves around the league:

The Rams’ acquisition of punter Donnie Jones raised some eyebrows around the league.  Matt Turk did a tremendous job for the Rams last season, but the Rams were leery about making a long-term financial commitment due to some durability concerns.  The Rams now are turning to one of the league’s worst punters.  Jones has a good leg, but is extremely inconsistent.  

The Houston Texans are the latest team that hopes Andre Davis develops into a big-play receiver.  Davis arrives in Houston with a golden opportunity for a team starving for production at wide receiver behind Andre Johnson.  Davis does have the speed to make big plays downfield, but has never developed any polished skills.  He often is re-routed at the line of scrimmage by stronger corners and drops too many balls to play a significant role on offense.  Davis has found a niche on special teams and that likely will be his biggest role in Houston. 

Stop the presses!  The Raiders made a rare savvy move in the free agent market with the signing of guard Cooper Carlisle last week.  Carlisle isn’t an impact lineman by any means, but is experienced in the zone blocking scheme that Lane Kiffin is looking to install in Oakland.  That should be a big help for younger lineman such as Paul McQuistan and Kevin Boothe.  Carlisle is a good athlete for a guard who relies a lot on technique and has a great feel for playing the proper angles.  Most importantly, Carlisle is a long-time Bronco who will provide the Raiders some insight on the Denver offense. 

Bill Belichick wanted an impact player with size and he found that in Donte’ Stallworth.  At his best, Stallworth does an excellent job stretching the field and making plays.

Unfortunately, he’s been an enigma throughout his career.  He’s not very polished as a receiver – especially with his routes and tends to drop some balls.  He will experience stretches where his focus drifts and seems to be going through the motions.  Stallworth also has a history of hamstring problems, which generally sidelines him for a few weeks at a time.

For most teams, I would consider this a very risky deal because Stallworth would be counted on coming in to carry their passing game.  Stallworth is an expensive acquisition, but is just another dimension within their offense.

The Patriots should worry teams more often in the passing game this season.  In the past week, they’ve added two diverse components in Stallworth and former Dolphin Wes Welker.  Both will bring some energy to the passing game in 2007.