The Cincinnati Bengals have been to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and despite losing each time to the Houston Texans in the first round, the team has a great sense of optimism after taking Tyler Eifert with their first round pick.
Eifert was taken 21st overall in the draft and shows the commitment by the Bengals to improve the offense and the team could now have some interesting sets like the Patriots do with Rob Gronkowski, as they also have Jermaine Gresham after taking him three years ago. The Bengals may have been able to get a dynamic playmaker on defense with that pick, but Eifert is exactly that on offense and his height will give Andy Dalton another great target in the red zone.
At 6-foot-5 Eifert is a matchup nightmare and since Dalton likes the short and intermediate throws, he will likely get a lot of attention. Dalton was excellent last season while throwing for 3,669 yards and the team went 10-6 in the AFC North while ranking 17th and 18ths in passing and rushing yards per game.
Bradshaw is coming off of another 1,000 yard season and despite his injury issues, he could be a nice backup or reserve option for the Bengals, who still have BenJarvus Green-Ellis but not much depth behind him. The former Giant is a great locker room presence and is one of the toughest players in the NFL, which is something the Bengals could use more of. The team has been very balanced over the past few years and Bradshaw could help Marvin Lewis keep that intact. The team is still working to sign running back Giovani Bernard and Bradshaw could help with his development, as rookie backs can have a hard time adjusting.
Andy Dalton has proven to be a solid starter for the future and some extra running back help won't hurt him in the short term. The team also could possibly add Eric Winston to help bolster the offensive line with Andre Smith and while some teams have expressed interest in him, so far none have signed him and the Bengals could be a nice fit. He was an excellent tackle while with the Texans and since he has been on the free agent market for a while, it likely won't break the bank for the team either.