Phase one completed, comes phase two -- waiver wire acquisitions.

The Bengals picked up offensive guard, Frank Davis from the Detroit Lions and defensive tackle Orien Harris from the New Orleans Saints.

The Bengals terminated the contract of Michael Myers and placed Dan Santucci on Injured Reserve to make room.

From a Bengals press released (via Curnutte's blog):

-- Acquired G Frank Davis on waivers from Detroit. (Davis 6-3, 325; South Florida) is a third-year NFL player. He played in 11 games with three starts in 2006, after making the Lions roster as a college free agent. He was on the Reserve/Injured list last season, due to a knee injury suffered in preseason, but he came back this year to play in all four Lions preseason games, with two starts at LG.

-- Acquired DT Orien Harris on waivers from New Orleans. (Harris 6-3, 300; Miami-Fla.) played in all four Saints preseason games and led the team with 20 tackles, including a sack. He has two prior seasons in the NFL, but does not yet have an accrued year toward free agency, and is classified a first-year player. He entered the NFL in 2006 as a fourth-round draft choice of Pittsburgh and played in two games for Cleveland after being signed off the Steelers practice squad. Last season, he was on Buffalo’s practice squad before being signed to the Saints roster, where he was inactive for two games.

Along with Carl-Johan Bjork, the Bengals announced five players signed to the team's practice squad -- they're allowed a maximum of nine with Bjork's exemption.

Dan Howell, LB
James Johnson, RB
Nate Livings, Guard
Maurice Purify, WR
Mario Urrutia, WR

With three preseason games in the books, I wanted to take the time to review each position (in some cases, units) as we prepare this week to play the meaningless of meaningless of preseason games, as well as upcoming roster cuts. While I'm not trying to predict the roster -- and definitely not projecting depth chart -- I didn't include every player in some scenarios, but included more than what the team is expected to take (mostly because I'm just not sure who they take, or the play is pretty even between the competition).

Quarterback - Even though Palmer has been assaulted on nearly every play (it seems), he hasn't been sharp -- likely a result of being assaulted. Twice against the Saints, Palmer nearly threw interceptions because 1) the ball was overthrown and 2) the pass was too near the middle of the field intended for a receiver sprinting down the sidelines. With the assault by the opposing pass rush, Palmer is becoming too aware of what's going on around the pocket rather than what's going on downfield. Once protection flaws are worked out, and communication issues resolved, we're confident that Palmer will be Palmer and give the Bengals their best chance to win each week.

Backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been one of the few successful offensive players, completing 70% of his passes, with a 6.8 pass-per-attempt average and a 101.3 passer rating (all team highs). His 44 yards rushing is third on the team behind Chris Perry and Kenny Watson. Fitzpatrick's performance proves he'll be a coveted unrestricted free agent next season as a "veteran" quarterback that so many teams need.

1. Carson Palmer
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick
3. Jeff Rowe

Running Back - While it's exciting to see Chris Perry back to full strength, we've been missing our primary feature back, Rudi Johnson due to another hamstring injury -- this time to the other leg. However, along with their troubles protecting their quarterbacks, the offensive line has struggled rush blocking for Perry -- mostly Eric Ghiaciuc. Since the first game, Perry's yards-per-attempt has fallen from 3.8 to 3.4. Watson's 4.7 yards-per-attempt is encouraging, but a majority of his attempts have come against second team defenses, with only one attempt the entire game against the Saints.

I think the Bengals keep Dorsey over James Johnson. Though neither have done much this preseason, Dorsey is a more explosive back while James Johnson is eligible for the team's practice squad. If the Bengals haven't cut Jeremi by now, they won't.

1. Rudi Johnson
2. Chris Perry
3. Kenny Watson
4. DeDe Dorsey
5. Jeremi Johnson

Wide Receiver - Talk about depressing. With Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh nursing and rehabbing injuries ("supposedly", if you believe in conspiracies), the Bengals have been searching for that evasive receiver we hoped would step up. Jerome Simpson's 144 yards receiving is far above Chatman's 63 yards among the yardage leaders at wide receiver. However, passes are being dropped and receivers are not separating from defensive backs, forcing Palmer to hold onto the ball longer. One has to appreciate this bit of irony. If Chad Johnson was traded, then this unit has absolutely no hope going into the season, even though the team signed Chris Henry to help.

I think Andre Caldwell's injury hurts him big. While he's not on the field battling for a spot, the Bengals would be more inclined to keep Holt for experience and versatility on special teams. Caldwell is another player eligible for the practice squad. This is all based on the assumption when Henry returns, not when the season starts. When Henry is reinstated after the fourth game, the Bengals will need to decide whether to keep Holt or Caldwell -- and it's doubtful, no matter what other writers suggest, that the Bengals will let Henry go.

1. Chad Johnson
2. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
3. Antonio Chatman
4. Jerome Simpson
5. Glenn Holt
6. Andre Caldwell

Tight End - Stable as stable comes. Ben Utecht, another glowing offensive player this preseason, leads the team with 10 receptions, second with 108 yards receiving and only one of two players with a receiving touchdown through three games. Reggie Kelly is the league's best tight end blocker, taking a lot of reps in the backfield. If the Bengals keep four tight ends (which includes long snapper Brad St. Louis), then Daniel Coats makes the team.

1. Reggie Kelly
2. Ben Utecht
3. Daniel Coats
4. Brad St. Louis

Offensive Line - We've talked about their struggles, and fantasized of a Jurassic Line. Still, the running game hasn't really taken off and the quarterbacks are struggling to focus downfield rather than the pass rush -- Bengals quarterbacks have been sacked 10 times, and knocked down three times as much. I'm not sure the Bengals will keep a second center, depending on Bobbie Williams to play that role. On the other hand, you could easily replace Nate Livings with Dan Santucci with limited fall in production. Something of note: Kyle Cook took some first-team snaps against the Saints in the third quarter.

1. Levi Jones
2. Andrew Whitworth
3. Eric Ghiaciuc
4. Bobbie Williams
5. Stacy Andrews
6. Willie Anderson
7. Nate Livings
8. Scott Kooistra
9. Anthony Collins
10. Dan Santucci

Defensive Line - Domata Peko has impressed me this preseason against the rush. He's working the line, challenging double teams and finding ways to stuff gaps at the point of attack. Other than that, I think this unit is just down right dreadful. Fanene and Rucker appear like average ends with limited upside, while John Thornton and Jason Shirley have made a library seem like a Metallica concert. Pat Sims, before his injury, impressed me with his aggressiveness and motor-style play. Hopefully we get him back when the season starts. While Angelo Craig has made plays, I've labeled him a practice squad player until either Rucker or Fanene (even though he signed an extension this offseason) are let go. I see no scenario in the world in which Eric Henderson makes this squad -- nor did I see any scenario that the Bengals sign Chris Henry.

1. Antwan Odom (DE)
2. Robert Geathers (DE)
3. Johnathan Fanene (DE)
4. Frostee Rucker (DE)
5. John Thornton
6. Domata Peko
7. Jason Shirley
8. Pat Sims
9. Michael Myers -- I'm adding Myers here for two reasons. The team could be concerned about Shirley's upcoming court case and keeping Myers adds an insurance policy in case Pat Sims' rehabs slowly.

Linebacker - I'm actually more impressed with this unit than I thought I would be before training camp. At WILL, Keith Rivers and Brandon Johnson have combined for 28 tackles and a sack -- Rivers accounts for 17 tackles and that sack. Corey Mays has been solid at backup middle linebacker and Darryl Blackstock's two sacks leads the team. The thing I would be most concerned about is Dhani Jones' nine total tackles through three games. Ahmad Brooks had some first-team snaps at defense when Blackstock suffered a cramp against the Saints. Also expect Carl-Johan Bjork to make the team as he's exempt from the 53-man roster.

1. Dhani Jones
2. Keith Rivers
3. Darryl Blackstock
4. Rashad Jeanty
5. Corey Mays
6. Brandon Johnson
7. Jim Maxwell
8. Ahmad Brooks
9. Anthony Hoke (?)

Secondary - For the most part, I think our starting cornerbacks have done a decent job working on an island. For the plays that you see them get beat, either a dump-truck named Calvin Johnson used his super-size advantage, or the quarterback found a hole in zone coverage. I don't like the play of our safeties -- Dexter Jackson is Dexter Jackson and Marvin White still struggles keeping the receiver in front preventing long plays. White is a hitter though, and his efforts to make sure-tackles have improved greatly since the first game.

David Jones scares the hell out of me, and I don't see much of an improvement with Castille. O'Neal has accepted his role, and done well, as the team's third cornerback giving the Bengals good depth at the position.

1. Leon Hall (CB)
2. Johnathan Joseph (CB)
3. Deltha O'Neal (CB)
4. David Jones (CB)
5. Simeon Castille (CB)
6. Dexter Jackson (S)
7. Marvin White (S)
8. Chinedum Ndukwe (S)
9. Corey Lynch (S)
10. Herana-Daze Jones (S) -- mostly for his special teams work.

Anyway, those are my impressions at this point. If you have more, or want to adjust my impressions because I always miss at least one player (or two) when I do these things, it's all yours.

Typically it takes the offense a great deal more time to grasp timing routes, blocking schemes and projecting defensive alignments for blocking assignments. Out of the gates, the defense has a leg up since a defensive playbook requires less coordination than the offense, imploring more instinct.

If the Bengals defense can come out of the gates early, playing to the tune of the pre-season music of an aggressive secondary, a passing disrupting defensive line, and an intelligent linebacker crew, then the Bengals will have to rely less on the offense. And in truth, since 2003, the Bengals as a team only do as well as the offensive unit does. It's always been the way of things and the major reason why Marvin Lewis is constantly in the cross-airs of those that somehow think that the Bengals front office will find a coach that will improve the team further.

You also have to wonder if this offense will be better than previous seasons to start any season. The Bengals have started the same two wide receivers, the same feature back, the same tight end and quarterback for several seasons now. The offensive line is a different story after Levi Jones and Willie Anderson struggled last year to recover from injury before the season even started. Andrew Whitworth and Stacy Andrews were rotated around the line, albeit brilliantly, but there's something to be said about having a home. And Eric Ghiaciuc started feeling the heat of an inability to block bigger defensive tackles in the trenches.

This year, the offensive line is ready, healthy and arguably, the strongest it's been since 2005 when we had Eric Steinbach and Richie Braham dominating the middle of the line with Eric Ghiaciuc being the lone weak link -- hopefully he's improved. You also have to wonder if the offensive line would be better with Bobbie Williams at center, flanked by Andrew Whitworth and Stacy Andrews with Levi Jones and Willie Anderson as the bookends. I know it's not really a possibility, though the idea is pretty fantastic when you combine the weight of all men and come a few pounds short of a ton.

The offensive line projects Eric Ghiaciuc at center, flanked by Williams and Whitworth with Andrews and Jones at tackle. Willie Anderson and Anthony Collins are the logic second-team tackles with Nate Livings and Scott Kooistra backing up the guards. Still, the weakness is at center, with Ghiaciuc starting over Dan Santucci and Kyle Cook. And truthfully, we know very little of the backup centers; though if OTAs and training camp reports of Whitworth and Williams taking snaps at center is any indication, then the center position is truly the weakest part of our offensive line.

Based on the fact the Bengals took nine offensive linemen last season, I'm going to project the guys that make the squad for this season in no particular order.

1. Willie Anderson
2. Levi Jones
3. Andrew Whitworth
4. Stacy Andrews
5. Bobbie Williams
6. Eric Ghiaciuc
7. Scott Kooistra
8. Anthony Collins
9. Nate Livings

It's not unreasonable to believe that the Bengals will keep only one center with the flexibility to move other linemen out of position (aka, the Jurassic Line).

This all brings me to this. Is this roster of offensive line the best we've seen during the Marvin Lewis era?

Since I've done a great job at making this site seem like a broken record, I thought it would be best to continue that trend with draft talk. We've talked wide receiver, linebacker, wide receiver, cornerbacks, wide receiver, defensive line, running back and wide receiver since January. Let's take a closer look at offensive line -- which we started in April.

Mark Curnutte's latest suggests that the team is "considering using one of their 10 picks this weekend on an offensive tackle from an exceptionally deep, talented pool - or add depth in the middle at guard and center."

It's never a bad thing to stock on linemen -- the biggest success or failure of any team goes through the line. Even though the offensive line did quality work keeping Carson Palmer's sack total low (17), the line, at times, was simply awful run blocking.

Does the team really need to draft a tackle?
Marvin Lewis says that Levi Jones and Willie Anderson are healthier than last year and still improving. Stacy Andrews, the team's franchise player, will likely start the season on the bench. Scott Kooistra is signed through 2009 and played as expected with his role. This should also include Andrew Whitworth who started his career at left tackle subbing for an injured Levi Jones in 2006 -- until Dwight Freeney owned him -- to left guard replacing the departed Eric Steinbach.

Which brings us to guard.
I've never thought that the Bengals should move a left tackle to guard. Our offense is thick and beastly, but not nibble or swift. While Whitworth does pull, there are times when his lack of speed to the edges are a problem; slowing up the running back anticipating holes. Not all the time, but noticeable nonetheless. He's simply no Eric Steinbach -- though Steinbach was pretty damned good and expecting similar talent out of this year's draft might be too optimistic.

It's not that I think Whitworth is unable to play the position -- I thought he did fine. But I do think he should be the team's heir at left tackle if Jones doesn't improve in 2008 from injury the past two seasons. Andrews, if he signs a long-term deal (and that's important to note, obviously), is Willie Anderson's natural replacement. If Andrews doesn't sign a long-term deal, then Whitworth will have to be the team's backup tackle and heir to right tackle -- thus supports the case for drafting another offensive tackle. The point here is that a scenario exists that Andrews could sign elsewhere next off-season and Anderson could retire. Whitworth or drafted tackle? An interesting thought. If the Bengals do acquire a first round pick in next year's draft for Chad Johnson, what better luxury would you have replenishing your line based on questions that could go unanswered leading up to next year's draft?

But I think we need a natural guard. Our biggest folly was letting Steinbach go for extended contracts for our bookends. Marvin Lewis did speak highly of Nate Livings, so maybe he should be included somewhere.

But I'm really concerned about Center.
Eric Ghiaciuc really struggled last year. When Rudi Johnson stopped in his tracks, it was Ghiaciuc's guy that penetrated the backfield more than any other defensive lineman. Lewis has called out Ghiaciuc in the need to improve. Especially in a division with Haloti Ngata (340 pounds), Shaun Rogers (340 pounds) and Casey Hampton (325 pounds). If Ghiaciuc can't manage against these beasts, then what do we expect any running back to do? Though, like Livings, Dan Santucci was given approval from Lewis, "Santucci is a guy we feel good about in the future."

I wouldn't have a problem if the Bengals decide to go after several offensive linemen to revamp the depth to strengthen the running game. Thoughts?