The Cincinnati Bengals have been getting a lot of attention recently at the sports betting sites with the signing of wide receiver Terrell Owens. The team also signed first round draft pick Jermaine Gresham on Monday and that signing may be more important in terms of sports betting.
Sports betting site odds list the Bengals as 19-1 to win the Super Bowl this season. Cincinnati got a lot of attention with the signing of T.O. but getting Gresham signed and into camp is more important. He missed the first six days of training camp due to a holdout but the team and Gresham came to terms on Monday. Gresham was the 21st overall pick and was the best tight end in the NFL draft. He is expected to immediately take over the starting tight end position with the Bengals and he could be a very important piece to Cincinnati’s offense this season.
The Bengals have an extra preseason game since they play in the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday so Gresham has not really missed much. Head coach Marvin Lewis has even said that Gresham might play in Sunday night’s game vs. Dallas. The Bengals had listed Gresham as the starting tight end even though he was not in camp yet. They are that confident in his abilities. The Bengals has major troubles at the tight end position last season as Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht were injured.
Cincinnati is expected to have a very good offense this season but Gresham is a big key. Oftentimes with a high profile offense the tight end is the key player. The Bengals have Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens as the big name receivers but quarterback Carson Palmer needs a dependable tight end and the Bengals believe that Gresham is the player to get the job done. The Bengals still want to be able to run the ball this season and Gresham will also be a factor in the running game.
Cincinnati is not the favorite in the AFC North this season even though they are the defending champs in the division. The Baltimore Ravens are the favorite while Cincinnati is the co-second choice to win the division along with the Pittsburgh Steelers.