T.O., Marshall, Gilyard could help Bengals

With the Super Bowl now over, NFL teams are going into the offseason looking to improve on last season’s flaws, and the Bengals are no exception.

If the Bengals hope to have another winning season — let alone a playoff run — they’re going to have to beef up their atrocious pass offense that ranked 26th in the NFL last season with only 2,890 yards.

A lot of people are placing the blame on quarterback Carson Palmer, however, it’s not Palmer’s fault, and it’s not the offensive line’s fault either.

It’s the wide receivers’ fault.

Last season the Bengals’ wide receiving core was abysmal. Of the five Bengal receivers, only Chad Ochocinco had a productive season from start to finish.

Andre Caldwell was fast out of the gate, however, he faded down the stretch, averaging only 20 yard per game and recording zero touchdowns in his last nine games.

And Quan Cosby and Jerome Simpson were about as useful as John Madden’s doodles.

The good news for the Bengals, though, is that this offseason will be one of the best in recent years for a team to strengthen its receiving core, especially since the 2010 season is looking more and more like it will be uncapped.

The first thing the Bengals need to do is cut their losses and drop Laveranues Coles, who seemed like he went into every game last season with hands doused in petroleum jelly, dropping ball after ball after ball.

Coles is past his prime and hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2006.

To get rid of Coles, the Bengals would have to pay him the rest of his signing bonus — around $5 million. This would be a smart move because there are much better receivers than Coles available in the free agency market.

If the Bengals don’t let Coles go, he still has three years and about $21 million left on his contract. I can’t see owner Mike Brown wanting to pay Coles as well as a top-tier receiver.

So who are these top-tier receivers who could end up with the Bengals next year?

The latest rumor started by Ochocinco himself is Terrell Owens, or “Ochouno,” as he said he would call himself if he came to Cincinnati.

While Owens is going into his 15th season at age 36, he has shown he can still be a deep threat and can still draw double coverage from defenders.

Despite playing for a less-than-average Buffalo team, Owens still managed a decent season with 55 receptions and 828 yards.

Lined up opposite Ochocinco, Owens could cause some big problems for defensive backs and become another great target for Palmer.

The downside to signing Owens is that, while you get his skills, you also get his attitude, ego and mouth.

Owens hasn’t played sidekick since his San Francisco days when he played opposite of the great Jerry Rice.

I can’t see Owens wanting to take a back seat to Ochocinco.

If you think it won’t be a problem since Ocho and him are both friends, think again.  

Remember when Owens was also “friends” with Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo?
Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

And think of poor Carson Palmer. God help him if he doesn’t play up to his receivers’ standards. He already has to deal with Ochocinco’s loud mouth, imagine the hell of having to take flak from Owens as well.

The other big-name receiver on the market is Denver’s Brandon Marshall, who unlike Owens, is a restricted free agent. That means Denver would probably force a trade and the Bengals would likely have to give up a first-round draft pick to acquire him.

While a first-round pick is definitely valuable, Marshall is worth it. Last season, Marshall recorded his fourth-consecutive 1,000-yard season.

Unlike Owens, Marshall is only 25 and has a lot of football years left, so it would be a good long-term commitment for the Bengals.

The Bengals can also look to improve their receiving core through the NFL Draft.

A good pick up would be Cincinnati’s own Mardy Gilyard, who has made it publicly known that he would love to play for the Bengals.

If Gilyard were still available in the second round, he would be a steal for the Bengals.

If you’re a Bengals fan, I think the best thing you can hope for is a trade to get Marshall, and then selecting Gilyard in the draft.

With Ochocinco on one side and Marshall on the other, and having a speedy receiver like Gilyard line up in the slot, the Bengals would have one of the best — if not the best — group of receivers in the NFL and be sitting pretty to make another playoff run.