Written by Dave Biddle | 12 January 2010

* Mike Zimmer is back - Perfect start to the offseason for the Bengals. They could not afford to lose their defensive coordinator and there were rumors that the Redskins were going to offer him a big contract. Chances are that the Redskins settled on Jim Haslett and that (brace yourself) the Bengals didn't mess around and immediately offered Zimmer a solid deal. Yes, maybe things are slowly changing with the Bengals' front office. OK, never mind, maybe just dumb luck. You're right.

But the point is that the mastermind behind the turnaround of Cincinnati's defense is back for at least three more years. Terms have not been released but it will be interesting to find out in the coming days exactly what Zim will be paid. He sure deserves every dime he makes and the defense should be even better next season. Not only were they a young unit in 2009, but they suffered more than their fair share of injuries.

* Bengals will draft 21^st - It would have been 24^th in the old system, which was based strictly on regular season record (except for the Super Bowl teams). Hopefully the team doesn't reach based on a need and takes the best player that falls into their lap. For a change, they actually did that last year. They always talk about it, but they did it in 2009. They weren't looking for a linebacker, but couldn't pass up Rey Maualuga when he slid to them in the second round. They weren't looking for a defensive end, but didn't pass up Michael Johnson when he fell to them in the third round. Hopefully they follow the same blueprint as last year. The guy I really want for the Bengals is wide receiver Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State (via the Deion Sanders Academy) but he won't be available at 21. The Bengals would have to trade up to get him and I'm usually not a fan of trading up. However, if Bryant started to slide and the Bengals only had to trade up a few spots, say maybe to pick No. 15, then I would be in favor of it. But probably the best strategy is to just stay pat at No. 21 and see who falls into their lap. There are always a few surprises on draft day and not enough teams stay patient and just see who slides to them.

* If the Bengals don't draft Bryant - They have to draft a WR at some point. The current crop is not going to get the job done. Laveranues Coles won't even be on the team next season if I had to guess. You know Mike Brown will be looking to cut that contract given Coles' lack of production. ... Chad Ochocinco is as talented as anyone in the league, but he's almost 32 and will always be a headcase. You have to wonder how things will go for Ochocinco as he begins to wind down the years on his career. ... Andre Caldwell is a solid No. 3, but nothing more. Like Coles, he doesn't have much ability to get yards after the catch. Caldwell might have ran a fast 40 at the combine a couple years ago, but he doesn't play very fast with pads on. Again, I like Caldwell as a No. 3, but the Bengals need to find a true No. 2 to take some of the heat off Ochocinco. And it needs to be someone who is explosive. ... I like Quan Cosby a lot and think he can be a very good No. 4 WR for the Bengals in 2010 and maybe a solid No. 3. Just like on his punt returns, he does a good job of knowing when it's time to go north-south and get as many yards as you can. Could be the ideal slot receiver if he continues to develop. ... So, to summarize, look for the Bengals to take a wideout sometime in the first three rounds of the draft. And if a DeSean Jackson-like player is available, hopefully they don't pass on him to take a Jerome Simpon-like player.

* Marvin Lewis - Still looks like he's learning on the job even though he just completed his seventh year as an NFL head coach. He is so bad with clock management and knowing when to use challenges that I sometimes refer to him as "The Clueless Marvin Lewis." That might not be fair for a guy that just took the Bengals to the playoffs as the champions of the AFC North, but he simply makes too many questionable decisions.

* Bob Bratkowski - Maybe it wasn't all his fault and Lewis was telling Bratkowski how he wanted the games to be called. However, if the offense was 100 percent Brat's call this season, he should be fired immediately. The lack of production from the offense in 2009 was embarrassing. And for whatever reason, Carson Palmer appears to be regressing. Part of that is due to the mediocre group of wide receivers (other than Chad) and part of that is due to the offensive line not being competent at pass protection. However, Palmer doesn't look sharp even when he gets plenty of time and has wide-open receivers. I still think Palmer will be fine though in the long run. However, doesn't the offensive coordinator get some blame here for turning what used to be a Pro Bowl quarterback into someone who got outplayed by a rookie in the playoffs last week? And Brat's play calls are just so predictable at times that it's painful. Brat does not put Palmer in very good positions most of the time with his questionable play-calling.

* Shayne Graham - Has he played his final game in a Bengal uniform? Perhaps, but before you decide to get rid of Graham (who is a free agent, but the Bengals could franchise him again ... you can stop laughing now ... seriously stop laughing) you have to find someone who is better. I would suggest Mike Nugent who was a second-round pick by the Jets in 2005 and was last with the Arizona Cardinals when Neil Rackers was injured this year (and Nugent kicked well). Nugent holds every record in the book at Ohio State and could be a good option for the Bengals. Not that his college resume means anything now, but I think he would be an upgrade over Graham.

* Free agents - The Bengals need to re-sign Bobbie Williams, Tank Johnson and Roy Williams. The latter is the least-important in the group since Chinedum Ndukwe is a solid strong safety, but hopefully the Bengals learned you need depth in this league if you hope to go far in the playoffs. Roy Williams is a good enforcer at safety and I would love to see him back. Won't cost much either. ... Bobbie Williams is a no-brainer, even at the age of 34. In fact, with such a young offensive line, I'm glad Williams has a few years on his tires. The team needs his experience up front. Look for him to re-sign for two years if I had to make an educated guess. ... I also think Johnson will be back. The Bengals might have to pay him more than they want after he turned in a solid year and played through pain, but I think they'll get it done. The team has good depth at DT with Domata Peko and Pat Sims, but Sims is best suited as a No. 3 tackle. The team would like to get Johnson back as a starter next to the disruptive Peko.

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