Post lock- Preview: The Cincinnati Bengals

With the lockout prepared to end, the Cincinnati Bengals face many questions and not a lot of time to answer them. Here is a list of the major questions the Bengals face:

1. Who will be the opening day starting quarterback against the Denver Broncos?

With Carson Palmer set to retire, the Bengals quarterbacks consist of Jordan Palmer and rookie 2nd round pick Andy Dalton. Bengals coaches and players have praised Dalton's abilities and believe he can be the opening day starter. However, the Bengals may look to free agency for a stop-gap starter so Dalton can be groomed.

Here is a list of unrestricted free agents expected to be available:

Mark Bulger, Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Alex Smith, Rex Grossman

These players are rumored to be available for trade:

Kyle Orton, Donovan McNabb, Matt Flynn, Kevin Kolb

The Bengals will most likely go with a cheap free agent or simply hand the reigns over to Dalton.

My Bet: Andy Dalton starts opening day

2. Who will be the opening day starter at running back?

Cedric Benson is a free agent but he's made it no secret he would like to stay with the Bengals, and the Bengals have done the same. However, in light of Benson's most recent arrest, he has severely damaged his chances of not only resigning with the Bengals, but he may also be suspended by the NFL. If a deal cannot be reached, the Bengals will be left with Bernard Scott, who they don't believe can be an every-down-back. Brian Leonard is also there, but he is more of a 3rd down back.

Here are some available free agents:

DeAngelo Williams, Michael Bush, Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Cadillac Williams, Kevin Faulk

My Bet: Bengals let Benson walk, sign a free agent RB to split carries with Bernard Scott

3. Will the Bengals re-sign Jonathan Joseph?

The Bengals have arguably one of the top cornerback tandems in the NFL in Leon Hall and the man known as Jo-Jo. The problem is that Jo-Jo is a UFA and Leon Hall is on the last year of his contract. The Bengals would like to re-sign both, but if they have to pick, they’ll most likely go with Hall, due to his more consistent play. From 2008-2010, Hall has played in 48 of 48 possible games. Joseph has only played in 36 of 48, missing 12 games due to various injuries. The chances of the Bengals resigning Joseph went up when Adam Jones, Joseph's potential replacement, was arrested last week. He's had multiple run-ins with the law and if the Bengals don't cut him, he'll likely be suspended by the NFL, leaving the Bengals with Hall, Morgan Trent, and Brandon Ghee, both of which ended the year on the injured reserve list. They also signed Fred Bennett and Jonathan Wade mid-season last year, so they may factor in the rotation as well.

My Bet: Jo-Jo leaves for more money with another team, probably either Houston or Philadelphia

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4. Will Andre Smith finally play like a top 10 draft pick, or retain bust status?

Andre Smith has been very enigmatic in his play since the Bengals selected him 6th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He held out and missed a full month of the preseason, suffered a broken foot that cost him 10 additional weeks, re-broke his foot last November and missed the remainder of the 2010 season. He's reportedly shown up to off season team workouts in the best shape he's been in since coming into the NFL. He's still recovering from the foot surgery, but already looks better than before. Andrew Whitworth, the Bengals team captain, had this to say of his teammate: "Talent is not his issue. His weight has been the only issue. He showed up at these(offseason) workouts under weight, lighter than he's been since he's been here, and that's with him having a boot on his foot. The first thing he(Andre) said to me was, 'Whit, it's my time. Time for me to step up.” Lets hope this time he really means it

My Bet: Plays between 12-14 games at a good level but keeps his bust status.

5. How many games can the Bengals win this year?

The Bengals have one of the easiest schedules and have a chance to do some damage this year. If they can get a good veteran QB who can be a game manager, have their defense play at the level they played in 2009 when they were ranked 4th overall, and focus their offense on letting Cedric Benson carry the load, then they can take advantage of the easiest schedule in the NFL, and potentially steal a game or two from the elite teams. This could result in 8-10 wins for the Bengals. If they elect to let Benson walk go with the rookie Dalton as their QB and focus on the passing game more, his growing pains will likely be too much for the Bengals to overcome and they'll finish with only 4-6 wins.

My Final Record Prediction: 6-10

By Jason Marcum
ProFootball-fans.com Cincinnati Bengals Correspondent