Cincinnati Bengals Rumors: Is Pittsburgh Steelers WR Mike Wallace On Their Radar?

GEORGETOWN, KY – With NFL free agency set to start March 13, one team to keep an eye on in being a big spender is the (9-7) Cincinnati Bengals.

Thanks to one of the new provisions in the NFL collective bargaining agreement, teams now have the ability to roll over remaining cap room into the following season.

Cincinnati will have the third most amount of cap space in the NFL at $60 million after moving over $15 million dollars from the 2011 season.

Only the Kansas City Chiefs ($62.995 million, after rolling over $24.014 million from the 2011 season) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($60.496 million, after rolling over $23.519 million) have more money than the traditionally conservative and penny-pinching Bengals.

After coming of a 9-7 AFC Wild Card campaign—that would end with a 31-10 loss to the Houston Texans—the Bengals with their promising duo on offense of Pro Bowl quarterback Andy Dalton, tight end Jermaine Gresham and wide receiver A.J. Green, stout defense and some money to spend, Cincinnati could be the team to watch in the rugged AFC North.

With the possibility of losing acrobatic wideout Jerome Simpson and linebacker Manny Lawson via free agency, big names such as Dwayne Bowe, Vincent Jackson and Mario Williams are a real possibility for Cincinnati

One name in particular that may interest the Bengals is free agent wide receiver—and former Pittsburgh Steeler—Mike Wallace.

Wallace, the explosive and speedy four-year veteran out of Ole Miss, is widely considered one of the most dangerous deep threats in the NFL.

Wallace would have 72 receptions for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns in 2011-12. Wallace would see his production from his breakout 2010-11 slip due to the breakout of fellow Steelers wide outs in Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

With the likelihood of Green being double-teamed more in 2012-13, and the need of a speedy downfield threat for Dalton in the passing game, the addition of Wallace opposite Green would be a perfect fit.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter would state that Wallace would be a realistic target for the Bengals due to the Steelers being constrained by the salary cap—and in theory—If the Bengals were to sign Wallace to a offer sheet with a pro-rated signing bonus, Pittsburgh would then have to either match it, or risk seeing Wallace defect to a division rival.

Is Wallace worth a possible first round pick for the Bengals? Or does Cincinnati go in a different direction and look for a speedy wide out in the likes of Baylor’s Kendall Wright or Rutger’s Mohamed Sanu in the 2012 NFL Draft in April?

That is the question surely on the mind of Bengals owner and president, Mike Brown.

And only Brown can answer it, but the thought of seeing the explosive tandem of Wallace and Green is sure to be tantalizing none the less.

If the Bengals display the “eye of the tiger” in free agency, then the AFC North will soon become their proverbial jungle to rule in 2012.

Follow me on Twitter, @RobertCobb_76 and @The_BoxScore   

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