Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp Profile: Mohamed Sanu


Mohamed Sanu celebration

Denny Medley – USA TODAY Sports

I have to say, Mohamed Sanu is one of the players who I’m looking forward to see play next season, not just on the Cincinnati Bengals, but in the entire NFL. Sanu won’t be challenging no. 1 receiver A.J. Green for his spot any time soon, and he may not even be fantasy viable, but only time will tell in that aspect. The reason I — and a lot of people I’ve spoken to on the matter – cannot wait to see Sanu back on the pitch is because of the possibilities. At this point, they’re endless! The thing is: Sanu left last season on such a cliff hanger that Bengals fans everywhere are eager to see if he can continue the damage he began to wreak before ending his season early due to a fracture in his foot.

There’s a big reason for all of the hype that is currently surrounding the third-round rookie who is entering his second year, and that was what he did last season before sustaining his season-ending injury. After going the first six games of the 2012 season with barely a catch to his name, the boards suddenly lit up with the name Sanu, as he scored four touchdowns in three games before missing the rest of the season due to surgery on a fracture in his foot.

So far in the Bengals’ spring organized team activities, Sanu has managed to impress. Considered to be one of the Bengals’ biggest red-zone threats but not considered to be any sort of viable down-field threat because of his 9.8 yards per carry (YPC) in 2012, Sanu was taking a large amount of deep plays right throughout May and in the beginning of June, too.

Although he is the favorite for no. 2 receiver and no. 1 slot receiver on the team, the Bengals don’t plan to make it easy for Sanu. Marvin Jones, drafted in the fifth round last year, is battling Sanu for the no. 2 spot and will not take any decision on the matter lying down. Unfortunately for Jones, an injury-plagued rookie season meant that he saw no playing time until December and finished off the season with only 201 yards and one touchdown, but there is no doubt that his pretty reasonable yards for one month will have him in close contention for the no. 2 spot.

Training camp will have a whole new personal dimension added to it when it begins on the July 25 with HBO‘s ‘Hard Knocks‘ focusing on the Cincinnati Bengals for the second time in the history of the show. As they normally do during the span of the show, at least one episode will likely focus on some of the more interesting training camp battles. Although I would imagine it will be largely focused on Sanu, the battle as a whole should receive some attention.

Simon Greene – Cincinnati Bengals Writer. Follow Simon on Twitter @simongreene88

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