The Sports Xchange

When they broke for the spring, the Cincinnati Bengals were as healthy as they have been in more than a year. When they lined up Thursday for the final day of minicamp, they had wide receivers A.J. Green and Marvin Jones in the lineup, as well as tight end Tyler Eifert. All three missed last season’s wild-card loss to Indianapolis, so the offense looks ready to roll and help take quarterback Andy Dalton off the hook for four straight one-and-dones.

Also expected to be ready for the first day of training camp is another wide receiver who didn’t play in that game, James Wright. The offseason plan is on target so far, where the return of all of Dalton’s passing weapons will mesh with a running game boasting Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. The Bengals were sixth in the league in rushing last season for their highest ranking since the Corey Dillon days of 2001.

On defense, the Bengals’ front has been reinvigorated by the return of right end Michael Johnson from Tampa Bay and tackle Geno Atkins from rehab, giving them virtually the same defensive line rotation that helped the defense rank No. 6 and No. 3 in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Atkins, a three-time Pro Bowler, dominated the spring and has coaches and teammates saying he looks like he did when he was at the top of his game before he got hurt in 2013. In 2012, Atkins’ 12.5 sacks anchored a club-record 51 sacks.

The biggest question mark on defense is Pro Bowl WILL linebacker Vontaze Burfict, rehabbing a knee coming out of microfracture knee surgery. The hope is he will be back in late August and be ready for the opener in Oakland. But if he is not ready, former Packer A.J. Hawk has fit in seamlessly this spring and looks poised to get them through until Burfict returns.

The philosophy to stick with the plan continues. If Burfict returns for the opener, a team that has made four straight postseasons will line up with 17 starters from last year’s opening-day squad.