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Though Cincinnati Bengals starting QB Andy Dalton isn't counted amongst the elite players at his position, he's played well enough to get the team into the playoffs the past two seasons. However, as we look ahead to the 2013 campaign, the team has yet to identify the player that will be his primary backup.

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After new Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid got a look at his inherited troops this offseason, one player who really stuck out to him was RB/WR Dexter McCluster. And apparently, his new QB also envisions a big role for the Mississippi product.

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Moving from 2012 to 2013, the safety position was an area of concern for the Philadelphia Eagles, no matter who was going to be coaching the team. So, they signed Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung in free agency before adding Earl Wolff in the draft. In the early portion of the offseason program, incumbent Nate Allen was lining up with the first team alongside Chung, which was somewhat confusing given that Phillips has the best resume of the bunch.

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Given the opinion in some corners of the Internet that the Dallas Cowboys have under-performed in recent seasons (based upon their assembled talent), there has been speculation that HC Jason Garrett is on the hot seat as we look ahead to the 2013 season. This idea has gained steam as the club has hired former NFL head coaches to serve as his assistants; after all, any of these men could serve as the interim HC if Garrett were to be canned mid-season.

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Following the news that San Francisco 49ers WR Michael Crabtree had torn his Achilles tendon, we ran through a list of speculative possibilities in terms of possible replacements. Internally, the club will lean on Anquan Boldin, A.J. Jenkins, Mario Manningham (recovering from a Week 16 knee injury), TE Vernon Davis and potentially rookie Quinton Patton. As for the outside options, former Niner Randy Moss is one of the ones we listed, and per a new report, at least one side of this potential deal is interested in making it happen.

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The Miami Dolphins attacked free agency this offseason with aplomb, and one of the areas where they made significant changes to their roster was at WR. Brian Hartline was re-signed, Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson were added, and Davone Bess was traded to Cleveland. Things are naturally going to look a bit different as Ryan Tannehill scans the field this fall, and this week we got some hints as to how that will be.

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There was a time that the New York Giants (and by extension, many fans) were intrigued by the possibilities of the 6-foot-6 WR Ramses Barden. However, in four seasons with the team, he managed just 29 catches total, and never really panned out. Barden did have one quite bright spot on his resume: a nine-catch, 138-yard performance on the "Thursday Night Football" program, starting in place of Hakeem Nicks. He attempted to peddle his wares to the 31 other NFL teams in free agency this offseason, but it appears that he may be headed back to Big Blue.

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After undergoing surgery to repair a broken leg, Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson initially wasn't supposed to be ready to practice with his teammates until training camp, but the veteran took part in every one of Wednesday's OTA drills, according to the Detroit News' Chris McCosky.

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There are few bigger unknowns this offseason than whether Chip Kelly can translate his high-flying Oregon offense into a prolific system for the Philadelphia Eagles. ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski took a deep look at the film and said on 97.5 The Fanatic this week that he doesn't see it working well.

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UPDATE: Although he thought that Hakeem Nicks would work out with some "limitations" to protect last season's knee injury, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he expected the wideout to attend their OTA sessions which began Wednesday. However, Nicks was a no show, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News.

"I don't know," Coughlin said after the session. "He should be here."

Time will tell what Nicks' reason for being absent is, but it may well have to do with his contract running out after this season and his desire to ink a long-term deal.

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After four NFL seasons, Hakeem Nicks has yet to play a full 16-game slate. Last season, he missed three games and was never 100 percent. Things are looking better for Nicks this offseason, though, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News.

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Fantasy football owners waited and waited and waited for Michael Crabtree to live up to the expectations that come when a player is drafted tenth overall, as Crabtree was in 2009. The patience finally paid off in 2012, as the wideout posted career-highs in receptions (85), receiving yards (1,105) and touchdowns (9). Unfortunately, it appears that Crabtree's upward trend has come to an untimely end, as he tore an Achilles tendon during practice on Tuesday, according to USAToday.com's Mike Garafolo.

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Expectations remain extraordinarily high for Ryan Tannehill as he enters his second NFL campaign. Early in OTA workouts this week, Tannehill has looked good, according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson.

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Andy Dalton may be on the cusp of taking things to the next level this season, but he will have to improve his deep ball to do so. Per Joe Reedy of Cincinnati.com, "of balls in the air 20 yards or more last season, Dalton posted the fourth-lowest rating among AFC quarterbacks at 52.9. He was 19 of 73 for 633 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions." That's why Cincinnati Bengals coaches have been working with Dalton this offseason to improve his trajectory and accuracy, as well as quicken his dropback steps.

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It may be the offseason, but we shouldn't be surprised that the New England Patriots remain in their usual state of not sharing injury information with anyone. So, we don't know much more about reserve running back Brandon Bolden other than that he was not on the field with his teammates for OTAs due to health reasons, according to ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss.

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