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— Bobby Hart tops the Bengals‘ initial depth chart as the starting right tackle Cheap Marcus Davenport Jersey , but it’s more of a first draft than a final report.

No part of the team will be under closer scrutiny than the offensive line when Cincinnati hosts the Bears on Thursday.

The line became the offseason priority after the Bengals (7-9) finished last in the NFL on offense for the first time in franchise history. The line was the biggest problem, creating few holes for running backs and giving Andy Dalton little time to throw.

Two weeks of training camp started sorting it out, with Hart listed as a starter for the moment. That could change quickly with a bad performance, dropping someone to the second unit.

“There is not a ‘first’ offensive line,” coach Marvin Lewis said Tuesday.

Hart was the first move in changing the line. The Bengals signed him Feb. 14 as a free agent from the Giants, where he started 21 games at tackle over the past three seasons. He’s competing with Cedric Ogbuehi at the spot.

Ogbuehi was a first-round pick in 2015 when he was recovering from a torn ACL. He started 12 games in 2016 at right tackle and 13 last season at left tackle Donte Jackson Youth Jersey , but struggled at both spots. His competition with Hart at right tackle will come down to how they perform in the preseason games.

Hart’s experience helped him get the early edge.

“He’s got the experience and the chip on his shoulder,” Lewis said. “He’s a guy battling for a job, battling to be a starter. He’s still a very young player, a good athlete, a big man, still has development ahead of him. That was the attraction to Bobby.”

One of Cincinnati’s biggest moves in the offseason was trading first-round draft slots with Buffalo to obtain left tackle Cordy Glenn . He’s backed up by Jake Fisher Marcus Davenport Youth Jersey , a second-round pick in 2015 who started seven games at right tackle last season before a heart condition required a procedure.

Left guard Clint Boling is the main holdover on the line, entering his eighth season — the past six as a starter. Trey Hopkins returns at right tackle, where he started the last 11 games last season.

The Bengals’ other big move to upgrade the line came in the draft. They took Ohio State center Billy Price in the first round and installed him as the starter. He had some problems with snaps early in camp.

“Billy still has to go out there and earn the job,” Lewis said. “We are giving him the first crack at it.”

The coaches would like to have the competition sort out so they can get their starters enough playing time together during the preseason.

“That area has to play as one,” said Duke Tobin, director of player personnel. “You can’t have five individuals up there. There’s still a lot of work to find out who that five are going to be and get them playing as one unit.”

DARK CLOUD OVERHEAD: A downpour 45 minutes into practice forced drenched players to head for cover at Paul Brown Stadium. Practice resumed about an hour later in a steady rain. The Bengals are the only northern NFL franchise without their own covered practice field.

NO BURFICT: Lewis said Vontaze Burfict won’t play Thursday. The linebacker wasn’t cleared to practice until Monday because of a hamstring problem. Burfict is suspended for the first four games of the season because he violated the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.

WHAT ABOUT EIFERT?: Lewis declined to say whether tight end Tyler Eifert will play against the Bears. He was held out of the start of camp as he recovers from chronic back problems that limited him to two games last season.

The Buffalo Bills took the first step in restocking their quarterback position by agreeing to a two-year contract with A.J. McCarron.

The 27-year-old spent the past four seasons backing up Andy Dalton in Cincinnati after being selected by the Bengals in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

McCarron’s signing on Wednesday came a few hours after the NFL’s free-agency period opened Rashaad Penny Youth Jersey , and five days after Buffalo traded three-year starter Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland. The trade left 2017 fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman as the only quarterback on Buffalo’s roster.

General manager Brandon Beane said he intended to add a veteran quarterback this offseason to provide experience.

With two picks in each of the first three rounds of the draft, Buffalo also is expected to target one of the highly touted quarterback prospects.

McCarron was a two-time national champion at Alabama but appeared in just 11 games in Cincinnati, mostly in mop-up duties. McCarron did start the final three games of the 2015 season and led the Bengals to the playoffs after Dalton broke his thumb.

Against Pittsburgh in the wild-card playoff game, McCarron had the Bengals in position to win their first playoff game since the 1990 season. Jeremy Hill however lost a fumble, and penalties on Vontaze Burfict and Adam ”Pacman” Jones set up the Steelers for a winning field goal in the final seconds.

Though he missed his rookie season because of a sore passing shoulder, McCarron was allowed to become an unrestricted free agent after an independent arbitrator ruling last month. McCarron was also nearly traded to Cleveland last season Frank Ragnow Youth Jersey , but the deal fell through after the Browns failed to submit the paperwork on time.

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