Cincy could select QB

Associated Press

Cincinnati

Andy Dalton. Blaine Gabbert. Christian Ponder. The Bengals have watched each of the quarterbacks throw in private workouts the last few weeks, imagining how each might fit into an offense that’s currently in upheaval.

One of them might wind up in town this weekend, starting an extended stay.

The Bengals found themselves needing a quarterback when Carson Palmer decided after last season that he’s had enough and won’t be back. Younger brother Jordan Palmer is working out with Bengals receivers in California this week, assuming the role of No. 1 quarterback.

That could change.

Cincinnati isn’t likely to take a quarterback with the fourth overall pick in the first round. The Bengals are more likely to try to add a playmaker to their defense or look for a receiver to replace Chad Ochocinco.

“There comes a great value with that pick,” Marvin Lewis said on Monday, “and we want to make sure, in every pick that we make, that we get a player that meets that value and we feel real good about him in that particular slot.”

The Bengals think a desirable quarterback could be left in the second round. They’ve been sizing them up since the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in January, shortly after Carson Palmer threatened to retire if he’s not traded by a franchise that has two winning records in the last 20 years.

“I think it’s public, common knowledge that we spent a lot of time with all of these guys, from the time we spent in Mobile all the way through this past weekend,” Lewis said. “So it gives us a chance, I think, to know the guys. There is some depth.”