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CINCINNATI — The tight end position for the Cincinnati Bengals consists of starter Reggie Kelly and a cast of thousands.

Daniel Coats, Nate Lawrie, Erik Jensen, Tim Day, Sean Mulcahy, Bobby Blizzard and long-snapper Brad St. Louis.

How it will all shake down on Sept. 1 "Cutdown Day" is anybody's guess.

This much is clear: Kelly is a lock to make the 53-man roster. The top backup is a free-for-all.

"It's exciting," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "We've got some guys at tight end now.

"Daniel did some great things (against New Orleans), running routes against their DBs in the dime and nickel packages and getting open. Nate, too, came in and did some good things. He's only been here a few weeks and he's picked up the offense fast. Tim Day is another guy that's been hurt, but he's shown to be a very athletic guy. He picked up the offense fast.

"We've always got Reggie. He's the staple of our offense as far as run blocking and doing what he does in the run game. But we've got some young guys. It's going to be tough trying to find two or three guys who are going to make this team because they can all play and they've all done great things."

The big swat

Defensive end Bryan Robinson, who moves inside to tackle in third-down passing situations, has a knack for swatting passes.

The Bengals had nine pass breakups in the preseason opener at Detroit, and Robinson got one.

"He does a great job with that," defensive line coach Jay Hayes said. "It's about timing, anticipation and seeing when the quarterback takes his off-hand off the ball.

"He's got a big wingspan, gets his hands up and gets a push up the middle. That's what we have to get from our tackles and third-down pass rushers."

Livings large

Alex Stepanovich is listed as the No. 2 center behind Eric Ghiaciuc, but that's not etched in stone.

Seventh-round draft pick Dan Santucci is running with the third team, and Nate Livings is working at both guard spots and getting snaps at center.

Livings, an LSU product, spent his 2006 rookie season on the practice squad, where he got valuable experience as an interior lineman.

"I'm learning a lot," Livings said. "Like (offensive line coach) Paul Alexander always says, 'The more you can do, the better off you are,' "

Out of the Blue

Cornerback Blue Adams was dealt a major setback when he suffered a disc injury near the end of offseason workouts. He's spent the entire training camp rehabilitating.

"It's tough because it feels like you're not really in the circle," Adams said. "Your teammates are out there and you're on the sidelines. But you haven't seen the last of me. I plan to make my mark whenever I'm on the field, whether that be on special teams or defense."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@coxohio.com