Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Bengals mail Part 2: Can Cincy improve LBs from within?

CINCINNATI -- It's been stated regularly -- perhaps overstated -- this offseason that the Cincinnati Bengals' past year was defined by an onslaught of injuries.

From losses at tight end to receiver to the linebacker corps, the Bengals were hit hard.

The linebacker injuries were arguably the most visible. When Vontaze Burfict wasn't on the field, the remaining players had trouble replicating his play. Once Rey Maualuga and Emmanuel Lamur were lost at the same time, chaos erupted. The linebackers couldn't avoid a dramatic drop-off in play and production.

So assuming the once-injured parties come back 100 percent healthy and remain on the team -- could it be possible for the unit to be dramatically better? Or will the fixes come from players yet to be signed?

This is where we begin with Part 2 of our weekend mailbag:

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