The Bengals 53-Man Roster Is Finally Coming Into Focus...
The Bengals finished the preseason 3-0 after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 32-13 on Friday night, and John Sheeran is breaking down his final prediction for Cincinnati's 53-man roster.
Video Transcript
All right, cool.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I hope no one heard that.
That was really loud.
For the first time in two decades, the Cincinnati Bengals are leaving the month of August without a single loss on their record.
Pre-season record, but record nonetheless.
I'm John Sheeran of A to Z Sports Cincinnati.
This is A to Z Sports Cincinnati, covering your Cincinnati Bengals now at the conclusion of the 2026 pre-season, in which the Bengals are 3 and 0 after three, and only three, exhibition games.
The Bengals just defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 30 to 13 to close out their pre-season, their only road pre-season game.
Now they're going home, back to Cincinnati, and the next 48 hours, technically like 42, 43 hours, are gonna be about deciding who is on the 53-man roster.
And judging by who played on Friday night, who didn't play on Friday night, and how the guys who were actually on the field looked, I think some roster decisions were definitely solidified.
Maybe there's more debates to come over the next day and a half with the coaching staff and looking at who else is out there.
But right now we're gonna go through the entire 53-man roster, judging by, by some observations that we made over the course of the game.
And if you haven't subscribed to the channel yet, please cons- consider subscribing.
We're gonna go live after basically every single game that the Bengals play this year, along with, obviously, your daily content throughout the week.
So make sure to not miss any of it.
Consider sub- subscribing to the channel.
So without further ado, let's go ahead and see what we got with this 53-man roster.
There we go.
Now we, we can share the screen here.
So not a lot of changes on my end going into this game.
Obviously J- you know, Josh Johnson and Shawn Clifford at quarterback played all of it.
Josh Johnson played the first half, Shawn Clifford played the second half.
I would expect one of those guys on the practice squad, no notes really at quarterback.
I think Josh Johnson has also kinda done enough, to make a 53rd roster someplace else.
So I, I would expect that to be the case wh- when that time comes around.
He, he's played well.
And honestly, that was one of the biggest takeaways from this pre-season, is how much of a luxury it is for the Bengals offense to have quality quarterback play in the pre-season, and how it just allows you to evaluate the rest of the roster so much better and so much more cleaner, and receivers get actual opportunities to catch the ball down the field.
So kudos to both Johnson and Clifford for, you know, giving the rest of the team, you know, great chances to evaluate, you know, what how these guys are.
And honestly from the fans' perspective, just give us, you know, some watchable offense, which has very rarely been the case when you're talking about the Bengals in the pre-season.
So not m- really much to be said about, quarterback.
Running back, Taj Brooks did not have a good night.
Obviously, he had that fumble on the kickoff return, and was outshined as a ball carrier by both the undrafted rookies in Kentrel Bullock and Jamaal Haynes, who I both think are prime targets to return to the practice squad at this point.
It's just a matter of if other teams are going to be, you know, interested in poaching one of those guys for their own practice squads, right?
So that, that'll be something to watch, you know, obviously, as, as roster cuts go and the waiver wire gets scoured, and I would imagine that, you know, they, they made some fans out of teams who are in need of running backs right now.
So it would be great if the Bengals kept both of them, but I don't think either one is necessarily going to supplant Taj Brooks at this time.
I think Brooks is more trustworthy in pass protection, although shout out to Jamaal Haynes for having a phenomenal rep, picking up a blitzer in the A-gap against the Eagles.
So that definitely helps out, his case to catch on to someplace else.
But maybe it was too little too late.
It was definitely awesome to see them break off those long runs and, create some forced missed tackles.
So, you know, they got some talent, and I think it would be great for the Bengals to keep him on the practice squad in case injuries pop up.
You know, only having three on the roster, on the 53-man roster is not a lot, and that's a situation in which depth could be tested during the season.
Now we're gonna get to wide receivers, and this is where, like, the first real battle in terms of just going from quarterback to safety in that order is Th- this is wh- this was a question entering the night.
What are the Bengals gonna do with the bottom of this group?
You know, b- beneath the likes of Yosh Vas and Colby Young.
Is it gonna be a return man in Dante Myers?
Is Dante Myers gonna be the return man and they can, they can keep a guy like Mitchell Tinsley?
Charlie Jones, Keishon Williams seem to be in this two-way battle to see who is going to be the primary return man and make the team along with Dante Myers, who had another great game.
Only th- you know, only played really one drive, but in that drive he had three receptions for fi- for 51 yards.
He is He, he was just m- so much more athletic and so much more gifted than any of the, defensive backs for the, for the Eagles at that point in the game, and really just, just for who the Eagles were playing at that time.
So I, I really didn't think that Dante Myers had to play in this game in order to prove himself to be worthy of the 53-man roster, but he did, and he continued to show that, yes, he does belong on the fields, on the field when Sunday comes around.
So I, I would expect him to make the team.
But now I don't think he's going to make the team as the return man.
I think that job is still probably Charlie Jones' to lose at this point.
39, return yards on three punt returns.
He also had some opportunities as a receiver, was able to finally catch some passes that were thrown his way in which he was, you know, able to catch it.
So, we don't really see that often from Charlie Jones in the regular season, and I wouldn't expect to see it often during the regular season, a- as well, like th- this time around this year.
So I, I think he's going to make the team, not because of what he can do as a receiver, but because he's still probably their most reliable return man, and he proved that again on a Friday night.
So this is how I see the, the Bengals wide receiver corps right now.
Obviously Chase, Higgins, and Yoshi leading it with Colby Young coming right behind them as like one of the main backups, Charlie Jones active as that returner and emergency depth, and then see if they can find any role for Dante Myers early in the season, because I think he, he can definitely help them out and give them an added element at the receiver spec- specifically in the slot that they do not have with either Yoshi or Colby Young, who's gonna take majority of slot snaps.
Then you go to tight end.
I, I wonder if Jack Andrews is as safe as I would like him to be.
He did play obviously very deep into this game.
He suffered what looked to be like a leg injury in which he like w- went down low for some sort of a wham block, and he wasn't able He, he tried to like pop back up, pop back up really quickly but wasn't able to do so.
It almost looked like his leg just completely gave out on him, which really made me concerned about if this is like a serious injury and if he's gonna miss time in the regular season.
But he ended up returning to the game and almost, caught a touchdown.
Obviously there, there was a pass thrown into the end zone, but it was a little bit off target, so he didn't really have a chance at catching it, but, was able to return to the game, which is obviously a very good sign.
The fact that he played this deep into the, into the game ma- makes me think like, how safe is he?
I still think that they should keep him, and I do think that they are interested in keeping him, but the fact that Tanner Hudson did not play in this game at all, he was just in street clothes for all of it, very much tells you that he is safe to make the team.
These four are gonna make the team.
It's just a matter of do they have the space?
Are they going to create the space to make sure that Jack Andrews also makes the team?
We don't know.
And I, I think it's I would say right now yes, which is why he's on this prediction, but I would not be surprised if they feel like they can get him back on the practice squad.
Remember, this team does not cut draft picks.
They haven't cut a draft pick since 2020, I believe at, at, at the earliest, so, or 2019.
It's been a long time, and they do not like to do it, and I do think that it's worth keeping Jack Andrews on the team as a developmental piece a- at the tight end room, especially when, you know, again, like Mike Esekie and Tanner Hudson aren't really your traditional tight ends.
So you need more guys who can block.
And I thought that Andrews, again, was really good in that regard in this game.
Then you get to the offensive line.
I think Javon Foster is the swing tackle.
I, I, I'm pretty confident in that right now.
Posted a clean sheet in pass protection as the left tackle for the entirety of the game against Philadelphia, which was very impressive.
I s- thought there were some rough moments in which he was losing against speed, and, there was a throw Josh Johnson made that was a little bit rushed just because I think he sensed the pressure coming from his blind side.
That's gonna be who Javon Foster is, though.
He doesn't have the greatest athleticism, doesn't have the quickest kick slides, and he's going to lose to bendier speed rushers, a lot like Orlando Brown Jr.
But I think in terms of power, in terms of overall hand usage, I think he's a little bit better than Jalen Rivers in that regard, and that's why they gave him an opportunity today, and really all week he was repping at left tackle throughout practice the entire week, knowing that this opportunity was ahead of him.
I thought he did good enough to beat out Jalen Rivers for the job right now.
It's a matter of do they think they can find someone better on the open market, whether it be waivers, whether it be a trade, whatever the case may be.
I think right now in terms of the guys that they have on the roster, Javon Foster is probably their answer at swing tackle.
But I don't think that means that Jalen Rivers is out of a job just yet.
If, if it were me, I would have Jacob Bayer make the team.
If, if th- if this was me constructing the roster, I think Jacob Bayer has been one of their eight best offensive linemen.
He gives you guard, center versatility, and I think he's just performed really well, especially better than Jalen Rivers.
But I don't think that Rivers is completely out of the woods yet, I think because he was a draft pick from last year and he was kinda just thrown all over the place this preseason.
They, they asked a lot of him, and again, like I don't think he did enough to win out the job, the most important job, which is, you know, the swing tackle position.
But it would not surprise me if Rivers was kept around, continued to develop as like the ninth offensive lineman on this team, mainly because I think, again, like the Bengals aren't just thinking about the best 53-man, 53-man roster, the best 53 players for the roster.
It's also about who they think they can get back on the practice squad.
And I believe that they believe that Jacob Bayer is more likely to be able to retain on the practice squad rather than Jalen Rivers, who has played, you know, significant snaps in the regular season, who was an actual draft pick.
Bayer was like an undrafted guy who, w- was originally with the Buffalo Bills last year, and then he was able to be signed to the Bengals practice squad in the middle of the season after Matt Lee got injured.
So that matters, you know?
Like the evaluations of these guys rarely leave them in timely fashion, and Jacob Bayer is still young enough where I think if he were available on waivers, the Bengals probably will be able to bring him back.
I, I thought he played well enough to the point where if a team needs a center/guard, backup, versatile swing guy, I think he would be someone that I would definitely be interested in if I was, another team looking for that.
But I, I think the Bengals are probably confident that they can get, Jacob Bayer back i- in their arms, and that's why I, I would, I would have, Jacob Bayer on the practice squad right now and Ja- Jalen Rivers making the team.
There we go, fixed the camera a little bit.
And then at center, you know, Connor Lu is healthy enough to back up Ted Karras at this point.
That's another reason why Bayer may, may make the team, which is I'm not, like, totally confident in this prediction right, right here with Jaylen Rivers and Jacob Bayer.
The fact that Connor Lu is still, like, you know, he's only played two preseason games.
I, I thought he had a mixed bag performance on Friday against the Eagles.
If they feel like Bayer is just the better backup right now to Ted Karras, if they need to bring in a backup if something happens to Ted Karras, like, I could see that argument for Bayer, and that's why I think he's going to be one of the highest priority, practice squad additions, signings if you will, just for that reason.
But Connor Lu's healthy enough to be the backup right now, and hopefully he doesn't see the field anytime soon.
Then you go over to the defense.
I don't really have any changes with the defensive line.
Isaiah Foskey has been playing a lot this preseason and, he did have a sack against the Eagles and that was nice.
He did get injured really late in the game, and that does concern me a little bit about his health.
But I think he's a definite addition to the practice squad.
Someone who played under defensive coordinator Al Golden at Notre Dame.
Was a second-round pick, I think a lot of people forget that, but he was the second-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints.
Just hasn't really done anything in the regular season but, you know, he played a lot of snaps for Chamarr Stewart after Stewart went down on this depth chart.
Cedrick Johnson, I don't believe played in this game, though, and that should say a lot about how they feel about him in this depth chart and in this position group.
I, I think the five edges are very much set.
It's g- gonna be a matter of how quick S- Chamarr Stewart comes back and if he's able to play in week one.
If that's not the case, then I could see Foskey being, like, an obvious elevation candidate off the practice squad.
I don't think the Bengals are gonna have too much of, of a difficulty bringing him back to the practice squad, but I think they like Cedrick Johnson a little bit more, and that's why he didn't play.
Chris Jenkins also did not play in this game.
It was Lyndon Robinson, McKinley Jackson who was starting out there at defensive tackle.
And Lyndon Robinson, no surprise to nobody, was, was really good again.
Like, had a couple of pressures, even made a, a play, like, really late in the game in the backfield.
But, I think on the second snap of the game, he'd just beat, like, a double team up the middle and got into the face of Tanner McKee, forced a throw that, in which, Takaryo Davis was able to bat away in coverage.
So the guy just continues to make disruptive plays in the backfield at defensive tackle.
I don't expect him to play that often this year, especially if all these guys in front of him stay healthy.
But I don't see the Bengals moving on from him.
And therefore, I, I, as of right now, expect them to keep 11 defensive tackles.
I do think that if there is going to be some type of a player for player trade, I would not be surprised if Chris Jenkins is involved in those talks as someone who could potentially get the Bengals a swing tackle in some sort of a player for player swap.
But I don't think Robinson's getting cut and I don't think Chris Jenkins is getting cut.
I think when Sunday night rolls around, both of them are gonna be on the 53-man roster if a trade hasn't been made.
The biggest change for me in my prediction going from, where my projection was last week, I think four linebackers is very possible for the Bengals, and there are a couple reasons as to why.
Obviously, if you keep five tight ends, if you keep nine offensive linemen and 11 defensive tackles, you need to go light someplace.
And the position on defense in which the Bengals aren't going to rely on their depth very much is at linebacker, mainly because this is now a 3-4 defense through and through in terms of who their base personnel is.
And when it's not 3-4, odds are it's gonna be their, their nickel or dime, right?
In which there's still only at maximum two linebackers on the field.
Having only two backups on the 53-man roster is definitely not the end of the world.
And actually, this is incorrect.
I don't mean to have Joe Giles-Harris on here.
I mean to have Swayze Bozeman.
Swayze Bozeman is firmly a second-team linebacker on this roster right now, and Oren Burks is not going anywhere as one of, as their main veteran backup to this group, and someone who's gonna be valuable on special teams.
But looking at who is going to play actually during the games and who's gonna be active, even if they had five linebackers on this team, I could see only, you know, in all likelihood, I can still only see four of them actually dressing for the game.
So you're talking about Joe Giles-Harris, who I just re- removed from this prediction, and, Shaka Hayward probably as the two guys that I would try to get back on the practice squad, mainly because of their value on special teams.
And if there was an injury to either Carter or Knight, like, putting in Burks or Swayze Bozeman is definitely not an ideal situation.
You would like to have better backups than, than these guys in terms of their abilities on defense.
But I thought, you know, Bozeman has been pretty solid in the preseason in that regard.
And I, I think Oren Burks just sticking around for the duration of the off-season, that was enough for them to be like, "Yeah, like, this guy is gonna He's, he's gonna be here for the regular season," because he's just their best overall backup and someone who can play on special teams.
So I, I can see four linebackers just for the sake of what this defense is.
And also for the fact that both Cassius Howle and Boye Mafe, I think they're gonna have some opportunities in which they're gonna be off-ball backers very, in very rare situations.
But I think their abilities of dropping back into coverage and, and playing off of the ball, you know, in sparingly situations, I, I think that gives them a little bit more depth.
And maybe you can throw in the fact that, you know, Kyle Dugger can come up to the box and be, like, an overhanging defender, like, almost like a smaller linebacker.
So there are ways in which the Bengals can create a little bit more depth than just having four true off-ball linebackers.
But again, if there, there's a position that they can afford to go light it, at, and based off of, like, how they've used them so far in, in practices in the preseason, I, I think linebacker is the position in which they can go a little bit light.
And finally, you got the secondary and you got the specialists.
There's no notes to be had with specialists.
They didn't have any competitions, w- with their, punter, long snapper and holder, n- and kicker.
But at cornerback, I thought this was decided before the game as well.
Jasir Taylor Taking the backup job to Jalen Davis in the slot.
To Cario Davis and DJ Ivy, I think tho- those guys also had their reserve spots locked in before this game started.
It was nice to see Josh Newton make a nice play on the ball and put out some good tape for a team that's probably gonna be in need of a cornerback.
I don't think Josh Newton is coming back.
I, I think that the Bengals would be okay with having him on the practice squad, but I imagine that he gets an opportunity elsewhere as a former draft pick who has played significant snaps on this defense over the last two years.
I just think it's just been a little bit too late, the little, too little too late, for Newton.
And while he's made some decent plays in the preseason and in training camp, I, I think that Ivy has done more and has just been given more chances to prove himself in that regard.
And a- again, like I think J- I think Jasir Taylor had that backup job in the slot over Braylon Lux a long time ago.
So that is just all that needs to be said at cornerback.
And then safety, I wouldn't be shocked if PJ Jules gets cut, but he's played more special team snaps than, like 98% of the team this preseason, and that was the case again.
It w- He did have a holding penalty on one of the first punts of the game.
And on defense, like he's a liability.
He's missing tackles.
He's, doesn't have any power when he does tackle.
I don't think he has a lot of coverage ability.
He won't see the field, even if they suffer an injury at safety.
It's gonna be the Kyle Dugger show, and I could see a guy like Russ Yeast make the practice squad in case they do suffer an injury as a guy that they can elevate in that scenario.
But speaking of the practice squad, again, I think Shawn Clifford has the best chance of being back.
I think Josh Johnson has a good chance of catching on someplace else on an actual roster, and the Bengals should definitely let him do that, and they won't really have a choice.
But Shawn Clifford, ideal practice squad quarterback.
He's done a lot in the preseason.
He was a lot better than I expected, in these, in these two games, so kudos to him.
Having three running backs on the 53 means that two running backs on the practice squad is very probable, so put in both of the undrafted guys in Haynes and Bullock for that spot.
KeShawn Williams, I think, is a great practice squad receiver as well, someone that gives you, a backup returner and who can be elevated in emergency situations, but also, I- is a good backup to Dante Myers in the slot as well because they're both kinda shifty, quicker, receivers who can generate separation in that regard.
Noah Thomas, I think is also worth keeping around as a developmental project.
He had a, he had a drop in tonight's game, but I, I think he's been impressive in his very limited opportunities in camp and, you know, high weight speed athlete out of Georgia, somebody who knows Colby Young a little bit.
So, you know, they, they've had some of these r- wide receivers on the practice squad in recent years that just don't really have the, the size and the, the physicality and the overall athleticism that Noah Thomas has, so I think he's worth keeping around.
Josh Kadis, undrafted rookie tight end.
They have five tight ends.
If they go with five ti- tight ends on the roster, maybe this is a situation in which they don't have one on the practice squad because five is more than enough.
But if they want a tight end on the practice squad, I, I could see Kadis.
This could also very well be Cam Grandy.
But if they wanna get, go a little bit younger, I could see Kadis taking the spot.
Andrew Coker as the practice squad tackle, that makes a lot of sense.
Jacob Bayer, I think he deserves to be highlighted here as like the most important guy that they wanna keep on the practice squad, if not on the 53-man roster.
Isaiah Foskey is probably right behind him at defensive end.
Howard Cross, Shaka Hayward, Jack Dingle, guys who are gonna be very valuable in special teams.
But Howard Cross made the team last year, at least at the beginning of the year, and another guy that Al Golden knows well as they were both at Notre Dame together.
And then Braylon Lux, Russ Yeast as some of your practice squad defensive backs.
So that's it.
That's how I think the 53-man roster is going to shake out for the Bengals.
It's been a very productive preseason in training camp for this team.
I don't really have a lot of complaints, in terms of the, the work that they've done.
They've obviously been very healthy in, in both practice and the preseason.
I was really scared if Injuries was gonna get hurt long term, and maybe that would've changed the equation a little bit in terms of how many tight ends do they keep, but it seems like he is going to be fine.
Vanguard brings up a good point, "We're not keeping Mitchell Tinsley on the practice squad?"
Good point.
Mitchell Tinsley, I think the Bengals would like to bring back on the practice squad, and I think they'll have a good chance of bringing him back on the practice squad.
But he's also someone that proved himself a little bit in the regular season last year, had a great preseason.
And while there is a plethora of receiver talent out there I- in the NFL that's ava- gonna be available on the waiver wire, I, I could definitely see Tinsley landing someplace else.
And I think he deserves to be on a 53-man roster, so I think a lot like Josh Newton, like guys who I think the Bengals would love to have back on the practice squad, but I'm predicting that Tinsley is not gonna find his way back to the Bengals on the practice squad.
I think it's a tough decision for them to make, but it's a decision that Dante Myers has really forced them to make, and I was not expecting that to be the case.
I, I thought that they could keep both Tinsley and Myers, but it seems like they want, Charlie Jones or KeShawn Williams, probably Charlie Jones to be the primary r- primary returner and just have Myers really focus in and honing in on being one of these backups at receiver.
So it was just a matter of My- I think Myers just outperforming Tinsley in the preseason, but that obviously doesn't mean that Tinsley can't play, and I think other teams are gonna recognize that as well.
So I would not predict Tinsley to land back at the practice squad just because I think another team is gonna really value him.
But again, I could be wrong.
Predicting the practice squad is just a total crapshoot, and odds are the Bengals will not have all 16 players on their practice squad from their actual roster that they have right now.
Typically, the Bengals will poach players from other teams, maybe at least like one or two.
So we'll see what happens then.
Practice squad will probably be built sometime Monday night or Tuesday.
Final cuts obviously are due 6:00 p.m. On Sunday, and then the deadline to make waiver claims, it will be Monday at 1:00 p.m.
So right after that waiver claim deadline at 1:00 p.m. On Monday is when you'll start to hear if guys are accepting deals back to the practice squad or they wanna try their luck or they're going to, you know, go to other practice squads.
So Tinsley, I definitely think the Bengals would like to keep him around.
In this prediction, I just don't have that just because I think he'll find interest someplace else.
But guys, that's gonna do it.
That's been three live streams in three weeks going after each and every one of the Bengals, Bengals' preseason games.
We're gonna continue doing these in the regular season.
Definitely give me some feedback on what you would like to see from these live streams as well.
It's been a lot of fun just breaking it down and answering questions from you guys.
I didn't get to any questions really, tonight just going through the roster but, you know, we'll have this post up on a2zsports.com tomorrow morning, so definitely check that out.
And then yeah, keep it t- l- locked into this channel, locked into all of our social channels, and locked into a2zsports.com for all the latest news and updates on the Bengals' 53-man roster which will be set by Sunday night at 6:00 p.m.
So we'll break all of that down after that deadline happens as well.
We'll, we'll come out with a video breaking down any surprises or any developments and basically what the 53-man roster actually looks like.
And it'll just be the first of many 53-man rosters for the Bengals this year, but it is the one that I guess we care about the most.
So until then, I'm John Shearer, A2Z Sports Cincinnati.
We'll see you next time.
