The Bengals: Predicting the 53-Man Roster Before Camp
John Sheeran projects the Bengals' initial 53-man roster as training camp gets underway, breaking down every position group and predicting which players will earn a spot on Cincinnati's roster.
Video Transcript
Breaking down In exactly one month, the Cincinnati Bengals will cut down their 90-man roster to 53 players.
And before training camp officially begins, and the preseason plays out, this is how I think it's going to go down.
I'm John Scheer of A to Z Sports, Cincinnati.
This is A to Z Sports, Cincinnati, covering your Cincinnati Bengals.
It's an annual exercise that we do every single year.
It's beyond mock drafts, it's beyond free agency projections.
It is projecting what the 53-man roster's going to look like for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Do we ever get it right?
Not exactly.
We come pretty close.
I think we come pretty close.
I think, for the most part, we get somewhere in that high 40s, sometimes even low 50s range.
Some positions are far more easier to project every single year than others.
And this year, I think it's going to be pretty difficult because I think for the first time in a long time, there's gonna be some legitimate, competent roster battles, where it's not just a matter of, okay, who is the shiniest of the turd here at either, I don't know, guard or defensive tackle or cornerback or linebacker, but it's gonna be guys with legitimate chances of making an impact on this team, whether it's just being a backup or a special teamer.
But guys with talent, who I think in past years would easily make the roster, and this time around, there's just more depth and there's more competition, and there's gonna be some quality players that are left wondering what their next move is gonna be.
And this is not gonna be the final 53-man roster projection that I have for atzsports.com/cincinnati, so definitely check out those future projections as this month goes on.
But right at the onset of training camp, I did wanna go through my initial 53-man roster projection, now that we know what the 90-man roster is gonna look like entering training camp.
So without further ado, let's go through my 53-man roster projection.
We're gonna go through this position by position, and obviously we're gonna start on offense, just like if you were to open up a roster sheet on Madden, you would start at the quarterbacks, and you work your way down through the offense, and eventually you would get to the defense.
But I think it's no question who's gonna make the team at quarterback.
Joe Burrow's the starter, Joe Flacco is the backup.
I'm also gonna do a practice squad projection as well, so one of the quarterbacks beneath Joe Flacco, Sean Clifford or Josh Johnson, I do think is gonna make the practice squad, but we're gonna go through all of that, once we get through the 53-man roster in and of itself.
But there is no competition here, really.
Josh Johnson was brought in to be an insurance policy in case the Bengals didn't bring back Joe Flacco in the first place.
But Joe Flacco was, like, re-signed, I think, like, a week or maybe two weeks later after Josh Johnson signed his one-year deal, so there's a lot of arms in that quarterback room.
They didn't even need to really bring in an undrafted rookie free agent, from this year's draft class, because they already have four guys that are gonna split reps, you know, somewhat equ- equitably, I guess, throughout training camp.
But yeah, this is Burrow and Flacco's room.
No, no real need for debate there.
And I think it's pretty similar with the running back room as well.
It's gonna be rather light, I would imagine, based off of how much other positions need in terms of depth and where the strength of the roster is, aside from the running back position.
Chase Brown's the starter, Samaje Perine's number two.
I don't think Perine's really gonna get challenged by Todds Brooks for that role, at least during training camp and the preseason.
Maybe something could change and evolve during the regular season, but, like, this is, this is their room.
This is the three of them's room, honestly.
And I think they would want to see what Brooks can do in a slightly more increased role, just in case they don't extend Chase Brown, to a contract extension before the regular season arrives.
But I don't foresee this group being four.
I, I think if there was a draft pick invested in this room, or if there was a free agent signing, to go behind Perine and Brooks, maybe I could see an argument, but I, I think they would like to keep four, but I just don't think the strength of the room is Like, I, I just don't foresee that being a smart decision.
I, I think that's something where they're gonna pass.
Because in the past, like, whenever they've kept three running backs, they typically have kept two on the practice squad.
And you can always elevate one of those guys for, for game days if you feel like you're gonna run the ball a lot for a certain week.
And I do think they are going to keep two running backs on the practice squad, but I think with Brown and Perine sharing the load as the 1A, 1B, if you will, with Brooks backing them up, I think that's more than enough for what they wanna do.
At wide receiver, I foresee six.
Again, I, I could see this being seven, but again, I, I just think there are a handful of positions that are gonna need more depth beyond, this room.
And I think six is gonna be more than enough behind, you know, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andre Swift as your starters.
Mitchell Tinsley, I think, is firmly wide receiver four right now, and it's gonna take something drastic to happen during camp for that to change based off of just what he did last year and how much he proved himself at this time last year, and then continued that in his, you know, limited opportunities during the regular season.
Colby Young, being the fourth round pick from this year's draft, he's pretty much a lock to make the team.
They're gonna want to see what he does as a rookie, but they're obviously looking at the future for him and potentially being a long-term starter if he can progress enough.
The first main competition, though, I think, is gonna be between Charlie Jones and Keishon Williams as the primary kick returner.
And maybe the winner of that battle wins out a roster spot and becomes wide receiver six.
Because honestly, it, it is tough in some weeks to activate all six of your receivers.
Sometimes, most of the time, I think you're only gonna have five of them dressing.
So this could be a scenario in which Williams could be ab- above Colby Young in the depth chart because they need him to return kickoffs and just back up the slot.
So I, I do think that this is gonna be a 50/50 battle between Charlie Jones and Keishon Williams, and I was impressed with what Williams did as a returner last year, and I, I think he's got more value as a slot receiver rather than Jones, who just doesn't really play offense anymore because he's just not available during the season to do that.
And I think they just really only like him, honestly, as a returner.
He has so many highlights every single year in practice and in training camp and in the off-season workout program, but we never see that translate into anything during the season.
So it really is now or never, in my opinion, for Charlie Jones to prove himself as a receiver.
And I think if he does that I think there's a greater chance that he beats out Williams, but I think Williams is honestly just more Like, it, it's crazy to think, because Williams was a rookie last year, but he actually was on the field as a receiver for both the Steelers and the Bengals last season, so Or at least more for the Steelers.
I, I think Williams has a good chance of, of beating out Jones and just m- staying more available than Jones, who just has dealt with injuries throughout the first three years of his career.
So I'm not counting out Charlie Jones here, but I, I can easily see Keeshon Williams winning out wide receiver six and being the main kickoff returner.
Moving on to tight ends, this was where I had, like, my first real debate, because honestly, with, with Williams and Jones, it's like a coin flip, but I'm really struggling to rationalize whether or not the Bengals keep four or five tight ends right now.
Because if they keep five, I, I think that's the best chance for Jack Andrews, the rookie seventh round pick out of Texas, to make the team.
But if they keep four, it's probably gonna be between him and Tanner Hudson.
And this is the scenario in which I, I think the Bengals could move on from Tanner Hudson.
It's not a scenario I think the Bengals would want to envision, because they like him so much and they just trust him so much whenever he's thrusted onto the field for opportunity.
Joe Burrow really likes him and he really counts on him be- just to just step in immediately without, like, any sort of warm up and just shake off the rust.
But I praised heavily the Bengals drafting Andrews in the seventh round, and I think if he gets a fair shot in the preseason, I think he's gonna impress.
And a- again, it, it's going to take a lot, I think, for him to really prove himself and to convince the Bengals to move on from Hudson and just keep him on the team.
But long term, this is probably the best move for them.
I think Andrews provides more value as a blocker.
He's definitely growing in that area.
And looking at the long-term future of this position group, I mean, Drew Sample's entering the last year of his contract.
It might not take a lot to bring him back, but you have to think about, you know, a contingency plan if he ends up moving on next year.
Mike Gesicki is just essentially this big slot receiver.
You need guys that can play in line.
I like Andrews for that, and he's obviously already, in my opinion, he's already one of their best receiving tight ends on the team.
So I think they could definitely go five.
They've gone five here in the past, and I think Cam Grundy still has a good chance of making the team as well.
But if they go four, I'm, I'm envisioning the scenario in which Jack Andrews does get enough reps and get enough opportunities and get enough targets during training camp in the preseason to show himself and to convince the Bengals to move on from Tanner Hudson.
And even still, Hudson would be able to make the practice squad.
There's no way he wouldn't.
Th- like, the, the NFL just doesn't value Tanner Hudson as much as the Bengals value Tanner Hudson, so I just, like, I, this is honestly what I want to happen, but honestly I could see this happening as well if the Bengals go four.
And then for the offensive line, I think three offensive tackles is pretty safe because there's not a fourth guy on the roster right now that I would trust, just making the team and filling in for significant snaps.
I really don't even trust Cody Ford, to be honest with you, and they're gonna give guys like Javon Foster and Andrew Coker legitimate shots of besting Ford to be the backup swing tackle behind Brown and Mims.
But for now, I, I, I think three there is fine, especially because Rivers, Jaylen Rivers, can play backup tackle in a pinch, but I think they foresee him more as a guard.
Same can be said with Brian Parker.
Again, he's got tackle experience from his days at Duke in college, but they probably see him more as an interior swing guy.
Obviously no debate about who's the starters at guard with Dylan Fairchild and Dalton Risner.
And now that Conor Lu is officially, you know, cleared to practice, he's recovered from his torn ACL, there's gonna be some sort of a ramp-up period I'd imagine, because, like, he hasn't really participated at all in practice during the off-season workout program.
But by the time, this time next month, he should be completely ready to go and fully acclimated, and he'll be Tucker Reasor's backup.
So that's a little bit light for my offensive projection here.
That's 24 players out of 53, which means the defense is gonna be a little bit heavier in that regard, and I think the reason why is gonna make a lot of sense.
Starting at edge, they need five here.
It's just too imperative to have a stable rotation of guys available all throughout the year.
They're probably keeping another one on the practice squad as well.
Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, those are your starters.
I have Cassius Howell above Shamar Stewart, but don't read too much into that.
I think that could just be a reflection of how this position group could look during the season if Howell gi- is given enough opportunities.
And Cedric Johnson, I believe, is probably ahead of S- of Cassius Howell on the depth chart right now, so they really like him.
I, I think he's firmly one of the five best, edge players on this group.
This would be cutting Isaiah Foskey and Antwane Roland-Powell, and again, like, that's just low-hanging fruit because those guys are just not as good.
And, and Roland-Powell I, I think has a great chance of showing himself a little bit in training camp in the preseason now that he's, like, y- or at least he should be playing on the line of scrimmage and rushing the passer, which is what he did so well at college in Virginia Tech.
But again, like, it's just a, it's a pretty deep group now, even, after the loss of Trey Hendrickson.
Hopefully these guys stay healthy, but I, I, I do think that Howell, Stewart, and Johnson, it's a pretty solid depth behind two starters that need to prove themselves a little bit more this year.
Defensive tackle, though, this is where things get really heavy, both literally and figuratively, because I, I do see them going six.
A- as of right now, I, I see six as the likely number based off of just how much they would want to keep these three fresh throughout the year.
It's the reason why, in my opinion, T.J. Slaton is still here as the backup to Dexter Lawrence.
I think when you have a scheme in which you're gonna deploy three defensive tackles pretty regularly on the field at the same time, you wanna make sure that you have depth behind all three of those guys, which could be the backup nose tackle, backup three technique, backup three technique.
These are your two starting three techniques in Allen and Hill, and then Dexter Lawrence is obviously your centerpiece in a nose tackle.
If you wanna run those odd fronts in which you have three interior defensive linemen on the field for a good portion of the game, and you want all three of these guys to be, you know, fresh and healthily rotated throughout both the games and the season as a whole, you need Plenty of depth behind them, and I think the Bengals could make the roster work in which they keep three, backups or reserves at defensive tackle.
I don't think Slayton is going anywhere.
I think if he was going anywhere, he probably would've been cut already and, and therefore, like, they wouldn't have had or felt the need to restructure Joe Burrow's contract to give him that added cap space when they could have just gotten the cap space from releasing Chidobe Slayton.
I do think one of McKelvin Jackson or Chris Jenkins is gonna make the team, and I think Chris Jenkins is just the better player, or maybe just, maybe just, that's just draft status just kind of speaking for him, just because he was a top 50 pick.
But I, I, I can definitely f- see Chris Jenkins seizing the opportunity if both of their jobs are on the line and showing more in training camp, the preseason, and especially because McKelvin Jackson has just been fighting so hard just to gain the coach's trust.
This was an issue last year when he was on the field so much during the preseason where it felt like he was truly on the roster bubble and fighting for his life there.
They played him more last year, and a- again, there, there were flashes here and there, but I think with Slayton already staying on as the backup nose, that doesn't really give Jackson much of a chance.
Like, do you really have room for three nose tackles?
Probably not.
Jackson's best chance is probably just to beat out Landon Robinson, but I think the coaches already love Landon Robinson.
I think Landon Robinson's already really locked in to make this team.
You know, he stayed in Cincinnati this off-season to get, you know, further acclimated and accustomed to, you know, his new environment and making sure that he's just all focused on training camp and making this team.
And I do think that if he wasn't a seventh-round pick, if he was like a fifth-round pick, I think he would've been a lock to make the team, but because he's a seventh-round pick, like maybe that's up in the air a little bit.
But, he's a guy that I just would not want to expose to the waiver wire, and I don't think the Bengals would want to either after he shows what he's capable of during the preseason.
So this is 11 defensive linemen that are in my projection, and it, it's a lot, but it's also, I believe, what the Bengals kept last year, when they just wanted a lot of depth there, and now they have quality depth, which is something that they haven't had along the defensive line in quite some time.
At linebacker, I, I think five is probably the right number, and it's just a ba- it's just a matter of whether or not, like, undrafted guys like Eric Gentry or Jack Dingle can beat out Joe Giles-Harris or Chaka Hayward.
But Giles-Harris was one of their main special teamers last year.
I, I don't think that Darren Simmons is gonna be willing to part ways with him after just a year.
Chaka Hayward has earned some snaps on defense in some emergency situations, and he's also, well-versed now on special teams.
Oren Burks, I believe, is still firmly linebacker three, just because there hasn't been that investment there at the position behind Barrett Carter, Dimitri doesn't have to push either of those guys.
So I, yeah, I, I think Burks is probably still safe to make the team, even though, again, n- not a lot of about him that's quite impressive.
But, you know, it's just a matter of they just haven't really done anything at, at the position.
So it, it's still a spot that is very much open to another guy coming in, whether that's a waiver wire guy or a surprising trade.
But as of right now, I, I can't, I can't see them having more than five, on the team, especially when, again, they're gonna be running schemes in which there's only gonna be two on the field at most.
So I, I think five is the right number.
To wrap things up with the secondary specialist and the practice squad, we'll start at cornerback.
DJ Turner, Dex Hill are your locked in starters.
Jaylen Davis is the favorite to be the starter in the slot, and I think it's just a backup for each of them as, are gonna make the team.
I could see this being a group of just five if they feel like, a guy like Jasir Taylor or Braylon Lux, who's gonna be firmly in the competition to make this team or potentially even start, if they feel like those guys have inside, outside versatility, and Josh Newton, I think, is a part of this conversation as well.
I think there's a chance that we could see five, but, I, I think six is probably a safe number as well, considering that injuries typically impact this position more than others, and they have to rely on their depth.
So I think they would want as many options as, they can get when the season begins.
Dakario Davis is definitely gonna be a lock, and he should have asterisks next to him because he is a rookie, he's a draft pick.
But DJ Ivy, very now accomplished and experienced special teamer who, when he's been on the field on defense, I, I think he has impressed and flashed.
He was kind of their go-to, like, slot tight end, matchup cover guy, and I, I, I don't know if they want that to be the case this year, especially now that they have Kyle Dugger at safety and some other options that they can deploy there.
But I, I do think that Ivy has, probably the best chance to be right behind Davis as, like, the, that fifth cornerback on the team.
And then again, with Jasir Taylor, he's mainly been in the slot in his career, but he also has played on the boundary.
I think this is really between him and Braylon Lux.
If they can't beat out Jaylen Davis to be the starting slot, who is gonna be Davis' backup?
I, I foresee two of those three names to make the team, and it's just a matter of who impresses the more in training camp and preseason with their reps. At safety, I, I think four is pretty much a, a secure number to project here.
I don't foresee this being three.
It could be five, but again, that, that would be a scenario in which maybe they keep only five cornerbacks.
But I think 10 overall defensive backs is probably safe.
But at safety, this is really just a matter of if PJ Jules can be beat out by Daijahn Anthony or Russ East or their rookie undrafted free agent who may or may not make the practice squad.
PJ Jules played a lot of special teams last year.
I think he's firmly up to the challenge of replacing Tyson Anderson as their special teams ace, captain at the position, the personal protector on punt teams as well.
But Brian Cook, Jordan Battle, Kyle Dugger, don't foresee those guys going anywhere.
No real competition at specialist.
Ethan McPherson's your kicker, Ryan Rico's your punter and holder, and William Wagner is your long snapper.
Real quickly, I just wanna go through a very loose practice squad projection.
Mind you, the Bengals do not typically keep 16 of their own players for prac- for the practice squad.
That number's typically between, like, 12 and 14, and they like to poach, players who were cut from other teams and invite them, invite them to the practice squad.
So I think the real number of players that the Bengals waive and bring back, it's probably gonna be around 13 or 14.
But if they do keep all 16 of their own players on the practice squad, I could see it being Shawn Clifford at quarterback, Gary Brightwell and Kendall Milton, their running back, Charlie Jones and Kendrick Pryor, wide receiver, Tanner Hudson at tight end, Andrew Coker as your emergency offensive tackle, Liam Brown, a rookie undrafted free agent out of Montana, as like your swing interior practice squad guy, Antoine Powell Ryland at Did I say his name wrong?
I might have said his name wrong during the video.
But Antoine Powell Ryland Jr. As your practice squad edge, Hau Cross III as your practice squad defensive tackle, Eric Gentry and Jack Dingle as your rookie practice squad linebackers, Josh Newton as one of your more, quote-unquote, "experienced," practice squads guys at cornerback, Braylon Lux at cornerback as well, and Isaiah Njokuobia as your practice squad safety.
Again, I'm not as confident with this practice squad projection, but th- these are some names that I could foresee them, keeping around in the locker room.
So that's gonna be my pre-training camp Bengals 53-man roster projection.
Who did I leave out?
Who do you think is making the team that I left on the cutting room floor?
Let me know down in the comments below.
