The Bengals roster now sits at 89, with 1 spot left open. It is likely that the final spot will be filled before training camp, but with the draft and priority UDFA portion of the offseason now complete, we know, for the most part, how things will look in camp. The final 53 man roster decisions will be based largely on camp and the preseason. That goes without saying. But with OTA’s just beginning, and really not making a difference in any positional battles, we only have the past to go by, at this point. Accuracy is a bit harder to come by in these early predictions, without seeing how the offseason unfolds. For this reason, I incorporate a lot more of my own opinions in the early ones, as opposed to the final predictions in September, where I am a bit more mindful of what the coaches might be thinking. This is something to keep in mind as you go through each position. We start off with QB, and will work down. There will be notes at the bottom, explaining some of my decisions.
QB (2):
9. Joe Burrow
19. Trevor Siemian
RB (3):
28. Joe Mixon
30. Chase Brown
25. Chris Evans
WR (6):
1. Ja’Marr Chase
5. Tee Higgins
83. Tyler Boyd
15. Charlie Jones
80. Andrei Iosivas
16. Trenton Irwin
TE (3):
81. Irv Smith
89. Drew Sample
86. Devin Asiasi
OT (4):
75. Orlando Brown
73. Jonah Williams
79. Jackson Carman
77. Hakeem Adeniji
G (4):
65. Alex Cappa
67. Cordell Volson
74. Max Scharping
60. Jaxson Kirkland
C (2):
64. Ted Karras
62. Ben Brown
DE (5):
91. Trey Hendrickson
94. Sam Hubbard
99. Myles Murphy
58. Joseph Ossai
96. Cam Sample
DT (5):
92. BJ Hill
98. DJ Reader
97. Jay Tufele
95. Zach Carter
68. Josh Tupou
LB (6):
55. Logan Wilson
57. Germaine Pratt
59. Akeem Davis-Gaither
51. Markus Bailey
49. Joe Bachie
50. Shaka Heyward
CB (6):
22. Chidobe Awuzie
29. Cam Taylor-Britt
21 Mike Hilton
20. DJ Turner
24. Sidney Jones
35. Jalen Davis
S (4):
23. Daxton Hill
27. Jordan Battle
33. Nick Scott
31. Michael Thomas
Special Teams (3):
2. Evan McPherson (K)
10. Brad Robbins (P)
48. Cal Adomitis (LS)
PUP (1):
71. La’el Collins (OT)
Practice Squad (16):
6. Jake Browning (QB)
34. Jacob Saylors (RB)
18. Kwamie Lassiter (WR)
14. Mac Hippenhammer (WR)
82. Nick Bowers (TE)
61. Cody Ford (OT)
76. Devin Cochran (OT)
63. Trey Hill (C)
69. Devonnsha Maxwell (DT)
72. Domenique Davis (DT)
93. Jeffrey Gunter (DE)
52. Terrell Basham (DE)
45. Tyler Murray (LB)
38. DJ Ivey (CB)
42. Allan George (CB)
26. Tycen Anderson (S)
Cut (19):
32. Trayveon Williams (RB)
36. Calvin Tyler (RB)
17. Stanley Morgan (WR)
11. Trent Taylor (WR)
12. Shedrick Jackson (WR)
88. Malachi Carter (WR)
87. Tanner Hudson (TE)
85. Christian Trahan (TE)
70. D’Ante Smith (OT)
66. Nate Gilliam (G)
69. Raymond Johnson (DE)
90. Owen Carney (DE)
53. Tautala Pesefea (DT)
47. Keandre Jones (LB)
44. Jaylen Moody (LB)
39. Marvin Tell (CB)
40. Larry Brooks (S)
37. Yusuf Corker (S)
4. Drue Chrisman (P)
Notes:
- Leaving RB Trayveon Williams will raise some eyebrows. If I was going for full accuracy, I’d probably include him. However, the thinking here is that Chris Evans has clearly outplayed him, in both the preseason and regular season. Yet, every time he made a play, it seemed to get him benched… for some reason. Then, a couple of mistakes stapled Evans to the bench permanently. Williams, meanwhile, has been close to the opposite. His preseasons have not consisted of the same kind of flashes, and his offensive production has been minimal. Though he did have a couple of solid kick returns, it is hard to compare what he has put on tape to the big catches that Evans has. But even through some of the slower times, the Bengals have stuck by Williams. Maybe that continues to be the case. If it is, Williams will make it over Evans. But my rationale here is that with an equal opportunity, Evans will continue to out-perform him, and earn a place on the squad. I could have kept Williams as the RB4, but leaving him out came down to the numbers game, and having players at other positions who I felt were more valuable.
- The WR position also fell victim to the numbers game. I typically like to go with 7 WR’s, but decided here to go with 6. Stanley Morgan is the odd man out. Though his play on special teams has been valuable, the Bengals have been revamping that unit with fresh talent. Morgan’s lack of offensive ability made him tough to keep around. However, using one of the veteran practice squad spots on him could also be an option. I decided to go with younger guys, like Lassiter and Hippenhammer, both of whom have more offensive upside. But I could see them keeping Morgan instead.
- OT Cody Ford was a tough cut, especially since Zac Taylor has been talking him up all offseason. I originally had him on the roster, but just couldn’t crunch the numbers. He was the final cut. Taylor can talk him up, but the fact remains that he has been one of the worst OL in the league since being drafted, despite being given chances at OT and G. Ford showed a lot of potential in college, I think he needs to show at least some flashes before he can just be penciled in above Hakeem Adeniji. I did use one of the veteran practice squad spots on him, however.
- OT D’Ante Smith was also a tough cut. He showed flashes as a rookie, but hasn’t been able to take any steps forward since. I didn’t include him on the roster or practice squad, but heading into the offseason, I’m not quite ready to count him out yet, either.
- Ben Brown makes it over Trey Hill as the backup C. Hill has never been super inspiring as the C2. Though Brown has his own share of issues, his college tape was better, in my opinion, and he comes with a much higher ceiling.
- DE Terrell Basham takes another one of the veteran practice squad spots. With the Bengals using a 1st round pick on DE Myles Murphy, it will be tough for Basham to crack the roster. But keeping him around in some capacity could be handy later in the year.
- LB is where I went heavier than usual. I went with 6, but could see the Bengals keeping 5, or even 4 LB’s on the roster. It just came down to how deep the Bengals are at the position. Bailey and Bachie have both been nice fill-ins when called upon. Hayward, as a UDFA, would be easy to leave off. But I loved his college tape when I went and watched it. I break down his game a little bit in a previous article. Still, including him is a bold take, but why not throw a couple of those in at this time of year?
- Rookie 7th round CB was tough to leave off. I think there is a lot to like about his game. However, the numbers didn’t work out. Plus, he might be raw enough to sneak onto the practice squad.
- S Tycen Anderson was another tough one to leave off. I already left off another special teams ace in Stanley Morgan, so I decided to keep Michael Thomas. He was a special teams captain last year, so he may be harder to supplant from that last S spot.
- UDFA’s I included on the roster: G Jaxson Kirkland, LB Shaka Heyward.
Featured Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)