We are a couple of days into training camp, but still in the early stages before things start ramping up. Before we start to see guys pull away in these camp battles, I’ve decided to take an early stab at predicting the Bengals 53 man roster. Of course, waivers and other free agent additions will factor in when the real time comes, but for now, I am working exclusively with this roster. These early ones are tricky, so I will be mixing in predictions with some moves that I would do, even if the team might not. Without having seen the rookies in NFL action, some of them lost out to veterans. But of course, as things progress, we are likely to see some of them step up and challenge for these spots.
QB (2):
9. Joe Burrow
6. Jake Browning
The Bengals are bringing 4 QB’s into camp, but rarely keep more than 2 on the roster. Burrow is obviously the starter and Browning established himself as the backup last season.
RB (3):
31. Zack Moss
30. Chase Brown
25. Chris Evans
Moss was signed almost simultaneously as Joe Mixon was traded. He’ll likely be the starter, with Chase Brown also mixing in quite a bit. I went off the board for RB3. Trayveon Williams is the favourite heading into camp, but I’ve been more impressed with Evans in each of the last few seasons. Based on his performances, I kept him as the RB3, though the team may disagree.
WR (6):
1. Ja’Marr Chase
5. Tee Higgins
81. Jermaine Burton
80. Andrei Iosivas
16. Trenton Irwin
15. Charlie Jones
The top 4 of Chase, Higgins, Burton, and Iosivas are locked into roster spots. Irwin and Jones aren’t locks, but are pretty close. Would be surprising to see either one left off. Irwin has been a reliable depth option, while Jones flashed as a punt returner last season.
TE (4):
88. Mike Gesicki
89. Drew Sample
87. Tanner Hudson
84. Tanner McLachlan
Gesicki is the starter and Sample is the blocking TE. The back-end competition will be more interesting if the Bengals activate Erick All off of PUP. But if not, Hudson and McLachlan should both make the roster. Hudson was a solid option in the passing game, while McLachlan is a rookie that brings a lot of upside to the table. If All ends up on the roster, Hudson may be on the outside looking in if they don’t keep 5 on the roster.
OT (5):
75. Orlando Brown
77. Trent Brown
71. Amarius Mims
79. Jackson Carman
70. D’Ante Smith
The top three are obviously locks. Carman and Smith don’t instill a lot of confidence, but they are the most established options currently on the Bengals roster. Maybe they sign someone or maybe one of the other guys can have a breakout offseason. But until either of those happen, I’d keep Carman and Smith on the roster.
G (3):
65. Alex Cappa
67. Cordell Volson
61. Cody Ford
The Bengals entered the offseason thin at the G position, and they didn’t do anything to address the depth. I kept 3 here with the thought that Carman and Smith will serve as versatile depth options at both G and OT.
C (2):
64. Ted Karras
62. Matt Lee
Karras is the starter, but the backup spot is up for grabs. Hill has underperformed in the last couple of offseasons, but a lack of depth still allowed him on the roster. Matt Lee was only a 7th round pick, but I thought his college tape was pretty solid. I like him to win this battle.
DE (5):
91. Trey Hendrickson
94. Sam Hubbard
99. Myles Murphy
58. Joseph Ossai
96. Cam Sample
This one featured the toughest decisions this far. Hendrickson, Hubbard, and Murphy are locks. Ossai is coming off a poor season, but I’m not ready to give up on him yet. The final spot was between Cam Sample and Cedric Johnson. At the early stages here, before having seen them in camp, I went the conservative route and kept the veteran. But I could definitely see Johnson earning a roster spot by the time the regular season rolls around.
DT (5):
98. Sheldon Rankins
92. BJ Hill
90. Kris Jenkins
68. McKinnley Jackson
97. Jay Tufele
The top 4 here are locks. Some might have cut Tufele to open up a spot somewhere else. However, I’m not ready to go that route. I think Tufele can still be a good rotational piece. As well, in a room with a couple of rookies, keeping an extra veteran depth piece would be good.
LB (5):
55. Logan Wilson
57. Germaine Pratt
59. Akeem Davis-Gaither
49. Joe Bachie
50. Shaka Heyward
The top 3 are locks, and Bachie is pretty close, given the lack of depth. I’m going out on a limb with Heyward making the team. I love his upside, but he has to take that step forward. If he doesn’t, Devin Harper has some NFL experience and could potentially replace him here.
CB (6):
29. Cam Taylor-Britt
20. DJ Turner
21. Mike Hilton
23. Daxton Hill
35. Jalen Davis
28. Josh Newton
CB would have been a tough one, but I took the easy way out and stashed DJ Ivey on PUP. But if he were to be activated by the Bengals, it would make for an interesting conversation. In any event, the top 4 here are locks. Davis is not, but Taylor has spoken highly about him in the past, and he has been a reliable backup for the slot, and a good special teamer. Newton makes it as a rookie, who the team seems to be high on.
S (4):
22. Geno Stone
24. Vonn Bell
27. Jordan Battle
26. Tycen Anderson
The top 3 here are locks. The battle for the 4th spot will be interesting. I kept Anderson based on his performance in last year’s preseason. I also wasn’t a huge fan of Daijhan Anthony’s tape, but as a draft pick, he’ll be knocking on the door.
Special Teams (3):
2. Evan McPherson (K)
7. Austin McNamara (P)
48. Cal Adomitis (LS)
McPherson and Adomitis are the only players on the roster for the Bengals at their position. McNamara and Robbins will battle it out for the punter job, and I have McNamara winning. Robbins isn’t in the same ball park when it comes to leg strength. McNamara gives them a punter that can flip the field more consistently.
PUP (1):
38. DJ Ivey (CB)
NFI (1):
84. Erick All (TE)
Practice Squad (16):
11. Logan Woodside (QB)
36. Noah Cain (RB)
19. Kendric Pryor (WR)
12. Shedrick Jackson (WR)
81. Hakeem Butler (WR)
76. Devin Cochran (OT)
74. Eric Miller (OT)
60. Jaxson Kirkland (G)
66. Nate Gilliam (C)
52. Cedric Johnson (DE)
51. Justin Blazek (DE)
72. Domenique Davis (DT)
95. Zach Carter (DT)
44. Aaron Casey (LB)
42. Allan George (CB)
33. Daijhan Anthony (S)
Cut (16):
4. Rocky Lombardi (QB)
32. Trayveon Williams (RB)
34. Elijah Collins (RB)
17. Cole Burgess (WR)
18. Kwamie Lassiter (WR)
86. Tre Mosley (WR)
85. Cam Grandy (TE)
63. Trey Hill (C)
93. Jeffrey Gunter (DE)
69. Devonnsha Maxwell (DT)
53. Travis Bell (DT)
56. Devin Harper (LB)
45. Maema Njongmeta (LB)
39. Lance Robinson (CB)
41. Nate Brooks (CB)
37. PJ Jules (S)
40. Michael Dowell (S)
10. Brad Robbins (P)
8. Ryan Rehkow (P)
*This article has been updated to reflect recent signings.
Home screen image via: All-Pro Reels (CC)