Bengals 53 Man Roster Predictions:
QB (2):
9. Joe Burrow
16. Joe Flacco
No surprises here. Burrow is the franchise QB and Flacco proved last year that he is more than capable of leading the offence if he is needed. At some point, it would be good to see them add a developmental backup with upside, but I don’t think Clifford has a ton of upside. I opted to keep Josh Johnson on the practice squad. For a 3rd string QB, he is capable enough, especially for a team looking to win now. He’ll give you a chance in a spot start.
RB (3):
30. Chase Brown
34. Samaje Perine
25. Tahj Brooks
Brown is the starter and, barring an addition, Perine is locked into his role as the change of pace. Brooks is the guy who they invested a draft pick in, so I gave him the 3rd spot. But I am lower on him than others seem to be. I like the skill set that Haynes brings, and could see him challenge for the spot. For now, I put Haynes and Brightwell on the practice squad. Brightwell has shown some flashes in the return game.
WR (6):
1. Ja’Marr Chase
5. Tee Higgins
80. Andrei Iosivas
82. Mitchell Tinsley
86. Colbie Young
12. Ke’Shawn Williams
Gesicki is more of a WR than TE, so I went a bit lighter at this position and heavier at TE. I would have liked to find a way for Noah Thomas to make it, but couldn’t make the numbers work. He is on the practice squad, along with Charlie Jones and Kendric Pryor. The top 5 all seem pretty firmly on the roster. It is more so the positioning on the depth chart that has to be decided. In the last spot, I picked Williams over Jones. I think he looked a bit more dynamic in his opportunities last season.
TE (5):
88. Mike Gesicki
89. Drew Sample
83. Erick All
87. Tanner Hudson
84. Jack Endries
As mentioned, I went a bit heavier at TE, as you could sort of consider Gesicki more of a WR. Additionally, All seems to be healthy right now, but it would be tough to trust for a full season. Sample is a blocker and Endries is a rookie. Cutting Hudson might seem like the way to go at first glance, but it might not be something they are comfortable with. He is a reliable pass catcher, and can step in if needed, so I snuck him on. Grandy is a solid blocker – he got a spot on the practice squad.
OT (4):
71. Amarius Mims
75. Orlando Brown
61. Cody Ford
62. Brian Parker
The top 3 here should be locked into their roster starts. Mims and Brown are the clear starters, while Ford’s versatility has him in good standing with the Bengals. Parker could be considered a G, C, or OT. It doesn’t really matter for this exercise. The rookie is going to be on the roster. Andrew Cocker had a solid preseason last year. He just missed out on a roster spot. And I love the upside that Christian Jones brings. He was a tough cut, but I couldn’t make the numbers work. Both made the practice squad.
G(3):
66. Dalton Risner
63. Dylan Fairchild
74. Jalen Rivers
Risner and Fairchild are the starters, and Rivers will continue in a depth role. Ford and Parker can play G, so they factor into the depth here as well.
C (2):
64. Ted Karras
65. Connor Lew
Karras is the starter, and Lew is viewed as the potential C of the future for the Bengals. Both will make the 53 man roster for the Bengals.
DE (4):
53. Boye Mafe
99. Myles Murphy
94. Shemar Stewart
55. Chasius Howell
This is another position where the numbers game caused an extra casualty. Cedric Johnson was someone I would have liked on the roster, but he ended up on the practice squad instead. Foskey and Powell-Ryland both landed on the practice squad as well. The top 4 are all roster locks. The only question is if Stewart will end up on an injured list after hyperextending his knee. That would open up an extra spot.
DT (5):
97. Dexter Lawrence
92. BJ Hill
93. Jonathan Allen
91. McKinnley Jackson
96. Landon Robinson
DT was by far the Bengals messiest position to deal with. Jackson could easily end up on the outside. I like the player so I kept him in. Slaton could easily end up on the team instead. Jenkins ended up as a cut, but I think he would get traded before the team releases him. There probably isn’t too much value at this point, but I think they could recoup something. Obviously Lawrence, Hill, and Allen are locks. Robinson has a decent bit of upside for a 7th rounder. I have him on for now. We’ll see if he can earn it.
LB (5):
44. Demetrius Knight
49. Barrett Carter
42. Oren Burks
50. Shaka Heyward
43. Joe Giles-Harris
At LB, this is one where they probably don’t keep more than 5. Knight, Carter, and Burks should be locks. With the lack of depth, I think Heyward is a strong bet to make it. I gave the last spot to Giles-Harris for his special teams ability, but I could see rookie UDFA Eric Gentry making a play for it as well. For now, I put Gentry on the practice squad.
CB (6):
0. DJ Turner
23. Daxton Hill
35. Jalen Davis
23. Tacario Davis
26. Ja’Sir Taylor
21. Bralyn Lux
The first 4 should have their spots on the roster safe. Even if Jalen Davis doesn’t win the starting slot job, I expect him to be on the roster. Taylor has some veteran experience that could give him an upper hand. I gave the last spot to Lux over Ivey for his ability to play in the slot. But Ivey is a good special teamer, so that one could go either way. I haven’t been the biggest Newton fan, but he is solid enough to compete for the last spot as well. For now, I put him on the practice squad.
S (5):
6. Bryan Cook
27. Jordan Battle
29. Kyle Dugger
37. PJ Jules
Cook, Battle, and Duggar could all be regularly involved on defence for the Bengals. With one last spot open, Jules beat out Anthony for his strong play on special teams.
Special Teams (3):
2. Evan McPherson (K)
8. Ryan Rehkow (P)
46. William Wagner (LS)
Not much to go over here. The Bengals do not have second players at any of the special teams positions, so these three are locked in.
Practice Squad (16):
11. Josh Johnson (QB)
24. Jamal Haynes (RB)
32. Gary Brightwell (RB)
17. Noah Thomas (WR)
15. Charlie Jones (WR)
19. Kendric Pryor (WR)
85. Cam Grandy (TE)
76. Christian Jones (OT)
79. Andrew Coker (OT)
52. Cedric Johnson (DE)
51. Isaiah Foskey (DE)
56. Antwaun Powell-Ryland (DE)
58. Eric Gentry (LB)
38. DJ Ivey (CB)
28. Josh Newton (CB)
33. Daijahn Anthony (S)
Cut (22):
4. Sean Clifford (QB)
36. Kendall Milton (RB)
31. Kentrell Bullock (RB)
14. Jordan Moore (WR)
81. Dohnte Meyers (WR)
18. Xavier Johnson (WR)
48. Josh Kattus (TE)
73. Javon Foster (OT)
77. Corey Robinson (OT)
60. Liam Brown (G)
69. Jacob Bayer (C)
90. Kris Jenkins (DT)
98. TJ Slaton (DT)
95. Howard Cross III (DT)
68. Jordan Jefferson (DT)
47. Swayze Bozeman (LB)
59. Jack Dingle (LB)
45. Liam Anderson (LB)
40. Jalen Kimber (CB)
22. Ceyair Wright (CB)
39. Russ Yeast (S)
41. Isaiah Nwokobia (S)
No way they just go with 4 DE.
Could end up with 5 if Johnson or Foskey make it.