Bengals Roster Breakdown: iOL
Players:
65. Alex Cappa (G)
67. Cordell Volson (G)
74. Max Scharping (G)
60. Jaxson Kirkland (G)
66. Nate Gilliam (G)
64. Ted Karras (C)
63. Trey Hill (C)
62. Ben Brown (C)
Not a lot has changed for the Bengals at either iOL position. Alex Cappa is penciled in as the starting RG, and barring a big surprise, Cordell Volson Should once again start at LG. Cappa is well established at this point in his career, but Volson experienced some ups and downs. That is to be expected from a rookie, but now entering his second year, more consistency would be great to see.
Max Scharping isn’t the most inspiring backup, but the Bengals didn’t add much at the position. As well, the experience he brings is something that works in his favour. Scharping is who I’d expect to be first off the bench, but OT’s Hakeem Adeniji, Jackson Carman, and D’Ante Smith also have experience playing inside, and could fill in, should Scharping prove to be unsuitable.
Jaxson Kirkland is the only new face at the position. He is someone I had a draftable grade on, and comes with decent upside. Kirkland is raw at this point, but our depth is shallow enough for him to have a legitimate chance at cracking the roster.
Nate Gilliam rounds out the G position. To date, he has only spent time on various practice squads. He was signed by the Bengals last summer, and spent the entire year on the practice squad. Probably the longest shot on the list, but like I mentioned above, the depth is shallow enough to not completely rule him out.
Moving on to the C position now, Ted Karras, who was signed last year, remains the unquestioned starter. Trey Hill was his backup last year, but I haven’t seen a lot out of him in recent preseason games to feel totally comfortable with him as the backup. 2022 UDFA Ben Brown is his only challenger, but has enough potential to possibly snag the backup job. He missed all of last season with an injury, so putting some good stuff on tape will be important for him.
Modified Homescreen Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)