Early Bengals 53 Man Roster Predictions (2022)

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Cincinnati Bengals

QB (2):

9. Joe Burrow

8. Brandon Allen

RB (3):

28. Joe Mixon

25. Chris Evans

34. Samaje Perine

WR (7):

1. Ja’Marr Chase

85. Tee Higgins

83. Tyler Boyd

11. Trent Taylor

80. Mike Thomas

17. Stanley Morgan

12. Pooka Williams

TE (3):

88. Hayden Hurst

89. Drew Sample

84. Mitchell Wilcox

OT (5):

73. Jonah Williams

71. La’el Collins

77. Hakeem Adeniji

70. D’Ante Smith

75. Isaiah Prince

G (3):

66. Alex Cappa

79. Jackson Carman

67. Cordell Volson

C (2):

64. Ted Karras

63. Trey Hill

DE (4):

91. Trey Hendrickson

94. Sam Hubbard

58. Joseph Ossai

90. Khalid Kareem

DT (5):

92. BJ Hill

98. DJ Reader

95. Zach Carter

96. Cam Sample

68. Josh Tupou

LB (5):

55. Logan Wilson

57. Germaine Pratt

59. Akeem Davis-Gaither

51. Markus Bailey

49. Joe Bachie

CB (6):

22. Chidobe Awuzie

20. Eli Apple

21. Mike Hilton

29. Cam Taylor-Britt

33. Tre Flowers

35. Jalen Davis

S (5):

30. Jessie Bates

24. Vonn Bell

23. Daxton Hill

40. Brandon Wilson

26. Tycen Anderson

Special Teams (3):

2. Evan McPherson (K)

10. Kevin Huber (P)

46. Clark Harris (LS)

Practice Squad (16):

6. Jake Browning (QB)

32. Trayveon Williams (RB)

16. Trenton Irwin (WR)

19. Kendric Pryor (WR)

81. Thaddeus Moss (TE)

62. Ben Brown (C)

93. Jeff Gunter (DE)

56. Wyatt Hubert (DE)

99. Tyler Shelvin (DT)

97. Tariqious Tisdale (DT/DE)

44. Clay Johnston (LB)

37. Delonte Hood (CB)

38. Brendan Radley-Hiles (S)

41. Trayvon Henderson (S)

4. Drue Chrisman (P)

48. Cal Adomitis (LS)

Cut (19):

27. Shermari Jones (RB)

36. Elijah Holyfield (RB)

18. Kwamie Lassiter II (WR)

15. Jaivon Heiligh (WR)

14. Jack Sorenson (WR)

86. Nick Eubanks (TE)

82. Scotty Washington (TE)

87. Justin Rigg (TE)

76. Devin Cochran (OT)

60. Desmond Noel (G)

61. Lamont Gaillard (C)

52. Noah Spence (DE)

50. Clarence Hicks (OLB)

47. Keandre Jones (LB)

53. Carson Wells (LB)

42. Allan George (CB)

39. John Brannon (CB)

43. Abu Daramy-Swaray (CB)

31. Michael Thomas (S)

Notes:

  • Don’t feel super confident in that WR unit beyond the top three. Could see them bring in a free agent prior to training camp.
  • For now, I included Pooka Williams at the bottom of the WR depth chart. Could see him being that gadget guy. He also brings special teams value as a returner. Could see Kendric Pryor or another UDFA competing for one of those bottom spots as well.
  • They seem to like Wilcox as the 3rd TE for his special teams work, but he is certainly not a lock. I think Eubanks and Moss will compete there.
  • It’s early but the OL seems pretty straightforward at this point. Maybe Cochran gets stashed on the practice squad.
  • Tons of DL depth. This was the toughest one to do without seeing any battles take place. Went with Kareem and Sample, who have already been on the roster, over rookies like Gunter and Tisdale. But this will be an interesting battle. Could go in a few different directions.
  • Not too much going on at LB. I don’t think I’m as high on Bailey as many are, but he seems to be established as the LB4. If they go with five at the position, I would expect Bachie and Johnston to battle it out. Was 50/50 split on them. Don’t mind either, but gave the slight edge to Bachie at this point. If the Bengals want six on the roster, then both should make it, barring any new additions.
  • Aside from Taylor-Britt, the CB room probably won’t look much different from last year. Maybe one of the UDFA’s beat out Davis, but Davis did have a good preseason last year. They have some solid UDFA’s at the position this year. Hood and George are both strong candidates for the practice squad.
  • The Bengals really loaded up at S this year. Until I hear otherwise, I will assume that Bates will be on the roster. Bell and Daxton Hill are also locks. The Bengals seem to lack returner options at this point, so I would hope that Brandon Wilson sticks around. He has shown he can do it at an elite level, prior to his injury. Debated whether to include Tycen Anderson as a 5th. I did end up including him, given that the team traded up for him. 5 safeties does seem a bit excessive though. We’ll see what happens there.
  • Feel a bit for Trayvon Henderson. Has always been solid, but the depth always seems to be too much for him to overcome. I kept him on the practice squad, but I wonder if this is the end of the line for him. He’ll be competing with Michael Thomas, in all likelihood. Radley-Hiles is a safety that has some potential, so I also included him on the practice squad. He’s one of my favourite UDFA signings.
  • Special teams will be interesting. They could stick with the status quo, going with the McPherson-Huber-Harris combo. But I do wonder if this is the year they actually make Huber compete for his job. If that is the case, I could see Chrisman winning it. Adomitis was the top LS in the draft, but I think it is a longer shot for him to supplant Clark Harris.

Homescreen Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)