Bengals Final 53-Man Roster Projections: Who Makes the Cut?

Cincinnati's front office has some tough decisions to make.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Aug 28, 2023 8:35 AM EDT

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Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — The Bengals have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to trim their roster down to 53 players.

Here's our final projection, which includes changes in the tight end and running back rooms:

Quarterback (2): Joe Burrow, Jake Browning

Browning secured the backup job by outplaying Trevor Siemian throughout the preseason. He was much better against Atlanta and Washington.

If it wasn't for his late first half lull against the Packers in the preseason opener, then he might've ran away with the job. Browning wasn't perfect and the Bengals could look to add a veteran that gets released, but he'll likely be their backup in the regular season opener against the Browns.

Running Back (3): Joe Mixon, Chase Brown, Chris Evans

The Bengals may keep four running backs, but Trayveon Williams is a vested veteran, which means he isn't subject to waivers. Moving on from him and signing him to the practice squad makes sense, especially since his sprained right ankle kept him out of all three preseason games. This gives the team some roster flexibility at other spots.

Wide Receiver (7): Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, Charlie Jones, Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas and Stanley Morgan Jr.

Irwin has had a great camp and is locked in as the fourth wide receiver behind Chase, Boyd and Higgins. Iosivas has been a bright spot during camp and Jones flashed plenty before tweaking his shoulder in practice. Jones will be the starting punt returner as long as he can play through the injury.

Some may be surprised that Morgan made it, but he's a special teams ace and likely a roster lock.

Tight End (4): Irv Smith Jr., Drew Sample, Mitch Wilcox and Tanner Hudson

Smith and Sample are locks. The Bengals activated Wilcox from the PUP list for a reason. He's a quality blocker, special teamer and can make plays on offense when called upon.

Hudson may have played his way onto the 53-man roster after hauling in four receptions for 42 yards on Saturday night. He's clearly a weapon in the passing game and could give Cincinnati real insurance at the tight end position behind Smith.

Hudson beats out Williams for the final spot on the roster.

Offensive Line (9): Orlando Brown Jr., Jonah Williams, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Cordell Volson, D'Ante Smith, Cody Ford, Max Scharping and Jackson Carman

The Bengals decide to keep Scharping as the backup center and Ford as their backup guard.

Carman and Smith beat out Adeniji for the final tackle spots. It is worth noting that Smith suffered a left shoulder injury in the preseason finale against Washington. If it isn't serious, then he likely secured a spot with a quality camp/preseason.

Defensive End (5): Sam Hubbard, Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample and Myles Murphy

Some will be shocked that Raymond Johnson III isn't on this list, but there just isn't a spot for him, assuming Ossai's ankle injury isn't serious. If it is, then the Bengals could keep Johnson around and move Ossai to injured reserve after he makes the initial roster.

Defensive Tackle (5): DJ Reader, B.J. Hill, Zach Carter, Josh Tupou and Jay Tufele

Reader, Hill, Carter and Tupou are all safe. Could the Bengals cut Tufele and keep Johnson?

That may become a discussion, but losing Tufele would be a big blow to the defensive line. Johnson made it close, as did Domenique Davis, but the Bengals try to sneak both to the practice squad in this projection.

Linebacker (5): Germaine Pratt, Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joe Bachie and Markus Bailey

The linebacker position appears to be the easiest to project. All five of these guys appear to be locks to make the final 53-man roster.

This projection hasn't changed since the start of training camp.

Cornerback (6): Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner II, DJ Ivey and Jalen Davis

This is another deep room that leaves some interesting names without a roster spot.

Awuzie continues to look great coming off of an ACL injury and is expected to be ready for the start of the season. Cam Taylor-Britt has battled with Chase and Higgins in camp and it looks like he's going to make a second-year leap. Turner has arguably been the Bengals' most impressive rookie.

The major change here is Ivey getting the nod over Allan George and Sidney Jones IV. Ivey has flashed all offseason long and even though it didn't full translate in the preseason opener, he has a good shot of pushing Jones for that final roster spot.

Safety (4): Dax Hill, Nick Scott, Tycen Anderson and Jordan Battle

Mike Thomas is the odd man out. Anderson has shown enough on defense and special teams to make the team. Battle is settling into his role and the Bengals would love Thomas to sign with their practice squad in this scenario.

Hill and Scott are entrenched as starters. This quartet is young, athletic and versatile.

Specialists (3): Evan McPherson, Brad Robbins and Cal Adomitis

Robbins will get the nod over Chrisman and McPherson went 8-for-8 on field goal attempts in the preseason. He was already a lock to make the roster, but he looks poised to take a big leap this season.

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