Cincinnati Bengals 53-Man Roster Projection: Pre-Training Camp Edition

This is our pre-training camp roster projection.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Jul 25, 2023 9:12 AM EDT

In this story:

Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — Veteran Bengals players report for training camp on Tuesday.

Cincinnati is hoping to become the first team to win the AFC North for three consecutive seasons.

This is considered the deepest roster they've had during the Zac Taylor era.

Here's our pre-training camp projection of their 53-man roster:

Quarterback (2): Joe Burrow, Trevor Siemian

There's certainly a path for Jake Browning to beat out Siemian in training camp, but the veteran has the edge. He's familiar with the system, has starting experience and should be the favorite to win the backup job behind Burrow.

Running Back (3): Joe Mixon, Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams

Will Chris Evans show he can be the passing down back? Williams passed him in the rotation midway through last season. After taking Brown in the fifth round and re-signing Williams, Evans could be the odd man out in the Bengals' backfield.

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

The Bengals could opt to keep seven wide receivers after adding Jones and Iosivas in the draft. If that's the case, then Irwin and Morgan are the two veterans that they could keep behind their "big three" of Chase, Higgins and Boyd.

Trent Taylor needs to outperform Jones as a punt returner to earn a roster spot.

Tight End (3): Irv Smith Jr., Drew Sample and Mitch Wilcox

Smith and Sample are roster locks. They re-signed Wilcox this week for a reason. He may have the edge over Devin Asiasi if they only keep three tight ends.

This also gives them flexibility to keep 10 offensive linemen or seven wide receivers.

Offensive Line (10): Orlando Brown Jr., Jonah Williams, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Cordell Volson, Max Scharping, Jackson Carman, Hakeem Adeniji, Cody Ford and Trey Hill

This is by far the deepest offensive line room the Bengals have had in years. The first seven guys on this list are roster locks.

It sounds like La'el Collins (ACL) could start the season on the PUP list, which would allow them to also keep Adeniji, Ford and Hill.

D'Ante Smith needs to have a great camp and preseason to make the team. Undrafted free agents like Ben Brown and Jaxson Kirkland could also push for a roster spot.

Defensive End (6): Sam Hubbard, Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample, Myles Murphy and Tarell Basham

The Bengals may keep as many as six defensive ends. They signed Basham as a free agent and took Murphy with the 28th pick in the draft. The defensive line depth should help them throughout the season.

Defensive Tackle (4): DJ Reader, B.J. Hill, Zach Carter and Josh Tupou

The Bengals opt to only keep four defensive tackles in this projection, but guys like Hubbard, Sample, Ossai and Murphy should give Lou Anarumo some flexibility to put them inside on passing downs.

Jay Tufele is the odd man out in this scenario, but he could easily push for a spot. Also keep an eye on Domenique Davis and Devonnsha Maxwell. Those are two guys that could also make the roster with a successful camp and preseason.

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

The linebacker position appears to be one of the easiest to project. All five of these guys appear to be locks to make the final 53-man roster. Shaka Heyward and Jaylen Moody are two undrafted free agents to be aware of, but they're most-likely practice squad candidates, even if they play well over the next five weeks.

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

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

Awuzie appears to be on track to start the season after undergoing knee reconstruction surgery. If that's the case, there's going to be multiple quality defensive backs that don't make the final cut.

Allan George and DJ Ivey are two guys that could make a push, but it's hard to see an obvious path for either one to make the final roster, assuming the Bengals are healthy in the cornerback room.

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

This would give the Bengals one of the youngest safety rooms in the NFL. Veteran Mike Thomas could obviously make the team and he's a valuable specialist for Darrin Simmons, but this appears to be the most-likely scenario at safety entering camp.

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

McPherson and Adomitis are obvious. Robbins is the clear favorite to beat out Drue Chrisman for the punter job. He'll have to earn it, but the rookie has impressed so far and that should continue in training camp.

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