Most final Cincinnati Bengals 53-man roster projections before final cuts aren’t going to look too different this year.
Besides new faces along the offensive line, at tight end and via the rookie draft class, much of the Super Bowl roster returns and hasn’t seen major shakeups.
In fact, the biggest battles over the summer went down at left guard and punter.
That means formulating the final 53 isn’t too difficult, especially compared to some of the recent rebuilding years. More interesting might be whether the team makes a trade or decides to add a guy that just got cut by another team.
Here’s one final look at a 53-man projection before Tuesday’s deadline.
Quarterback
- Starter: Joe Burrow
- Backup: Brandon Allen
Allen has looked underwhelming, but not to the point of missing the final roster. While in some years it might make more sense to keep more upside there, the objective is to win it all, right now. That means the guy with more experience, both in the offense and with Zac Taylor.
Running back
- Starter: Joe Mixon
- Backups: Chris Evans, Samaje Perine, Trayveon Williams
It felt like there were never going to be any surprises here. Fans might clamor to see more of Evans — and rightfully so — but he’ll be tied up as the primary kick returner, too.
Wide receiver
- WR1: Tee Higgins
- Slot: Tyler Boyd
- WR2: Ja’Marr Chase
- Backup: Stanley Morgan, Trent Taylor, Mike Thomas, Trenton Irwin
Keeping seven might seem like too much. But that’s the value of special teams here with the backups. That unfortunately means some huge performances by guys like Kendric Pryor only equates to the practice squad or potentially getting poached by other teams.
Tight end
- Starter: Hayden Hurst
- Backup: Drew Sample, Mitchell Wilcox
We’ll see if Sample and Wilcox can make it back for the regular season. But nobody else showed enough to make this competitive, especially with repeated miscues from Thaddeus Moss.
Offensive line
- LT: Jonah Williams, Isaiah Prince
- LG: Cordell Volson, Jackson Carman
- C: Ted Karras, Trey Hill
- RG: Alex Cappa
- RT: La’el Collins, Hakeem Adeniji
Don’t be surprised to see the names behind the starters change dramatically very soon, be it free agents or via trade. The depth looked awful for most of the preseason without any notable exceptions, which is a huge problem. The rookie Volson has secured the job at left guard.
Defensive line
- LDE: Sam Hubbard, Cam Sample, Jeff Gunter
- 3T: B.J. Hill, Zach Carter
- NT: D.J. Reader, Josh Tupou (5T)
- RDE: Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai, Khalid Kareem
There’s a risk that comes with only keeping four interior guys. But most of the ends here have shown they can kick inside and make an impact. Rookies Carter and Gunter have shown enough to have a large rotational role for the former and a roster spot for the latter.
Linebackers
- LB: Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither
- LB: Germaine Pratt, Markus Bailey, Joe Bachie
One of the other very predictable spots, all that really shuffles things here are injuries. But even that’s only to the depth. Akeem Davis-Gaither remains a major breakout candidate and could have an increased role.
Cornerback
- CB: Eli Apple, Cam Taylor-Britt
- CB: Chidobe Awuzie, Tre Flowers
- NCB: Mike Hilton, Allan George
Look at the undrafted Allan George go after a strong camp and preseason showings. He’s one of the firsts off if the team adds via free agency or trade, but his rise has been impressive enough that other teams might try to poach him. Otherwise, this one doesn’t change much unless Cam Taylor-Britt has to head to an injured list.
Safety
- S: Vonn Bell, Tycen Anderson
- S: Jessie Bates, Dax Hill
There’s room for Brandon Wilson to come off an injury list and rejoin this fray, but it’s hard to 100 percent forecast — Chris Evans has taken over at kick returner, after all.
Special Teams
K: Evan McPherson
P: Drue Chrisman
LS: Clark Harris
KR: Chris Evans
PR: Trent Taylor
Chrisman’s rise was actually pretty predictable after rumors suggested the team wanted to draft a punter, than brought Kevin Huber back after the draft. He was quite a bit better than Huber in the final preseason game.
