Cincinnati Bengals 53-Man Roster Projections Ahead of Training Camp

The Cincinnati Bengals will open training camp Wednesday with their starting 22 essentially settled, along with many of the spots behind them. But there will be some spirited battles over the next five weeks to figure out who takes some of the final spots on cutdown day.

NFL teams will have to trim their rosters to 53 on Aug. 29, three days after the Bengals wrap up the preseason in Washington. Here’s my first stab at projecting who should be in and who could be cut.

Cincinnati Bengals 53-Man Roster Projection | Offense

Quarterback (2)

Starter: Joe Burrow
Backup: Trevor Siemian
Practice Squad: Jake Browning

Analysis: This could be the most interesting and competitive backup QB competition since at least 2019, when this coaching staff arrived. Siemian is 31 years old and has 30 career starts, while Browning is 27 and has never appeared in a regular-season game.

But offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said there were conversations with both of them prior to the Siemian signing, letting them know they will split the reps evenly and both players “will have every opportunity to win the job.”

Running Back (3)

Starters: Joe Mixon
Backups: Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams
Bubble: Chris Evans
Practice-Squad Prospects: Jacob Saylors, Calvin Tyler Jr.

Analysis: The Mixon contract restructuring came with $4.1 million guaranteed this year, making it unlikely the team would cut him, barring major ramifications from his Aug. 14 court case on an aggravated menacing charge.

Brown and Williams will battle for the Samaje Perine third-down back role, which is a bit of a misnomer. Perine played 156 snaps on first down last year, 139 on second down, and 148 on third down. Evans hasn’t developed as much as the Bengals had hoped when they took him in the sixth round in 2021. Yet, he still has upside as a receiver out of the backfield and could stay in the mix if Cincinnati elects to carry four backs, as they did last year and in 2020.

Wide Receiver (6)

Starters: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd
Backups: Trenton Irwin, Charlie Jones, Stanley Morgan
Bubble: Andrei Iosivas, Trent Taylor
Practice-Squad Prospects: Kwamie Lassiter II, Shedrick Jackson, Malachi Carter, Mac Hippenhammer

Analysis: The battle for the No. 4 receiver spot should be one of the most interesting battles to watch during camp, with Irwin, Jones, and Iosivas getting chances to mix in with the 1s and build — or break — trust with Joe Burrow.

Iosivas will be especially interesting to watch. If the Ivy Leaguer from Princeton can make a quick adjustment to the NFL and shows well in the preseason games, the Bengals could keep seven receivers to avoid having to expose him to waivers. Morgan is no threat to win that role, but his value on special teams and as a run blocker makes him a near lock to make the team.

Tight Ends (4)

Starter: Irv Smith Jr.
Backups: Drew Sample, Mitchell Wilcox
Bubble: Devin Asiasi
Practice-Squad Prospects: Tanner Hudson, Nick Bowers, Christian Trahan

Analysis: Cincinnati has kept only three tight ends on their initial 53 each of the last three seasons, and it still feels as though one of the backups this year could be somebody not currently on the roster.

Sample and Asiasi don’t offer much in the passing game, which leaves the team thin on options if Smith’s injury history comes into play again. Wilcox, whom the team re-signed Monday, is currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a knee injury, but the expectation is he’ll be cleared soon. In four starts last year, Wilcox caught 17 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, differentiating him from the Sample/Asiasi mold.

Offensive Line (10)

Starters: LT Orlando Brown Jr., LG Cordell Volson, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, RT Jonah Williams
Backups: Jackson Carman, D’Ante Smith, Trey Hill, Cody Ford, Hakeem Adeniji
Bubble: Max Scharping
PUP: La’el Collins, Devin Cochran
Practice-Squad Prospects: Ben Brown, Nate Gilliam, Jaxson Kirkland

Analysis: I’d be stunned if anyone other than Williams lines up at right tackle in Cleveland on Sept. 10. Carman has made strides, but this is Williams’ job to lose.

Collins’ rehab from his ACL injury has been encouraging, but it’s important to remember he’s not even seven months removed from surgery yet. The starting group is as good as the Bengals have had since 2015, and the ripple effect of what the organization has built is a deeper unit.

Cincinnati Bengals 53-Man Roster Projection | Defense

Defensive Line (9)

Starters: Trey Hendrickson, DJ Reader, B.J. Hill, Sam Hubbard
Backups: Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, Cam Sample, Zach Carter, Josh Tupou
Bubble: Tarell Basham, Jeff Gunter, Jay Tufele
Practice-Squad Prospects: Owen Carney, Raymond Johnson III, Domenique Davis, Devonnsha Maxwell, Tautala Pesefea Jr.

Analysis: The Bengals have built an impressive mix here by adding a number of youngsters with potential to the proven talent among the starters. Basham could stick as a 10th D-lineman to add even more juice to the pass rush.

Linebacker (5)

Starters: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt
Backups: Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joe Bachie, Markus Bailey
Bubble: Keandre Jones
Practice-Squad Prospect: Jaylen Moody, Shaka Heyward, Tyler Murray

Analysis: Barring injury, the starters and backups are set. Jones, who has been a mainstay on the practice squad since 2020, could fight his way on if Zac Taylor and his staff elect to go a man lighter in the secondary.

Cornerbacks (6)

Starters: Chidobe Awuzie, Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton
Backups: DJ Turner II, Sidney Jones IV, Allan George
Bubble: Jalen Davis
Practice-Squad Prospect: DJ Ivey, Marvell Tell III, Yusuf Corker

Analysis: The Bengals carried seven corners on the initial 53 last year, and they had six in both 2021 and 2020. But you could see them going with five this year if they need a spot elsewhere. Awuzie currently is on PUP but is expected to be ready for the opener, if not sooner. Davis has been Hilton’s backup in the slot, but that could be Turner’s role if Hilton misses time.

Safeties (5)

Starters: Dax Hill, Nick Scott
Backups: Jordan Battle, Tycen Anderson, Michael Thomas
Practice-Squad Prospect: Larry Brooks

Analysis: You could almost list Thomas in the special-teams section below because the odds of the 33-year-old seeing any snaps on defense are remote (he had just 25 last year). But that’s how much Thomas’ experience and leadership mean to the locker room.

One of the more interesting things to watch in camp will be how the defensive coordinator weighs giving Battle a fair chance to beat out Scott vs. keeping the Hill-Scott tandem together as much as possible to kick-start what needs to be a cohesive connection that can somewhat rival what Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell had the last three seasons.

Special Teams

Starters: K Evan McPherson, P Brad Robbins, LS Cal Adomitis
Bubble: Drue Chrisman

Analysis: The Bengals aren’t handing Robbins the punting job, but after they took him in the sixth round of the draft, special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons sure sounded as though he’s the front-runner.

But don’t count out Chrisman. He has a huge leg and got the first-year jitters out of the way last year after replacing Kevin Huber after 10 games.