Cincinnati Bengals: Predicting Practice Squad

Jul 26, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cobi Hamilton (87) takes a drink on the sidelines during training camp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

In light of the NFL’s recent rule changes regarding teams’ practice squads, the Bengals can (and must) re-evaluate how they choose to structure their roster.  Because team’s can now keep an extra two players on the practice squad as long as they haven’t accrued more than two years of NFL experience, the options this team has are significantly different than the ones they had just two days ago.  Now the Bengals could keep players like Dontay Moch, Devon Still, and Orson Charles on their practice squad despite their extensive experience on the team’s active roster.  The Bengals will still need to take into account whether opposing teams will pluck the Bengals’ accrued talent away from its practice squad, but these opposing teams may also prefer to keep their own players who they’ve developed. They would also consider what it could mean if a team, like the Bengals, choose to “downgrade” a player such as Charles from the 53-man roster to the practice squad.  Does it mean that the player simply isn’t as good as some may have thought?  Or does it simply mean that particular players aren’t a good fit for the scheme they are playing within?  Some of this situation is unchartered territory, so the Bengals may be hesitant to “demote” any players, but it’s a thought that will be considered.  Here’s a look at what the practice squad may look like come September.