Cincinnati Bengals: 3 players who could be on their way out after the draft

The Bengals moving on from Andrew Brown would be more surprising than the two previously mentioned players, but the potential is there enough to discuss it.

The coaching staff opted to keep a whopping 11 defensive linemen on the 53-man roster initially in 2019. That number is one or two higher than what you typically see an NFL team carry. Opting to go light along the offensive trenches allowed them to keep so many but don’t expect that to happen again.

The team only had 8 offensive linemen heading out of training camp, but that can be explained by Jonah William’s injury and Alex Redmond’s suspension. With both of those guys set to be back and the addition of Hakeem Adeniji, expect a sacrifice to be made along the defensive line.

Despite showing flashes, Brown would appear to be near the bottom of the totem pole in the d-line room. The organization will almost assuredly make sure this year’s fifth-round pick, Khalid Kareem, will make the roster too.

That would give Anarumo four defensive ends in Kareem, Carlos Dunlap, Sam Hubbard, and Carl Lawson. They also have five defensive tackles worth hanging on to. Geno Atkins and D.J. Reader are locks and Ryan Glasgow, Renell Wren, and Josh Tupou will all likely stick around too.

That would put the roster at nine defensive linemen. It’ll likely come down to how many players they decide to keep at other positions, namely if they opt to carry three quarterbacks again.