Predicting the Bengals’ 53-man roster shows major improvement
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 53-man roster is set to look drastically different from a season ago as they attempt to lay the foundation for the future.
As the NFL continues to finalize all of the details for the upcoming season and training camp wears on, the Cincinnati Bengals will prepare to trim their roster down to 53 players. When looking at the team on paper, it reveals a much-improved squad from what the orange and black faithful saw a season ago.
Quarterbacks (3)- Joe Burrow, Brandon Allen, Ryan Finley
Joe Burrow obviously takes the reigns in Cincinnati, no surprise there. The backup quarterback competition is where the question marks begin. The coaching staff obviously loved the potential they saw in both Finley and Dolegala, opting to utilize an extra roster spot in 2019 to ensure they could keep the players around in the future.
Finley heavily disappointed in his three-game stretch of starts but Zac Taylor wasn’t even comfortable enough to give Dolegala a single snap, suggesting he may have performed even worse and is far from ready for solely handling back-up duty.
Making things even more complicated is the presence of veteran Brandon Allen. The front office brought in the signal-caller with Zac Taylor ties after originally stating they were content with Finley and Dolegala. The shift most likely was caused by the complications raised by the pandemic. In all likelihood, the Bengals will attempt to sneak Dolegala onto the practice squad and quarantine either one of Finley or Allen.
Running backs (4)- Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard, Rodney Anderson, Trayveon Williams
The running back position is easily one of the most loaded rooms in Cincinnati. Joe Mixon leads the group as one of the league’s premier backs and Giovani Bernard serves as a high-quality backup that can contribute to the passing attack as well as block in the pocket.
Anderson and Williams are two guys that have had injury concerns but also display tremendous potential. Keep an eye on the duo as the front office mulls over what to offer Mixon in an extension.