Bengals: 4 takeaways from first depth chart of 2021 season

The Cincinnati Bengals‘ first depth chart of the 2021 season was revealed ahead of their preseason game against the Buccaneers, which kicks off on Saturday.

Charlie Goldsmith tweeted out the depth chart and obviously, there were some surprises there. Let’s dive into four major takeaways from the Bengals’ first depth chart of 2021.

Cincinnati Bengals depth chart takeaways

4. Evan McPherson is the kicker

The Bengals spent a fifth-round pick on Florida kicker, Evan McPherson. That made him the favorite to win the kicker job but he’d have to earn it against veteran Austin Seibert, who the Bengals brought in last season.

McPherson has been impressing in camp and even though Seibert hasn’t looked bad by any stretch of the imagination, it’s the rookie’s job to lose.

The depth chart shows that McPherson is the frontrunner as of now. That likely won’t change unless he flat-out sucks on Saturday or Seibert does something amazing to overtake the rookie at the top of the kicker depth chart.

This isn’t really a surprise but it’s definitely worth mentioning as the kicker battle is one that has been monitored pretty closely throughout the first week and a half of camp.

Cincinnati Bengals depth chart takeaways

3. C.J. Uzomah over Drew Sample at TE1

Throughout the offseason, Drew Sample was heavily speculated to be the starting tight end due to being younger and a recent high-round draft pick. It didn’t help C.J. Uzomah’s case that he started just two games last year before getting injured and missing the rest of the season. Sample stood up during that time and looked to be a decent option as the starting tight end moving forward.

Well, the depth chart has Uzomah over Sample as the starting tight end with Sample serving as the backup. This might not be a shocking revelation, as Sample is still a bit of an unknown while Uzomah has shown what he can do as a starting tight end.

Uzomah has been a fun player to watch throughout training camp. Earlier in camp, he asked “Why not us?” when it came to the Bengals winning the Super Bowl. He said that anyone in the locker room who doesn’t think this team can win it all shouldn’t be in the locker room.

Tight end isn’t necessarily a strong position for Cincinnati but Uzomah is a reliable veteran. Sample, meanwhile, is a name to watch this year as a potential breakout candidate but he still has to prove himself if he wants to slide into the starting role.

Cincinnati Bengals depth chart takeaways

2. D’Ante Smith backup at left guard

When Riley Reiff sat out due to injury, D’Ante Smith got some first-team reps at right tackle. The fourth-round rookie struggled, to say the least, getting his butt handed to him by Sam Hubbard all afternoon long.

Fast forward a few days later, however, and Smith has a new role. He’s been getting an opportunity to show what he can do at guard and to this point, he’s been impressive. He wowed Zac Taylor in his new role and the hard work has paid off, as Smith is the backup at the left guard position.

This is not something fans would have anticipated a week ago but Smith has thrived ever since he was kicked inside and he’s caught up to second-round rookie Jackson Carman in the guard competition, actually passing him, as Carman is the third-string right guard.

Smith has made the most of the opportunities given to him and it’s paid off in a big way. He went from being potentially the third-string right tackle to now being the backup left guard. The Bengals should be excited about what this kid has to offer.

Cincinnati Bengals depth chart takeaways

1. Spain/Jordan starting guards

The biggest question mark, or question marks rather, heading into the season has been the two starting guard positions. Initially, it was a four-man race for the two starting positions between Carman, Michael Jordan, Quinton Spain, and Xavier Su’a-Filo but as we discussed on the last entry, D’Ante Smith has thrown his hat into the ring.

The starting guards for the Bengals’ first preseason game is Spain and Jordan with Spain manning the left guard position and Jordan handling the right guard duties. Spain returning was critical for the Bengals and he should hold down that left guard job through the rest of camp.

Jordan, on the other hand, was responsible for Joe Burrow getting injured last year so it’s a bit surprising to see him in the starting role.

Another big takeaway from the depth chart’s release is that Carman isn’t even listed as a backup. The second-round rookie out of Clemson is listed as the third-string right guard behind Spain and Su’a-Filo.

This was only the first depth chart so plenty can still change as we continue on through training camp and preseason. The guard position is the one to watch the closest and it’ll be interesting to see if anything changes there after the first preseason game on Saturday.