Bengals Roster: Super early 22-man starter projections for 2022
By Lee Metzger
The Cincinnati Bengals surprised many pundits in 2021 by earning their first playoff wins in over 30 years and earning a Super Bowl berth as AFC Champions. This offseason, their young roster has only gotten stronger.
They patched their biggest hole (offensive line) with free-agent signings, and their only “major” loss – if you want to call it that – was C.J. Uzomah bolting to the New York Jets. However, they replaced Uzomah with Hayden Hurst, who at his best has posted better numbers than Uzomah did last season.
Sure, we’ll all miss Uzomah rocking out to the Mulan soundtrack to get himself hyped on game day, but let’s not pretend that the guy was a key piece of the offense. The only other starter who left for greener pastures – or at least tried to leave for greener pastures – was defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who thought he landed a fat payday from the Chicago Bears before failing his physical.
In 2022, it is anticipated that most of the Bengals top starters will be returning, and the free-agent signees will solidify what was last season’s biggest weaknesses. In this preview, we will take an early look at the projected starters at each position for the upcoming season.
All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com.
All contract information is courtesy of Over the Cap.
Any grades are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.