There isn't much optimism for the Cincinnati Bengals to cling to at the minute. Joe Burrow is down for at least three months, and the team just lost 48-10 to the Vikings in Week 3.
But Sunday's meltdown in Minneapolis did have some hidden positives in it for Cincinnati. I know that's hard to believe. Just bear with me.
Whether it was strong performances by less-heralded players, poor showings giving other upstarts an opportunity, or a lack of results leading to a potential future personnel shakeup, there's reason to believe hope is on the horizon for Week 4.
Here are some players who are quietly creeping up the depth chart — or at least should be — in advance of the Bengals' Monday Night Football trip to Denver.
LB Oren Burks
PFF rated Oren Burks as the best Bengals defender from Week 3. Might not sound like a high compliment, but when you grade at a 90.7, including 92.8 in run defense, that's about as well as you can perform.
Meanwhile, Logan Wilson's snap count was reduced. Although Wilson explained after the game, per SI's James Rapien, that it was a position coach's decision to preserve his health, this could lead to more opportunities for Burks given how well he's done with his chances thus far.
I would love to see Wilson and Burks on the field together as much as possible, provided the former is healthy enough to be himself. Burks was instrumental in the Eagles' run to the Super Bowl last postseason.
The Bengals' second-round rookie, Demetrius Knight Jr., has looked lost a lot of the time, too. Knight's 41.5 PFF grade through three weeks ranks 65th among 73 qualifying linebackers.
RB Tahj Brooks
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that the thumb injury suffered by Bengals backup running back Samaje Perine wasn't that serious. Perine could still suit up for Week 4. My thinking is, given how bad Cincinnati's rushing attack has been, why not give Brooks some run?
No disrespect to Perine, but we kind of already know what he is. He turned 30 earlier this month. Brooks has fresher legs, and can serve the third down back type of role Perine does. Brooks' final three seasons at Texas Tech saw him rack up 84 receptions.
The only reservations about deploying Brooks as a change-up would be picking up pass protection assignments, knowing the playbook's nuances inside and out, and running behind a poor run blocking unit. To me, it can't get any worse than what the Bengals have shown through three games, as Chase Brown only has 93 yards on 47 carries.
WR Mitchell Tinsley
Mithcell Tinsley's electrifying preseason preceded an amazing, one-handed TD catch in Week 2's win over the Jaguars I thought he might be in for a bigger role in Week 3, given his more established training camp rapport with new starting quarterback Jake Browning.
Tinsley received only one target in Week 3. However, that was one more than typical Bengals WR3 Andrei Iosivas got. It feels like Iosivas has been darn near invisible in what was supposed to be his best season to date.
And I don't want to pile onto Andrei here, but I think he's a good representation of the health of the Bengals offense. He can make plays and help a fully functioning unit, but he's not going to carry anything.
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) September 22, 2025
But, he was 108th out of 112 WRs in Yards Per Route Run in 2024…
I'm not as bullish on Iosivas' ceiling as I once was. Maybe it's a function of the offense being totally out of sync thus far. Whatever the case, this marks the second week in a row I'll pound the table for more Mitchell Tinsley snaps. And it just might happen this time around due to the dire state of the Bengals' offense sans Burrow.