Following the revelation after Thursday's joint practice with the Bears that starters would be rested for Saturday's game, the focus for the Cincinnati Bengals' second preseason bout has shifted entirely to rookies and depth pieces fighting for a spot on the roster.
Last week's 16-14 win over the Detroit Lions featured productive performances and big plays from some of the less-regarded offseason additions, so with no starters playing the first quarter, they'll have a chance to make an even bigger impact in game two of the preseason.
Which is needed, as over thirty players will be facing the chopping block by August 30th, the deadline for teams to reduce their rosters from 90 to 53 players, so these players that are on the fringe will need all the opportunities they can get to show they belong on the final roster. Fortunately, solid training camps paired with their performances vs. Detroit have made this road a little easier, making what may be just another "meaningless preseason game" for fans an all-important one for these players.
From overlooked Day 3 rookies to signings that have come during the very late stages of the offseason, these are four Bengals who can secure a spot on the final 53-man roster with strong performances vs. Chicago.
WR Dohnte Meyers
Dohnte Meyers has been a fun training camp story, to say the least. A CFL receiver who put up 65 receptions for 1,056 yards and nine touchdowns, as well as won Canadian Football's Super Bowl equivalent in the Grey Cup, and earned high praise from the franchise QB himself after driving overnight from Atlanta to practice with Burrow, Meyers became a camp favorite rather quickly.
The thing about camp favorites, though, is that they often don't end up making the team. Scrappy underdog stories are fun, but when teams are trying to win, they have to sacrifice these feel-good stories to do so sometimes. Meyers' case might be different, though. Not only did he have a surprisingly strong training camp, but last week's bout vs. the Lions has opened the door for this to be more than just a "fun training camp story".
Meyers made some nice plays in his first taste of NFL action, leading the team in scrimmage yards with 42, stemming from three receptions for 29 yards and a 13-yard carry to add on to the total, increasing his chances of surviving final cuts. If the Bengals keep six wide receivers on the roster like they usually do, that would leave two potential spots for Meyers to claim.
Chase (obviously), Higgins (obviously), Iosivas, and Colbie Young are all locks; that much is a given. However, Meyers could give Charlie Jones and Mitchell Tinsley a run for their money, especially if he's able to show off more as a returner in Week 2.
TE Jack Endries
Ideally, Endries should already be a lock to make the final 53. He has arguably the most upside out of anyone in the room (Erick All Jr. might have him beat so long as he can stay healthy) and has looked more and more like a steal in the 7th round over these last few months between training camp and this past game against Detroit, where he caught three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown.
The problem is that almost all of the other tight ends in that room already have the trust in this offense and strong connection with the coaching staff. Mike Gesicki-- even though he's more of a slot receiver-- and Erick All Jr. make sense. Gesicki is slotted in to start for Cincy for the third straight year and it's far too early to give up on All Jr. given how much he's flashed in so few glimpses. As for Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample, again, ideally Endries would be over both of them on the depth chart.
Stripe Hype's own Matt Fitzgerald wrote in Thursday's article about salary cuts that Endries' emergence should make Sample totally expendable. As much as I and almost everyone else in the fanbase agrees with that sentiment, those who actually make these decisions probably don't. Sample, as one-dimensional as he is as a player (granted, at his peak he's been great in that one dimension, but nonetheless), has always had a role in this office since being drafted in Zac Taylor's first draft as head coach back in 2019, and it's hard to see that changing.
As for Hudson, he's not only earned the trust of this coaching staff but Burrow as well, so it won't be easy upending him for all you Jack Endries truthers out there. Note, not easy, but also not impossible.
The coaching staff cannot overlook what Endries has done these last couple of months, let alone if he's able to put together another strong performance against the Bears on Saturday. If that happens, then Head Coach Taylor is going to have to bite the bullet and either cut ties with his first-ever second-round pick (Drew Sample) or the UDFA who fought to find a role in Cincinnati these last few years (Tanner Hudson).
DL Landon Robinson
Speaking of seventh-round steals, Landon Robinson was a prospect that fans were clamoring for the Tobin and company to take a swing on late during the draft cycle, and they did. It might be a little (lot) too early to call, but Robinson is already looking less like a steal and more like a heist.
Definitely undersized for a defensive tackle at 6'0 and a hair under 300 pounds, Robinson makes up for his size in strength, athleticism, and power, even drawing comparisons to franchise legend Geno Atkins, who was similarly undersized at 6'1, 300lbs. Robinson got to flash all of that in Cincy's first preseason, finishing with two tackles, half a sack, and two QB hits.
On top of that, he drew a hilariously egregious holding call on a pass rush win.
As monstrous as the Navy alum has looked, the Bengals have the luxurious problem of a crowded defensive line room. Between this year's additions of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, last year's addition of T.J. Slaton as well as Bengal veteran B.J. Hill, it's a hard room to crack into. If they keep five or six of the interior defensive line on the final 53, as many are anticipating with roster projections, then there's a good chance Robinson makes it.
LB Swayze Bozeman
While Meyers, Endries, and Robinson were getting hype either throughout training camp or in the week leading up to their first preseason game, the Bozeman train hit the rails during the game. One of the bigger talking points regarding the Bengals' defense was about the linebacker position. Despite being one of the worst, if not the single worst, units in the league last year, Cincinnati stuck firm in their belief in their two rookies (Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter) and didn't make any major signings nor a single draft pick to address the position.
Claiming Bozeman off waivers in early May seemed to be more of an afterthought than anything, a training camp body who would likely be the odd man out. After his performance vs. Detroit, however? It feels like the former Giant has a legitimate shot to make the roster. He finished the night with three tackles, including one for loss, and a pass defended, and was the Bengals' best linebacker that night.
Better yet for Bozeman, his path seems to be a little clearer than the three other players in this article. After all, what are the locks for the linebacker position? Is there anyone who is locked in besides Knight and Carter? Sure, they signed Burks last season, but it's not like they're committing a sizable chunk of cap to him, as they signed him to a 2-year, $5 million deal, so he's not untouchable.
Joe Giles-Harris and Shaka Heyward are harder to make a case against because they're both valuable special teamers. Still, they could keep one over the other and use the other spot to bring in Bozeman.
That, of course, depends on how he plays against Chicago. Another strong performance, and he might just secure a role on the 53-man roster.
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