Bengals burn 3 recent draft picks in updated 53-man roster prediction

When assessing the prospective state of the Cincinnati Bengals' 53-man roster with two preseason games still remaining, there aren't many surprises. More like a general ennui and dissatisfaction that some of their latest draft picks probably won't be along for the ride into Week 1.

The preseason began predictably enough. Cincinnati's Joe Burrow-led offense looked unstoppable in two touchdown-scoring series. Then, the admittedly short-handed defense, albeit with the majority of its projected starters still in action, looked a tad shaky in the 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

We won't know just what to expect from this Bengals team until we see them at full strength and the playbooks are fully opened. What we can do for now is predict who will be on the roster when the real games start. So let's get to it.

Bengals 53-man roster projections after first week of preseason

Quarterbacks (2)

• Joe Burrow
• Jake Browning

We all know where this is going. No surprise with Joe Burrow, right? And then when it comes to Jake Browning, well, he has multiple years in the system the team and a stellar 4-3 record as a starter when he took an injured Burrow's place in 2023. If all that isn't enough for Browning to beat out Desmond Ridder, his NFL career could be in real jeopardy. Or at least any chances of starting someday.

Running Backs (3)

• Chase Brown
• Samaje Perine
• Tahj Brooks

Zac Taylor has a tendency to lean predominantly on one workhorse back. First it was Joe Mixon, and starting part of the way through 2024, it was Chase Brown. That makes me think Cincinnati can get away with keeping only three tailbacks on the initial roster, with second-stint Bengal Samaje Perine and rookie sixth-round draftee Tahj Brooks rounding out the backfield rotation.

Wide Receivers (5)

• Ja'Marr Chase
• Tee Higgins
• Andrei Iosivas
• Jermaine Burton
• Charlie Jones

I could see Isaiah Williams making the cut if Cincinnati keeps six at this loaded position. The triumvirate of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas is set in stone. Jermaine Burton is beginning to come along after being a knucklehead for most of his rookie campaign. Charlie Jones is a former fourth-round pick who the team likely won't give up on given that injuries have slowed his development.

Not much room for any other wideouts to make a strong impression. Keep an eye on Williams and Kendric Pryor as probable practice squad candidates.

Tight Ends (4)

• Mike Gesicki
• Noah Fant
• Drew Sample
• Tanner Hudson

Drew Sample is entering the second season of a three-year deal. Mike Gesicki just got a new contract this offseason. Noah Fant was signed recently in free agency. Tanner Hudson had a monster preseason outing in Philadelphia. Rather easy to see the direction the tight end room is going.

The only question is whether Cam Grandy or Tanner McLachlan can make a strong enough case to stick on the 53-man roster. McLachlan was drafted in the sixth round in 2024 and hasn't been heard from much since. Should the Bengals keep five tight ends, Grandy probably gets the nod.

Offensive Line (10)

• Orlando Brown Jr.
• Dylan Fairchild
• Ted Karras
• Lucas Patrick
• Amarius Mims
• Devin Cochran
• Cordell Volson
• Seth McLaughlin
• Cody Ford
• Jalen Rivers

Color me impressed by what Dylan Fairchild showed in the preseason opener as the starter at left guard. Fairchild was an excellent all-around blocker at Georgia, and didn't look out of place in his first NFL action at all.

Alas, we're one injury away from a potential catastrophe in the offensive trenches. Overall depth and the right guard battle between Lucas Patrick and Cody Ford are notable weak points.

Last bit of analysis for this lot: My guess is, one of last year's two seventh-round picks, center Matt Lee, will be relegated to practice squad duty to make room for former Ohio State standout Seth McLaughlin. He just won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's best center and only went undrafted because of a ruptured Achilles.

Defensive Line (11)

• Trey Hendrickson
• BJ Hill
• TJ Slaton
• Shemar Stewart
• Joseph Ossai
• Kris Jenkins Jr.
• McKinnley Jackson
• Myles Murphy
• Cam Sample
• Cedric Johnson
• Taven Bryan

The Bengals really need to stack their roster with as much depth as possible on the other side of the line of scrimmage, too. Trey Hendrickson is the obvious ringleader. I'm assuming he'll be on the roster whenever management wakes up and pays him what he deserves.

Not a lot of show-stoppers from the rest of this lot. Rising second-year tackles Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson will be leaned on heavily, though solid veterans in BJ Hill and TJ Slaton stand in their way of starting roles. Taven Bryan should be a nice change of pace given his superior pass-rushing profile to any of the other d-tackles on the two-deep depth chart.

Again, the edge is a major red flag. First-round pick Shemar Stewart needs to make an immediate impact. Otherwise, keep your expectations low that this crew will produce much of anything.

Linebackers (5)

• Logan Wilson
• Demetrius Knight Jr.
• Oren Burks
• Barrett Carter
• Maema Njongmeta

Usual suspects — or rather, suspected usual suspects? — litter this linebacker corps. Cincinnati obviously isn't going to bail on rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. Ex-Eagle Oren Burks was a solid free-agent pickup who balled out for the Eagles on their Super Bowl run. Logan Wilson is the beyond-reproach best linebacker on the team right now.

The last spot is up for grabs. There's always a chance the Bengals keep six linebackers. I'd lean toward Maema Njongmeta hanging on, since he made the 53-man roster last year as an undrafted free agent.

Cornerbacks (6)

• Cam Taylor-Britt
• Dax Hill
• DJ Turner II
• Marco Wilson
• Josh Newton
• Bralyn Lux

Many expected roster qualifiers here, with the notable surprise/omission being DJ Ivey. The former Miami Hurricane was a seventh-round pick in 2023 whose first year in the pros resulted in a season-ending knee injury.

Ivey showed some promising flashes as an NFL sophomore, but he hasn't exactly lit it up in camp. A rough preseason outing against the Eagles might've opened the door for an undrafted free agent in Bralyn Lux to take his spot.

Nagging thigh and hamstring injuries hampered Lux in his final season at Texas Tech, causing him to fly under the NFL Draft radar. However, he was a stellar corner for the Red Raiders the prior season, allowing a 46.6% completion rate and an NFL passer rating of 72.1, per PFF.

Safeties (4)

• Geno Stone
• Jordan Battle
• Tycen Anderson
• Daijahn Anthony

Geno Stone's soft tissue injury exposed just how thin the depth is when it comes to this safety group. At least Jordan Battle is a former third-round pick and has, by all accounts, shown out in training camp. Tycen Anderson is a special teams ace whose value there will all but guarantee him a roster spot.

Second-year seventh-rounder Daijahn Anthony played some snaps on defense as a rookie and should be in the mix for a meaningful role, especially if Stone or Battle go down. Whether he or Anderson are capable of holding these spots down as starter-level players is a gigantic unknown. PJ Jules may snag a roster spot if Stone's injury lingers.

Specialists (3)

• K Evan McPherson
• P Ryan Rehkow
• LS Cal Adomitis

Pretty straightforward here. Evan McPherson and Ryan Rehkow are the Bengals' currently unchallenged kicker and punter respectively. Long snapper Cal Adomitis has done a passable job in that role in recent years, so he'll fend off rookie UDFA William Wagner in all likelihood.

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