Bonus Bengals 53-man roster predictions: Final emergency bubble adjustments

The Cincinnati Bengals will soon cut their roster down to 53 players, and by soon, I mean we could see the first mass exodus within a matter of hours. This forecast of who will and won't make the cut will be a footnote not long from now.

So let's do something a little different. First of all, I have my actual final 53-man roster prediction linked here. But I thought it'd be interesting to take some inspiration from Joe Burrow trying to publicly manifest a Super Bowl win at the press conference podium.

I'm gonna take some big swings with this bonus, additional Nostradamus routine to predict who the Bengals will keep in the fold. Moves I would personally like to see, colored somewhat by the dominant win over the Eagles in Friday's preseason finale.

Bengals 53-man roster projection is another Joe Burrow manifestation exercise

Quarterbacks (3)

• Joe Burrow
• Joe Flacco
• Josh Johnson

I'm really big into Josh Johnson sticking around and sharing his knowledge with Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco. The leadership of this potentially historic trio extends beyond the quarterback room, too. Flacco and Johnson can help others dial in on the finer details, and make Burrow's leadership role even more seamless.

Running Backs (3)

• Chase Brown
• Samaje Perine
• Jamal Haynes

Oh I'm going there. Manifestation No. 1: Jamal Haynes on the 53-man roster! Why him? Well, the undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech posted a 1.45-second 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash at his pro day. Find a faster split than that. You'll be searching for a long time.

Haynes had 81 receptions in three seasons of action for the Yellow Jackets, along with over 2,500 rushing yards. The 5'7", 195-pounder had one of the best runs I've ever seen in the preseason in Philly.

Make Tahj Brooks earn it on the practice squad. Haynes looks like a guy who could actually be useful in small doses.

Wide Receivers (5)

• Ja'Marr Chase
• Tee Higgins
• Andrei Iosivas
• Colbie Young
• Dohnte Meyers

I don't feel like I even need to manifest Dohnte Meyers on the roster anymore. I'll keep putting that energy out there, though. It's basically undeniable at this point. Meyers is much better skill set-wise as a slot receiver than Andrei Iosivas. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see Meyers as the new WR3. Which i may or may not have strongly hinted at as a possibility in mid-June.

Tight Ends (4)

• Mike Gesicki
• Erick All Jr.
• Tanner Hudson
• Jack Endries

Bold Manifestation No. 2: No more Drew Sample. The catharsis I feel not seeing Sample's name on that bullet point list is something I reckon other fans can relate to. I'm so beyond sick of Sample being the Bengals' lazy, default TE1 year after year. He brings decent, not special, blocking to the field, some locker room leadership, and zero pass-catching juice. It's time to freaking move on, save a good chunk of change, and add another more capable contributor.

Offensive Line (9)

• Orlando Brown Jr.
• Dylan Fairchild
• Ted Karras
• Dalton Risner
• Amarius Mims
• Brian Parker II
• Connor Lew
• Javon Foster
• Jacob Bayer

Bold Manifestation No. 3: Only one year removed from being drafted in the fifth round, Jalen Rivers is booted off the team. He was thought to be maybe a swing tackle, but he couldn't hack it. The Bengals started him at right guard during his rookie campaign. He was bad. Now, they're panic-moving him back to tackle, and he's still not good.

Meanwhile, Rivers' exit creates room for Jacob Bayer, a guard-center hybrid who looks way better than Rivers ever has on the interior offensive line. That gives Javon Foster the swing tackle gig.

Defensive Line (11)

• Boye Mafe
• Dexter Lawrence
• Jonathan Allen
• Myles Murphy
• Cashius Howell
• B.J. Hill
• T.J. Slaton
• Shemar Stewart
• Cedric Johnson
• Landon Robinson
• Kris Jenkins Jr.

Part of me feels like Kris Jenkins Jr. sitting out the Eagles game might mean he's a roster lock. I'm including him here as a bold manifestation reverse-psychology ploy. Jenkins should be traded or released. He was a second-round pick in 2024 who hasn't produced. So he's included on this 53-man roster prediction, but make no mistake: This is a full-blown reverse jinx attempt.

Linebackers (5)

• Demetrius Knight Jr.
• Barrett Carter
• Swayze Bozeman
• Shaka Heyward
• Oren Burks

Not going to touch anything here. I love me some Swayze Bozeman. He could actually take over for Barrett Carter as the green-dot linebacker if Carter struggles anywhere close to as much as he did in 2025. Bozeman is a superior athlete and only keeps improving the more opportunities he gets.

Cornerbacks (6)

• DJ Turner
• Dax Hill
• Jalen Davis
• Tacario Davis
• D.J. Ivey
• Josh Newton

The weirdness around Josh Newton makes little sense to me. Not sure why he's in the coach's doghouse, but he's come on strong as training camp has progressed. He's solid in coverage and can play inside or outside. I like him better than Ja'Sir Taylor, that's for sure. So here's to Fig nabbing the last cornerback spot.

Safeties (4)

• Bryan Cook
• Jordan Battle
• Kyle Dugger
• Daijahn Anthony

It'd be admittedly a little bold for the Bengals to release PJ Jules, who's a special teams ace. However, I'm just pretty big into Daijahn Anthony.

Ever since Anthony absolutely smoked Jayden Daniels in college while playing for Ole Miss, he has endeared himself to me. Unfortunately, Daijahn's defining play as a pro was a boneheaded pass interference penalty in Kansas City, which led to a 26-25 Week 2 loss.

Check out Anthony laying the lumber in the preseason finale. He brings some serious physicality to a secondary that could use a little more of that.

Specialists (3)

• K Evan McPherson
• P Ryan Rehkow
• LS William Wagner

Evan McPherson has been lights-out in training camp and the preseason. Looks like he could be in for a career year. Punter Ryan Rehkow will hopefully be more busy holding for McPherson than kicking the ball himself. Steady-handed long snapper William Wagner ensures a smooth operation the whole way through for both of Cincinnati's kicking specialists.

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