3 criticisms about the Bengals initial 53-man roster in 2023

Cutting a special teams ace

Something that makes the Trey Hill inclusion even more frustrating is that had the team cut him, they could have had room for Stanley Morgan Jr. Some fans thought that even though the Bengals had plenty of depth at wide receiver, maybe they'd end up keeping seven receivers on the roster so that they'd be able to keep Morgan around and not have to cut him.

Unfortunately, Morgan was part of the cuts. He did sign with the team's practice squad but this could end up being a massive loss for the Bengals on special teams. Morgan has been a special teams ace since he's been with the team and it's going to be hard to replace that kind of production, especially from a rookie.

Don't get me wrong -- Andrei Iosivas earned his spot on the 53-man roster. He was never in real danger of getting cut after his first preseason game but it feels like the Bengals valued offensive line depth (and not very good depth) in Trey Hill rather than a known contributor like Stanley Morgan Jr.

More than likely, as soon as the Bengals have to place someone on IR, Morgan will get bumped up to the active roster and all will be right in Bengals world again.