The 2023 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night and runs through Saturday. While the Cincinnati Bengals will add playmakers in the draft that will make the 53-man roster, let's take our best guess as to what the 53-man roster would look like right now.
Bengals pre-draft 53-man roster prediction
Quarterback (2)
- Joe Burrow
- Jake Browning
This one is pretty easy so far. The Bengals haven't re-signed Brandon Allen so Burrow and Browning are the only two quarterbacks on the roster. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Bengals spend a late-round draft pick on a quarterback, especially if they're planning on rolling with Browning as the backup.
Running Back (3)
- Joe Mixon
- Trayveon Williams
- Chris Evans
There were rumblings that Mixon would either be asked to take a pay cut or get cut himself but then Brian Callahan said that the team is looking to find a running back who complements Mixon. If the Bengals draft a running back on Day 3, Evans' spot on the roster might be in jeopardy. If they add one earlier, I still won't be shocked if Mixon is let go.
Wide Receiver (6)
- Ja'Marr Chase
- Tee Higgins
- Tyler Boyd
- Stanley Morgan Jr.
- Trenton Irwin
- Trent Taylor
Without knowing what the team does in the draft, this is pretty easy to predict. I don't anticipate Boyd or Higgins getting traded and the other three depth pieces either play a role on special teams or had a good 2022 campaign.
Tight End (3)
- Irv Smith Jr.
- Drew Sample
- Devin Asiasi
This will likely change after the draft, as it feels like a near-certainty that Cincinnati will select a tight end at some point this weekend. Whether that's in the first round, Day 2, or Day 3 depends on how comfortable they feel with Smith as their starter. Asiasi is probably the easy one to cut when a new tight end enters the picture.
Offensive Line (10)
- Orlando Brown Jr.
- Cordell Volson
- Ted Karras
- Alex Cappa
- Jonah Williams
- La'el Collins
- Jackson Carman
- Trey Hill
- Max Scharping
- Cody Ford
The Bengals will surely add offensive linemen in the draft so this position will see some shakeups after this weekend. For now though, I gave every starter a backup. I left Hakeem Adeniji off because unless he really impresses this summer, he'll likely be a cut candidate.