The Cincinnati Bengals' painstaking process of whittling down their uber-talented roster to 53 players is now complete. Or at least it is for now. There will be some movement on the back end of the roster, but we have enough data to project the 16-man practice squad.
With the waiver claim deadline looming on Monday at 1 p.m. ET, there will be a dizzying amount of transactions. Several Bengals who were let go should clear waivers and make it back on the taxi squad.
We'll stick with in-house returning players for the vast majority of this predicted 16-team practice squad crew, but also toss in a couple unexpected names from outside the building. Should be fascinating to see what Duke Tobin and Co. do.
Projecting Bengals 16-man practice squad after unforgiving roster cuts
The top return candidates:
- DE Isaiah Foskey
- WR Mitchell Tinsley
- DT Howard Cross III
- CB Bralyn Lux
- S Russ Yeast
- QB Josh Johnson
- OL Liam Brown
- RB Jamal Haynes
- OT Andrew Coker
- RB Kentrel Bullock
- LB Jack Dingle
- DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland
- LB Shaka Heyward
- TE Josh Kattus
Can't help but feature Josh Johnson on here. The ultimate journeyman quarterback balled out for the Bengals in the preseason. I thought he deserved a 53-man roster spot. His experience could've made the QB room historic. Alas, now we wait to see if Johnson signs elsewhere on the open market.
The Notre Dame connections with Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden all but ensure Isaiah Foskey and Howard Cross III will be back in Cincinnati if they clear waivers. Both had nice flashes in the preseason, and were squeezed off the roster more due to a numbers game than anything else.
Wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley may very well get claimed. However, he's the prime contenders to fill out the taxi squad at a position the Bengals made unforeseen improvements in this offseason.
The run below from rookie undrafted free agent Jamal Haynes alone should be enough to merit a practice squad look, along with fellow UDFA Kentrel Bullock. Haynes has sick acceleration and juke moves and was a big winner from that Eagles game, as was Bullock (14 carries, 85 yards and a TD).
Haynes to the house.#CINatPHI on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/SpGkzLiQHs
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 29, 2026
Bralyn Lux is another major notable on here for me. Safeties Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger have experience at nickelback, which made Lux expendable from the active roster. Nevertheless, I'm still high on Lux and believe he could be the full-time nickel of the future if 2026 is starter Jalen Davis' last season with the Bengals.
Potential outside additions:
- OT Jedrick Wills Jr.
- WR Jeff Caldwell
It's a little surprising to see Jeff Caldwell available. The Kansas City Chiefs aren't flush with top wide receiver talent, and Caldwell is a size-speed superhuman who evidently couldn't catch on to Andy Reid's encyclopedic playbook. Caldwell played at the University of Cincinnati and would be a nice developmental player for the future.
As for Jedrick Wills Jr., he was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns back in 2020, and couldn't make the cut in Chicago. Despite some injury history and his status as a relative bust, Willis is only 27 and has obvious upside. A reunion with Scott Peters, as pointed out by Andre Perrotta on X/Twitter, could be in the cards.
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