ISC Bengals 53-player Roster Projection

The Cincinnati Bengals are under two weeks away from their regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns. With the final preseason game at the Washington Commanders out of the way, there is much speculation on how the 53 player roster will look. Teams have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to have their rosters down to the limit of 53 players. Teams started making moves right after their final preseason game. As the Bengals look to make moves to get down to that limit, here is the roster projection from Chris Asbrock with ISC.

QUARTERBACK (2)

Starter: Joe Burrow

Backup: Jake Browning

Jake Browning stepped up and took the backup quarterback position with his performance in the final Bengals preseason game. The battle was between Trevor Siemian and Browning. The veteran Siemian flat out didn’t do enough in camp and in the games to take the backup job.

RUNNING BACK (4)

Starter: Joe Mixon

Backups: Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams, Chris Evans

Joe Mixon did the right thing, taking a pay cut to stay here in Cincinnati. Had he not, it seemed like a very distinct possibility they would have moved on from Mixon. That was not the case but with the departure of Samaje Perine to Denver, the Bengals had to figure out a third down back. There has been a bunch of intrigue on how it plays out and whether the Bengals would keep three or four backs. Chase Brown wasn’t going anywhere as he was a draft pick and the Bengals seem to like what Trayveon Williams has brought to the table over the last year. Despite the fact he suffered an ankle injury early in camp, Williams seemed like a lock. It comes down to Chris Evans but his versatility out of the backfield really adds a lot to the offense. The Bengals hope he can step up and really take to pass blocking, which would help catapult him into more playing time.

WIDE RECEIVER (7)

Starters: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd

Backups: Charlie Jones, Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas, Stanley Morgan

The Bengals have the best wide receiver trio in the league. The decision to keep six or seven was made easy by the emergence of Andrei Iosivas. The sixth round pick out of Princeton has taken training camp by storm and made himself a lock to make the team. The Bengals simply cannot release Stanley Morgan because of his value on special teams. These seven give the Joe Burrow and the Bengals an incredible embarrassment of riches.

TIGHT END (3)

Starter: Irv Smith

Backups: Drew Sample, Mitchell Wilcox

The tight end room is one that could go a few ways. Duke Tobin and the Bengals will keep Drew Sample because they have seemingly doubled down on their love for him, despite him not impressing at all during camp. This comes down to Tanner Hudson and Mitchell Wilcox being the third tight end. There is more value with Wilcox due to the fact he is the backup long snapper. The smart play would be to cut ties with Sample and keep Hudson and Wilcox as the backups but that doesn’t seem like the play the Bengals will make.

OFFENSIVE LINE (10)

Starters: LT Orlando Brown, LG Cordell Volson, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, RT Jonah Williams

Backups: T Jackson Carman, T/G Cody Ford, T Hakeem Adeniji, C Trey Hill, G/C Max Scharping

The Bengals have needed to upgrade the offensive line for years. This season, the Bengals offensive line is in great shape. The starting five are solid and there are some backups that have seen a good amount of time during the regular season. Offensive line depth is crucial for any team. The Bengals have a good amount of backup depth with the five they are going to keep. The key to this group is the fact they can play multiple positions on the line. Max Scharping and Cody Ford bring a strong veteran presence and are two that can help Jackson Carman and Hakeem Adeniji moving forward.

DEFENSIVE LINE (9)

Starters: DE Trey Hendrickson, DE Sam Hubbard, DT DJ Reader, DT B.J. Hill

Backups: DE Myles Murphy, DE Joseph Ossai, DT Josh Tupou, DT Zach Carter, DT/DE Cam Sample

The Bengals boast one of the top defenses in the league. Their defensive line is deep and very talented. There are some dudes that will get cut and will be playing for other teams on Sundays. The Bengals have a rotational defensive line where you will see all of these guys get significant playing time. First round draft pick Myles Murphy, was less than impressive during camp and the preseason but being in the same room as Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard should help in his development. Joseph Ossai has proven over his short time in the league that he is a valuable member on this defense. The defensive tackles are the ones that are crucial pieces to this defensive unit. Depth players such as Josh Tupou, Zach Carter and Cam Sample have given the Bengals some tough decisions on the line. Domenique Davis had a very impressive camp and is one that they will hopefully be able to stash on the practice squad. Davis is a numbers casualty but is one that could be a surprise to make it.

LINEBACKER (5)

Starters: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt

Backups: Akeem Davis-Gaither, Markus Bailey, Joe Bachie

This is the easiest group to pick. These five are the ones the Bengals will ride or die with all season. Wilson and Pratt will be together the next few seasons and are the tip of the linebacking spear. The other three are the ones the Bengals have had in the past and that will not change this season.

SECONDARY (10)

Starters: CB Chidobe Awuize, CB Cam Taylor-Britt, CB Mike Hilton, S Dax Hill, S Nick Scott

Backups: CB DJ Turner, CB DJ Ivey, CB Jalen Davis, S Jordan Battle, S Tycen Anderson

The secondary is another group that has played out and has become relatively easy to pick. The play of the corners has been solid all camp and the only real question would be who the final corner would be. Jalen Davis is the one who continues to step up and has proven his worth to the Bengals coaches. DJ Ivey, the draft pick out of the University of Miami, is in good shape based off his performance during camp. The Bengals are not a team that moves on from draft picks so Ivey certainly gets the upper hand. At the safety position, there is no debate who the four were. Dax Hill and Nick Scott will be slotted in as starters but with Jordan Battle and Tycen Anderson, the Bengals are in a good spot with a young secondary.

SPECIALISTS (3)

Starter: Brad Robbins (P), Evan McPherson (K), Cal Adomitis (LS)

The only battle was at the punter position between Brad Robbins and Drue Chrisman. The Bengals used a draft pick to select Robbins who can absolutely blast it. Chrisman started off camp on the wrong foot, having an unlucky hospitalization. Robbins did a great job all camp and with Chrisman not being able to start camp on time, it was really Robbins’ job to lose.

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the favorites to come out of the AFC and their roster helps with that. Depth is a very important part to any team and the Bengals are sitting about as perfect as any team in this league. Every one of these players will play a very important role at some point during the season.

Chris Asbrock is the owner, writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on X Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy