Bengals Beat: Battles Heat Up, Depth In Focus In Latest 53-man roster in Projection 3.0

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Battles continue to heat up and depth spots on the roster are in need of filling as the Bengals approach their second preseason game this Saturday at Soldier Field against the Bears.

In the third projection of camp, we focus on who has made strides in catching the eyes of coaches and could be making a run at securing a spot on the roster.

The Bengals are in the midst of a busy stretch. They played Tampa Bay last Saturday, have a joint practice Thursday, play the Bears Saturday, hold a practice Monday, a joint practice with the Colts on Tuesday and play preseason finale on Aug. 22.

The first major injury of camp happened on Aug. 2 when Cam Sample tore his Achilles. He is out for the season. The Bengals are still waiting on what’s next with Ja’Marr Chase, who did make the trip to Chicago.

Rookie Amarius Mims has been shut down for “several” weeks with a pectoral strain. Jake Browning is out with a rib injury and Brad Robbins won’t be punting Saturday due to an injury sustained in Tuesday’s practice. Trent Brown has joined in on the first team offensive line for practice. He won’t play Saturday.

Sam Hubbard, another veteran coming off ankle surgery last season, dinged his left knee on July 28 after shedding a block from Mike Gesicki but is presumed to be OK. He again will not practice or participate in Saturday’s game against the Bears.

Trey Hendrickson, Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai have been taking a large number of the reps in practice. Watch for Cedric Johnson to get plenty of run this Saturday. In a surprise, another defensive end Jeff Gunter retired from football on Wednesday.

Ever NFL team needs to cut from a maximum of 90 players to 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. ET. The opener is Sunday, Sept. 8 vs. New England at Paycor Stadium.

CB DJ Ivey remains on the Active PUP list and is not practicing.

• Key Additions:

Free agents: Geno Stone, Vonn Bell, Sheldon Rankins, Trent Brown, Zack Moss, Mike Gesicki
Draft: Amarius Mims, Kris Jenkins Jr., Jermaine Burton, McKinnley Jackson, Erick All, Josh Newton, Tanner McLachlin, Cedric Johnson, Daijahn Anthony, Matt Lee

• Second-year risers:

Myles Murphy, DJ Turner II, Jordan Battle, Charlie Jones, Chase Brown, Brad Robbins, Andrei Iosivas, DJ Ivey, Shedrick Jackson

• Key Losses:

Free agents: Jonah Williams (Arizona), DJ Reader (Detroit), Tyler Boyd (Tennessee), Chidobe Awuzie (Tennessee), Nick Scott (Carolina), Mitchell Wilcox (New England)
Traded: Joe Mixon (Houston)
Injury: Cam Sample
Retired: Jeff Gunter

Without further ado, we present the third 2024 Bengals 53-man roster projection.

OFFENSE (25):

• Quarterback (2):

Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
Getting reps: Logan Woodside, Rocky Lombardi

Trags take: Burrow did his thing for one series last Saturday and looked good. He’ll participate in Thursday’s joint practice with the Bears. Jake Browning has had his struggles this camp but was having a good day Monday before sustaining a rib injury. He’s out Saturday. So it’s up to Logan Woodside and Rocky Lombardi to take the reps on Saturday.

• Running back (3):

Zack Moss, Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams
Getting reps: Chris Evans, Noah Cain, Elijah Collins

Trags take: Moss didn’t get a chance to shine last Saturday because he was under the weather but he returned to practice on Monday. This game is all about opportunities for the back-up backs to make an impression.

• Tight end (4):

Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson, Erick All Jr.
Getting reps: Tanner McLachlin, Cam Grandy

Trags take: Rookie Erick All Jr. gets more play this Saturday after appearing in two snaps last Saturday. He’s been clearing every hurdle ahead of schedule and playing this Saturday might be on the docket for the rookie out of Iowa. This also figures to be a chance for rookie Tanner McLachlin to shine.

• Wide Receiver (6):

Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jermaine Burton, Trenton Irwin, Charlie Jones, Andrei Iosivas
Getting reps:Kwamie Lassiter II, Cole Burgess, Kendric Pryor, Hakeem Butler, Shedrick Jackson

Trags take: The Bengals appeared to have dodged a bullet with Charlie Jones back on the rehab field, running and doing agility on Tuesday. He won’t play Saturday for a second straight game after he banged his right knee the Thursday before the Tampa Bay game. Jermaine Burton shined on Saturday in his opportunity.

• Offensive line (10):

Orlando Brown Jr., Trent Brown, Amarius Mims, Matt Lee, Jaxson Kirkland, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Cody Ford, Cordell Volson, Trey Hill
Getting reps: Jackson Carman, Devin Cochran, D’Ante Smith, Nate Gilliam, Eric Miller

Trags take: The regulars won’t play Saturday but keep a close eye on right tackle and center. Rookie Matt Lee is getting some play with the second team and he could be a focal point. Jaxson Kirkland is another player to keep close tabs on. Jackson Carman desperately needs a bounce back game after a poor performance last Saturday.

DEFENSE(25):

• Edge (5):

Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, Cedric Johnson
Getting reps: Justin Blazek, Andre Carter
Injured: Cam Sample
Retired: Jeff Gunter

Trags take: Cedric Johnson gets valuable time Saturday against the Bears. The retirement of Jeff Gunter lightens the depth, at least for this week.

• IDL (5):

Sheldon Rankins, B.J. Hill, Kris Jenkins Jr., McKinnley Jackson, Zach Carter
Getting reps: Domenique Davis, Travis Bell, Jay Tufele, Joshua Pryor, Carlos Davis, Devonnsha Maxwell

Trags take: McKinnley Jackson continues to rehab his right knee and will be out for several weeks. This is a game where rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. could step up and make his mark. Zach Carter continues to battle for that final spot but could easily wind up on the practice squad. If Carter shows enough, he may not have to worry about PS possibilities.

• Linebackers (5):

Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joe Bachie, Devin Harper
Getting reps: Aaron Casey, Maema Njongmeta, Shaka Heyward

Trags take: Keep an eye on Maema Njongmeta. He’s been turning heads and coaches like his story and his work ethic. Now, that just needs to translate to the field and he figures to get plenty of time Saturday.

• Cornerbacks (5):

Dax Hill, Mike Hilton, Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner II, Josh Newton
Getting reps: Jalen Davis, Allan George, Nate Brooks, Lance Robinson, DJ Ivey

Trags take: One of the stars last week was rookie Josh Newton, with an interception when he high-pointed the ball. Dax Hill was all around the ball and DJ Turner continues to show well. Will DJ Ivey avoid season-ending IR to start the season?

• Safeties (5):

Vonn Bell, Geno Stone, Jordan Battle, Daijahn Anthony, Tycen Anderson
Getting reps: Michael Dowell, PJ Jules

Trags take: Daijahn Anthony has been turning heads and has settled nicely into a safety role. He continues to get occasional run with the first team in dime looks. His versatility at corner and safety help him immensely. The story here is Tycen Anderson and his role. He is valuable on special teams and will get more time in preseason in Lou Anarumo’s defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3):

• Kicker (1):

Evan McPherson
Getting reps: None

Trags take: Only question here is if a contract extension gets done before the season opener and if it looks anything like the four-year, $25.6 million Harrison Butker signed.

• Punter/Holder(1):

Brad Robbins
Getting reps: Ryan Rehkow

Trags take: After Robbins was injured Tuesday, undrafted rookie Ryan Rehkow (RICO) will get valuable opportunity Saturday and in Thursday’s joint practice. The BYU rookie had a pair of 50-plus yard punts against the Bucs last Saturday, but one went for a touchback.

• Long snapper (1):

Cal Adomitis
Getting reps: None

Trags take: Adomitis, entering his third season, has done very well so far following in the footsteps of Clark Harris. Reliable and consistent. All Darrin Simmons wants out of that position.