Bengals Beat: Bengals 2023 Camp 53-man Projection 3.0: Risers and Fallers After One Week

CINCINNATI – With the Bengals entering the “full contact” portion of training camp where trench play and the run game can actually be evaluated, it’s time to step back and see who made the biggest impression and who needs to pick it up and make a bigger statement to make the roster, or at least solidify their standing.

The Bengals will practice in pads Thursday and Friday, off-day on Saturday, practice Sunday and Monday, off-day Tuesday and then a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday as Zac Taylor’s good friend Matt LeFleur comes to town.

The first preseason game is Friday, Aug. 11 vs. Green Bay. Every NFL team needs to cut from a maximum of 90 players to 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. ET. The opener is Sunday, Sept. 10 at Cleveland.

Two players are currently on the physically unable to perform – offensive linemen La’el Collins and tight end Mitchell Wilcox, with Wilcox not expected to stay on PUP very long. Devin Cochran was placed on season-ending injured reserve to make room for the signing of third quarterback Reid Sinnett following the calf injury to Joe Burrow.

• Key Additions:

Free agents: Orlando Brown Jr., Nick Scott, Cody Ford, Sidney Jones IV, Tarell Basham, Irv Smith Jr.
Draft: Myles Murphy, DJ Turner II, Jordan Battle, Charlie Jones, Chase Brown, Brad Robbins, Andrei Iosivas, DJ Ivey

• Key Losses:

Free agents: Jessie Bates III (Atlanta), Vonn Bell (Carolina), Eli Apple (Miami), Hayden Hurst (Carolina), Samaje Perine (Denver)
Retired: Kevin Huber

RISERS AFTER FIRST CAMP WEEK:

Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins: “They have raised the standard” Zac Taylor beamed after Monday’s practice. Hard to argue with that. Both have been running precise routes, no matter if it’s Joe Burrow, Jake Browning or Trevor Siemian throwing passes. They have given the young Bengals corners a gift in training camp, elite receivers to work against.

Irv Smith Jr.: The fifth-year tight end signed away from Minnesota looks to be adapting quite well to everything in the Bengals offense. He joked after practice Tuesday that “the offense is starting to pile up… and that’s the beauty of it.” He has looked sharp in practice and beat Nick Scott in one-on-one drills on a seam route to get open for a touchdown. No reason he shouldn’t carry on in the tradition of C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst if he stays healthy and on the field.

Cam Taylor-Britt: He has been beaten on routes by Chase on several occasions. But on many of those same plays, he has shown the technique and speed to compensate and catch up and make a play on the ball. He told me this week that his biggest challenge now is to not just make a play on the ball but come down with it. He has shown terrific competitiveness in his coverage, and this will make it easier on the coaching staff to ease Chido Awuzie back into camp reps.

Joseph Ossai: He’s been winning some of his battles on the right edge and showing his trademark high motor, getting through to the quarterback. Going up against Orlando Brown doesn’t hurt. The Bengals are depending on him to have a big year this year and his start to camp is a good sign.

Rookie corners: DJ Turner II and DJ Ivey have both flashed speed and good technique at the point of attack, namely when the ball arrives with the receiver. Expect to see a lot of them starting with the joint practice and the preseason opener with the Packers.

FALLERS:

Trevor Siemian: Zac Taylor has strongly cautioned reading too much into QB roles behind Joe Burrow but a veteran quarterback who is signed to compete for the back-up job and doesn’t get it ahead of a practice squad quarterback in the system for two years doesn’t speak highly for the veteran. Siemian has a previous working relationship with OC Brian Callahan in Denver in 2016 but Jake Browning has been getting most of the first team reps since Burrow went down with a calf strain last Thursday. It’s still early to judge their passing accuracy in practice but both Siemian and Browning have shown command of the passing offense in the short game but the longer passes have been off the mark moreso than not. That’s where Burrow is missed most. Burrow’s ability to throw to the far sideline accurately and with pace is taken for granted until he’s not on the field. Bringing in Reid Sinnett had nothing to do with the performance of either Siemian or Browning but rather to add a third arm to the rotation to lessen the throwing load during camp.

Jackson Carman: This might seem a little harsh but he had a false start and was beaten to the punch as the right tackle on the second unit on the first day of pads on Tuesday. This needs to improve as he is in a tight battle with Jonah Williams, who is already the favorite to win the job at right tackle when the season begins. This is another instance where both figure to get reps with the first unit offensive line without Burrow in there to protect.

Trayveon Williams: Bad luck for the fifth-year back out of Texas A&M when he rolled his right ankle Tuesday in individual drills before 11-on-11s began in full pads. He had to be carted off the field and could put no weight on the leg. He is in a battle to show he can absorb the reps of the departed Samaje Perine to Denver. Williams is very good in pass protection – like Perine – and has a very low center of gravity as a runner. With this, Chris Evans and rookie Chase Brown – already targeted for a lot of work during camp and preseason – will get extended looks.

Without further ado, we present 2023 Bengals 53-man roster projection 3.0.

OFFENSE (24):

• Quarterback (2):

Joe Burrow, Trevor Siemian:
In the running: Jake Browning, Reid Sinnett

Trags take: The dynamic here might have changed if you read anything into who is taking which reps. That’s precisely what Zac Taylor has cautioned against but still you can’t help but think something’s up when Jake Browning gets the first-team reps to start over Trevor Siemian with Burrow out. Siemian will get his chance in camp and in the preseason with the first team but the back-up spot is no longer the slam dunk we once thought. Reid Sinnett, the QB who carved up the Bengals in the 2021 preseason finale for Miami, will get his reps as the third quarterback, signed off the street this week. He has XFL experience with San Antonio.

• Running back (3):

Joe Mixon, Trayveon Williams, Chase Brown,
In the running: Chris Evans, Calvin Tyler Jr., Jacob Saylors

Trags take: The biggest storyline here is the return of Joe Mixon, as he moves ahead after taking a $10 million pay cut over the next two seasons. The Williams right ankle injury bears very close watching, as it will impact the team’s decision on Chris Evans.

• Tight end (3):

Irv Smith Jr., Drew Sample, Mitchell Wilcox (PUP)
In the running: Tanner Hudson, Nick Bowers, Christian Trahan, Devin Asiasi

Trags take: Will Irv Smith Jr. be the latest tight end to find new life with golden touch of Joe Burrow? He never reached his full potential in Minnesota in three seasons (one injury year in 2021). The Bengals are very high on him and he flashed a lot of potential in OTAs. Keep a very close eye on Tanner Hudson. He could challenge with a strong camp and preseason, and he was the long snapper in OTAs while Cal Adomitis nursed a minor foot injury. Drew Sample is coming back from a right knee injury last year while Devin Asiasi is considered a valuable blocking tight end who can catch. Wilcox’s return will make things more difficult for Asiasi. But competition is always a good thing.

• Wide Receiver (6):

Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Charlie Jones, Andrei Iosivas, Stanley Morgan
In the running:Kwamie Lassiter II, Trenton Irwin, Trent Taylor, Shedrick Jackson, Malachi Carter, Mac Hippenhammer

Trags take: It might seem bold but the Bengals drafted Charlie Jones to be an immediate playmaker for the team, both as a fourth receiver and a punt returner. This moves Trent Taylor out of the rotation and into a spot where’s he’s been before – using camp and the preseason to prove he still belongs in the NFL. Taylor has been very reliable for Darrin Simmons on special teams but Jones is young and dynamic, showing off his special teams with Iowa in 2021 and his receiving skills with Purdue in 2022. Iosivas has raw athletic talent he flashed at Princeton. The Bengals drafted him to make the roster. There’s not a more solid and likeable special teams player than Stanley Morgan. Rooting for Miami Redhawk Mac Hippenhammer to make it to the practice squad.

• Offensive line (10):

Orlando Brown Jr., Jonah Williams, Jackson Carman, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, La’el Collins (PUP), Cody Ford, Max Scharping, Cordell Volson, Trey Hill
In the running: Hakeem Adeniji, D’Ante Smith, Ben Brown, Jaxson Kirkland, Nate Gilliam, Devin Cochran (IR)

Trags take: We’re assuming here that the Bengals keep all three right tackles in Jonah Williams, La’el Collins and Jackson Carman and don’t trade one of them during camp for a future asset. But the likely scenario is that they do wind up dealing one of them, depending upon the health and recovery of Collins, who figures to start camp on PUP. The offensive line unit is the best the Bengals have had in two decades on paper. Healthy, it figures as one of the strengths of this team with Brown as the left tackle, Volson the left guard, Karras the center, Cappa right guard and Williams right tackle. Hill, Ford, Scharping and Carman are all proven competent backups.

DEFENSE(26):

• Edge (6):

Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, Cam Sample, Tarell Basham
In the running: Jeff Gunter, Owen Carney, Raymond Johnson III

Trags take: The signing of Tarell Basham and the drafting of first-rounder Myles Murphy could spell practice squad for Jeff Gunter, the seventh round choice in the 2022 draft. Cam Sample, drafted fourth in 2021, is an oft-overlooked but reliable talent. The rest of the unit is rock solid, though looking to improve upon its sack totals of 2022, when they averaged just 1.9 sacks per game (29th out of 32 in NFL). Look for Murphy to make a big impact on special teams.

• IDL (4):

DJ Reader, B.J. Hill, Zach Carter, Josh Tupou
In the running: Jay Tufele, Domenique Davis, Tautala Pesefea Jr., Devonnsha Maxwell

Trags take: Davis, who shined last year in preseason, and Tufele will push for an added spot but the competition in the secondary will likely mean both are left off to begin. Tufele is a third-year talent out of USC who had quality snaps last year. Reader and Hill are the class of this group and the undeniable leaders. Carter is a second-year player capable of making significant improvement this year.

• Linebackers (5):

Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joe Bachie, Markus Bailey
In the running: Keandre Jones, Shaka Heyward, Jaylen Moody, Tyler Murray

Trags take: This is as competitive a group on the back end as you will find on the roster. Wilson, Pratt and ADG are locks. Bachie is a glue guy. Bailey and Keandre Jones figure to battle for that final spot and a place on Simmons’ special teams unit.

• Cornerbacks (7):

Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner II, DJ Ivey, Sidney Jones IV, Jalen Davis
In the running: Allan George, Marvell Tell III

Trags take: Another intensely competitive group battle at the back end. Tre Flowers is off to Carolina with Vonn Bell and Hayden Hurst. Eli Apple is in Miami. This leaves the Bengals a fascinating group. Awuzie appears ready to return from ACL surgery last November but there is ZERO need to rush him in camp. The really interesting decision is what to do with Sidney Jones IV if he impresses in camp after being signed away from the Raiders in March. Maybe the Bengals try to sneak seventh rounder DJ Ivey through to practice squad but if he shines in preseason, bet is that Bengals make sure to protect him and keep him off waivers. What to do with Ivey, Jones and Davis figures to be a very difficult decision for DB coach Charles Burks, Zac Taylor and Duke Tobin.

• Safeties (4):

Nick Scott, Dax Hill, Jordan Battle, Tycen Anderson
In the running: Yusef Corker, Larry Brooks, Michael Thomas

Trags take: The drama – and leadership – of Bates and Bell are gone to Atlanta and Carolina, respectively. Michael Thomas is a leader but won’t see the field as a safety but rather as a core special teams leader and likely captain. Tycen Anderson, a fifth rounder out of Toledo, needs to impress in camp and the preseason as number crunching in other areas of the roster could impact him. Or, he could wind up on the practice squad. Anderson did enough in first week of camp and has raw athletic talent that bumps him ahead of veteran Michael Thomas.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3):

• Kicker (1):

Evan McPherson
In the running: None

Trags take: Again, not much to say if Shooter is healthy. Money Mac was 24-of-29 last year on field goals, including a perfect 5-for-5 from 50-plus. 40-of-44 on PATs. He is a perfect 19-for-19 on field goal attempts in two playoff seasons. He’s missed one postseason kick in 32 chances. McPherson did miss from 67 yards at the end of “Back Together” Saturday at Paycor, not quite matching his 65-yarder at the end of BT Saturday in 2022. McPherson had a very strong day of kicks on Monday.

• Punter/Holder(1):

Brad Robbins
In the running: Drue Chrisman

Trags take: Kevin Huber is now officially retired. He won’t be challenging Chrisman but good friend and Bengals’ sixth-round pick Robbins will. Robbins is liked by Simmons for his ability to hang ’em high and accurate, two things that were missing on the fateful last punt in the AFC championship loss in Kansas City. Robbins, who Simmons liked for his ability to kick in the elements of Ann Arbor, looked the part in OTAs and minicamp. Chrisman has returned from a medical procedure and fall during weight training that forced him to miss the first few days of camp.

• Long snapper (1):

Cal Adomitis
In the running: None

Trags take: Yes, Tanner Hudson was snapped for Adomitis in OTAs for a couple of practices but don’t read anything into that. Adomitis was called into service after Clark Harris injured himself in the opener last year against the Steelers, forcing Mitchell Wilcox into the role because Adomitis wasn’t active. After that, no one really noticed Adomitis, which means he did his job well. He was the top long snapper in college (Pitt) in 2021 and signed on with the Bengals. Another savvy move for Duke Tobin.