Bengals Beat: Bengals Go With 5 TEs, 6 DTs, Ryan Rehkow Punter, Ja’Marr Chase In Line For Week 1

CINCINNATI – The first 53-man roster is set for the 2024 season after the team released the moves shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Placed two players on the Reserve/Injured list:

–DE Myles Murphy (knee; designated for return)
–P Brad Robbins (quadriceps; designated for return)

Placed one player on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list:

–CB DJ Ivey (knee)

Terminated the contracts of two vested veterans (NOTE: These players are released to free agency and thus free to sign with another team or to re-sign with the Bengals):

–CB Jalen Davis
–QB Logan Woodside

Waived 16 players:

–DT Travis Bell
–CB Nate Brooks
–WR Cole Burgess
–OT Devin Cochran
–HB Elijah Collins
–DT Carlos Davis
–DT Domenique Davis
–C Nate Gilliam
–TE Cam Grandy
–LB Devin Harper
–LB Shaka Heyward
–C Trey Hill
–WR Shedrick Jackson
–S PJ Jules
–WR Kendric Pryor
–CB Lance Robinson (Waived/Injured)

PRACTICE SQUAD: All NFL players are eligible to be signed to a team’s practice squad in 2024, though players who are waived must clear waivers first. The Bengals plan to announce tomorrow a practice squad of up to 16 players.

Key takeaways from Zac Taylor on the cut downs:

Decisions to keep five tight ends “A lot of competition… way roster fit we could keep 5 right now.”

“There’s six guys in there that can help us.” Decision to keep 6 interior D lineman made the most sense for now.

“This isn’t complicated. He’s practicing like he has the last couple of days” Taylor on expectation Ja’Marr Chase will play Week 1. “He’s looked great. Same Ja’Marr I’m used to. Plan will be to continue to practice with him.”

“Timeline is a little more favorable” on right knee injury of McKinnley Jackson

Bengals have six remaining DFR options after Myles Murphy and Brad Robbins received them today

Maema Njongmeta made Bengals roster with “perfect attitude” … beat out Devin Harper

The Bengals can place two players on IR and pull them through onto the active roster later, a change from the past where even if a player was injured, the team could not place them onto injured reserve until the day after cutdown day. If they placed them on IR before or on the day of the cutdowns, they would lose that player for the season.

Each team is allowed eight instances each year of a player designated for return from IR. If a team uses two on cutdown day, it counts toward that eight maximum limit for the season.

Still, if a player goes on IR, they are lost to the team for a minimum of four weeks.

Another factor to keep in mind that could impact the Bengals roster is the physically unable to perform active designation. The Bengals have defensive back DJ Ivey who was placed on that list to start camp and could be pulled through onto the roster at some point and not lost to the team if the team so designates to start the season.

• 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

Here’s how the roster looks after 4 p.m. Tuesday:

OFFENSE (25):

• Quarterback (2):

Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
Cuts: Logan Woodside

Trags take: No surprises here.

• Running back (3):

Zack Moss, Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams
Cut: Elijah Collins
Season-Ending Injured Reserve: Chris Evans

Trags take: This came out as expected. Samaje Perine was cut by the Broncos.

• Tight end (5):

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

Trags take: Rookie Erick All Jr. continues to amass more playing time. He shows he can block and catch.

• Wide Receiver (6):

Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jermaine Burton, Trenton Irwin, Charlie Jones, Andrei Iosivas
Cuts: Cole Burgess, Kendric Pryor, Shedrick Jackson

Trags take: Nothing has changed about this list of six. With Charlie Jones dodging a bullet two weeks ago, the Bengals appear set to start the season with a versatile set of receivers.

• Offensive line (9):

Orlando Brown Jr., Trent Brown, Amarius Mims, Matt Lee, Jaxson Kirkland, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Cody Ford, Cordell Volson
Cuts: Devin Cochran, Nate Gilliam, Trey Hill
Season-Ending Injured Reserve:D’Ante Smith

Trags take: As expected, Trey Hill was one of the final cuts. He is a candidate for the practice squad due to his versatility. Jaxson Kirkland and Cody Ford were solid throughout camp while rookie Matt Lee beat out Hill as Ted Karras’ backup.

DEFENSE(25):

• Edge (4):

Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Joseph Ossai, Cedric Johnson
Cut: Justin Blazek
Designated for return IR: Myles Murphy
Season-Ending Injured Reserve: Cam Sample
Retired: Jeff Gunter

Trags take: With the Bengals keeping just four at this position, it enabled them to carry a sixth defensive tackle.

• IDL (6):

Sheldon Rankins, B.J. Hill, Kris Jenkins Jr., Zach Carter, Jay Tufele, McKinnley Jackson
Cuts: Domenique Davis, Travis Bell, Carlos Davis

Trags take: McKinnley Jackson continues to rehab his right knee and will be out for several weeks but Zac Taylor sounded an optimistic tone, which is why he avoided IR.

• Linebackers (5):

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

Trags take: Njongmeta is the final player to make the roster. And he’s earned it. Terrific hustle, attitude and production through preseason as the team’s leading tackler has led to the rookie free agent out of Wisconsin landing a spot. Taylor said Tuesday he had the “perfect attitude.”

• Cornerbacks (5):

Dax Hill, Mike Hilton, Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner II, Josh Newton
Cuts: Nate Brooks, Lance Robinson, Jalen Davis
PUP active: DJ Ivey

Trags take: A mild surprise that Jalen Davis didn’t make the roster. Certainly a candidate for the practice squad and very popular and trusted among teammates and coaches.

• Safeties (5):

Vonn Bell, Geno Stone, Jordan Battle, Daijahn Anthony, Tycen Anderson
Cut: 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. This turned out as expected.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3):

• Kicker (1):

Evan McPherson
Cut: None

Trags take: With a three-year, $16.5 million extension in the books, the drama around McPherson is gone.

• Punter/Holder(1):

Ryan Rehkow
Injured Reserve DFR: Brad Robbins

Trags take: Undrafted rookie Ryan Rehkow (RICO) has been getting valuable opportunity in the last two weeks since Robbins went down with an injury. Rehkow had 15 preseason punts for a 39.6 net average (29th in NFL), including four inside the 20 and two touchbacks. With Robbins landing on IR, Rehkow did enough to win the job.

• Long snapper (1):

Cal Adomitis
Cut: 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.