It's been a longer offseason for the Cincinnati Bengals this year compared to the prior two years. Failing to make the playoffs a year after going to the Super Bowl and AFC Championship in consecutive seasons will create that effect.

A longer period of time since the season's end makes the end of June feel like we should be even closer to training camp, but alas, we have several weeks to go before the pads come on for real. Thankfully, we learned a bit about the current state of the 87-player roster in Cincinnati during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.  

Let's see what an updated depth chart would look like for Cincinnati entering the dead period of the offseason. For reference, here's our depth chart projection from last month.

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Quarterbacks

First team: Joe Burrow
Second team: Jake Browning
Third team: Logan Woodside
Fourth team: Rocky Lombardi

The skinny: It's simply hard to put Lombardi ahead of the veteran Woodside right now, no matter how cool the former's name is. 

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Running backs

First team: Zack Moss & Chase Brown
Second team: Trayveon Williams & Chris Evans
Third team: Elijah Collins & Noah Cain

The skinny: I really like grouping these players into duos. It really signifies how the dynamic of the position should be going forward with Moss and Brown working as a true 1-2 punch instead of one getting significantly more work than the other. Williams should still have an edge over Evans if they decide to keep just three.

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Wide receivers

First team: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trenton Irwin
Second team: Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones
Third team: Shedrick Jackson, Kendric Pryor, Kwamie Lassiter II
Fourth team: Cole Burgess, Tre Mosley

The skinny: Iosivas and Burton got plenty of reps behind along with Irwin this spring as Chase was absent for most offseason work and Higgins never showed up. The guy to keep an eye out for now is Jackson, who got a shoutout from Burrow at the end of minicamp. He's certainly got speed on his side being the nephew of Bo Jackson. 

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Tight ends

First team: Mike Gesicki & Drew Sample
Second team: Tanner Hudson & Erick All
Third team: Tanner McLachlan & Cam Grandy

The skinny: 12 personnel is on track to being a greater part of the Bengals' offense, and that will feature Gesicki detached from the line of scrimmage as a receiver, and Sample either as an inline player or in the backfield pass-protecting. All probably sees reps over McLachlan when both are healthy, which they should be when camp begins.

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Offensive linemen

First team: LT Orlando Brown, LG Cordell Volson, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, RT Trent Brown
Second team: LT Jackson Carman, LG D'Ante Smith, C Trey Hill, RG Cody Ford, RT Amarius
Third team: LT Devin Cochran, LG Jaxson Kirkland, C Matt Lee, RG Nate Gilliam, RT Eric Miller

The skinny: I'm tempted to put Mims over Brown at right tackle, but I just don't see that being the case when camp begins. Brown wasn't supposed to miss OTAs and hand Mims so many first-team reps, but that's what happened. It will make camp much more interesting as they determine which path between the established veteran or the high-upside rookie is best for the team. 

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Defensive linemen

First Team: Trey Hendrickson, Sheldon Rankins, B.J. Hill, Sam Hubbard
Second team: Myles Murphy, Kris Jenkins, McKinnley Jackson, Cam Sample
Third team: Joseph Ossai, Zach Carter, Jay Tufele, Cedric Johnson
Fourth team: Jeff Gunter, Domenique Davis, Travis Bell, Devonnsha Maxwell, Justin Blazek

The skinny: Far too early to project any big changes here, as is the case with most of the defense during the spring. The rotation at nose tackle remains one of my biggest questions for the remainder of the offseason. 

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Linebackers

First Team: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt
Second Team: Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joe Bachie
Third Team: Devin Harper, Shaka Heyward
Fourth Team: Aaron Casey, Maema Njongmeta

The skinny: Chalk still seems like the play here. The preseason is when we'll start to see what the rookies in Casey and Njongmeta can do, particularly on special teams.

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Cornerbacks

First Team: Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill, Mike Hilton
Second Team: DJ Turner II, Josh Newton, Jalen Davis
Third Team: DJ Ivey, Allan George, Lance Robinson

The skinny: Here's a notable change for everyone. Hill looks like he's grabbing hold of that starting job over Turner, and Newton cannot be any lower than the fifth corner in the pecking order. It stinks that Ivey is rehabbing his knee instead of getting these reps, but that's how it goes sometimes. 

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Safeties

First Team: Geno Stone, Vonn Bell
Second Team: Jordan Battle, Tycen Anderson
Third Team: Daijahn Anthony, P.J. Jules, Michael Dowell

The skinny: Bell is the much safer bet to start over Battle, who might have to start accepting the same role he had at the start of last season. The defense feels much more comfortable with Bell back behind them. Battle and Anderson are a quality second string.

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Specialist:

First Team: LS Cal Adomitis Winchester, P/H Brad Robbins, K Evan McPherson
Second Team: P/H Austin McNamara

The skinny: McNamara vs. Robbins is still in store for us this summer. May the best punter and holder win.

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Return specialists

First Team: KR Trayveon Williams, PR Charlie Jones
Second Team: KR Chase Brown, PR Trenton Irwin
Third Team: Kwamie Lassiter II

The skinny: More names could join the fray here with new kickoff rules debuting this year. Williams and Jones are the safe bets for now.

Bengals Roster Breakdown: Justin Blazek brings leadership and versatility as a UDFA underdog

The three-time team captain will be fun to watch in training camp.