The Cincinnati Bengals offseason roster will soon be right under to the 90-player maximum. 71 players were under contract when the 2026 NFL Draft opened. Seven picks were made, and a reported 10 undrafted free agents agreed to terms in the hours following the draft ending.

That’s 88 for now. A bump to 89 and 90 is on the table with room for a veteran, or a successful rookie minicamp tryout.

At the end of the preseason, 53 will be all who remain.

So many developments have yet to occur. Predicting all of them is pointless. Guessing the Week 1 roster with 100% accuracy is virtually impossible when the calendar still says April.

So we’ll play the “what if?” game to start. What if all seven rookies from Cincinnati’s 2026 draft class made it through final cuts? Let’s find out what that roster could look like.

Disclaimer: *indicates a 2026 draft pick, **indicates a 2026 college free agent signing

Bengals 53-man roster projection following the 2026 NFL Draft

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Quarterback (2)

In: Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco
Out: Josh Johnson, Sean Clifford

Brining in a rookie quarterback isn’t a necessity with four passers already on the roster. The addition of Johnson coming before the re-signing of Flacco created this scenario, and the Bengals will have enough arms for the offseason. They only need Flacco behind Burrow for the real games.

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Running back (3)

In: Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks
Out: Gary Brightwell, Kendall Milton, Kentrell Bullock**, Jamal Haynes**

Two UDFAs enter the backfield behind reserves who would be roster surprises. Three is likely the ideal number considering strengths of other positions. It may take Brooks being outperformed to change the dynamic.

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Wide receiver (6)

In: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Colbie Young*, Mitchell Tinsley, Charlie Jones
Out: Ke’Shawn Williams, Kendric Pryor, Jordan Moore, Xavier Johnson, Dohnte Myers, Noah Thomas**

Young was drafted to push Iosivas for playing time, but at the very least should be an ideal Higgins backup for the short term. Williams figures to have the best chance at pushing Jones off the roster.

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Tight end (4)

In: Drew Sample, Mike Gesicki, Erick All Jr., Jack Endries*
Out: Tanner Hudson, Cam Grandy, Josh Kattus**

Toppling Hudson on the depth chart has proven to be a tough task, but it’s what Endries must do to make the team in all likelihood. Even if they kept five, an inline blocking specialist like Grandy or Kattus would have more value than both Hudson and the seventh-round pick. All coming back as healthy as ever is paramount for him.

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Offensive line (9)

In: Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner, Amarius Mims, Brian Parker II*, Connor Lew*, Jalen Rivers, Christian Jones**
Out: Cody Ford, Andrew Coker, Javon Foster, Jacob Bayer, Corey Robinson II**

Minimal depth turned into promising depth with Lew and Parker in the fold. The former was drafted in the fourth round but would’ve likely gone at least a round earlier if he wasn’t recovering from an ACL tear. Parker was another strong value pick and has a great shot at jumping Rivers on the depth chart as one of the first reserves off the bench. He may be the sixth OL before long. Look for Jones to have a real shot at pushing Ford out at swing tackle.

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Defensive line (11)

In: Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, B.J. Hill, Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, T.J. Slaton Jr., Shemar Stewart, Cashius Howell*, Kris Jenkins Jr., Cedric Johnson, Landon Robinson*
Out: McKinnley Jackson, Isaiah Foskey, Jordan Jefferson, Howard Cross III

Might as well go as heavy as you can here. Keeping 11 could still mean a former top-100 pick in Jackson gets waived. Six defensive tackles is a wise number in a defense expected to utilize 3-4 fronts at a decent rate. Lawrence, Allen, and Hill — the featured trio of the DTs — each get a backup in Slaton, Robinson, and Jenkins, respectively. Five worthy edges stick around.

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Linebacker (5)

In: Barrett Carter, Demetrius Knight Jr., Oren Burks, Shaka Heyward, Joe Giles-Harris
Out: Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr., Liam Anderson, Eric Gentry**, Jack Dingle**

Maybe a veteran comes in. Maybe not. Either way, keeping more than five at the cost of cornerback, defensive lineman, or any other more valuable and talented position is not worth the trade off. It will be fascinating to see what how the 6-7 Gentry will be used in the summer with his freakish 86.25″ wingspan for the position. Maybe he’ll eventually fill out more of his frame and drop down to the line.

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Cornerback (6)

In: DJ Turner II, Dax Hill, Jalen Davis, Tacario Davis*, DJ Ivey, Ja’Sir Taylor,
Out: Josh Newton, Bralyn Lux, Jalen Kimber, Ceyair Wright**

The older Davis is a big winner from the draft as he remains the favorite to become the top nickelback. The rookie Davis may be able to help there in certain packages, but he will be the much-need No. 4 corner above all else. Taylor vs. Newton should be an interesting battle for what could be the final spot. Don’t sleep on Lux for that spot.

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Safety (4)

In: Bryan Cook, Jordan Battle, Kyle Dugger, PJ Jules
Out: Daijahn Anthony, Russ Yeast, Isaiah Nwokobia**

The summer will be figuring out the fourth guy here. Jules played a ton of special teams last year and that should give him an early edge. Nwokobia’s collegiate production had promise so there’s hope for him.

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Specialist (3)

In: Evan McPherson, Ryan Rehkow, William Wagner

Get used to me saying “not notes” regarding this group.