Bengals 53-man Roster Projection: Second week of preseason foreshadows what Cincinnati needs to do after final cuts
The preseason is almost wrapped up, and the Cincinnati Bengals are feeling quite well about their potential 53-man roster. There’s still one pressing issue that needs to be addressed following cutdown day.
The preseason is almost wrapped up, and the Cincinnati Bengals are feeling quite well about their potential 53-man roster.
Cincinnati is 2-0 in exhibitions this month with both wins coming in front of home crowds. The starters didn’t even have to play Saturday night against the Chicago Bears for the comfortable win. The backups and reserves took care of business, and made our latest 53-man roster projection even clearer than the last.
Disclaimer: *indicates a 2026 draft pick, **indicates a 2026 college free agent signing
Bengals 53-man roster projection after preseason Week 2
Quarterback (2)
In: Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco
Out: Josh Johnson, Sean Clifford
Good for Johnson and Clifford showing out against the Chicago Bears. I’ll be interested to see who makes the practice squad of the two as neither will make the roster.
Running back (3)
In: Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks
Out: Gary Brightwell, Kendall Milton, Kentrel Bullock**, Jamal Haynes**
Brooks quietly had a good outing as well, totaling 31 yards from scrimmage on just five touches. Bullock had the most chances of the night but didn’t do much with them. This is still a position to watch for waiver pick ups.
Wide receiver (6)
In: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Colbie Young*, Mitchell Tinsley, Dohnte Meyers
Out: Charlie Jones, Ke’Shawn Williams, Noah Thomas**, Kendric Pryor, Jordan Moore, Xavier Johnson
The first receivers to see the field against Chicago were Young and Meyers. That says a lot about the latter’s standing right now. Meyers had a team-high five receptions and 41 yards while handling the majority of kickoff and punt returns. I think any roster projection without him on it is inaccurate at this point. Thomas and Williams look like the ideal practice squad reserves.
Tight end (5)
In: Drew Sample, Mike Gesicki, Erick All Jr., Tanner Hudson, Jack Endries*
Out: Cam Grandy, Josh Kattus**
Endries didn’t have the game he had last week, but I still believe they want to keep him around to develop. Hudson had a touchdown and proved again how seamless he is down in the red zone. Five is the number that makes sense, as it usually does for this club.
Offensive line (8)
In: Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner, Amarius Mims, Brian Parker II*, Connor Lew*, Jacob Bayer
Out: Jalen Rivers, Cody Ford, Andrew Coker, Javon Foster, Christian Jones**, Corey Robinson II**, Liam Brown**
Bayer may ultimately be cut because he can’t play tackle, but he’s been a better player than both Ford and Rivers this month and probably deserves to make it. Ford and Rivers have simply not been good enough at either tackle or guard through two games and at this point I can see one, or both, missing the cut. There will definitely be an effort to claim a tackle off waivers, or maybe even land one in a trade.
This is why the initial 53-man roster is not what you should expect the roster to look like when Week 1 arrives.
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, Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr.
Robinson keeps breaking through and making an impact. There’s no reason he should be left to waivers at this point. He’s the perfect developmental defensive tackle to stash. Jenkins only playing nine snaps after starting feels like a good sign for him whereas Jackson was out there for much longer.
Linebacker (5)
In: Barrett Carter, Demetrius Knight Jr., Oren Burks, Swayze Bozeman, Shaka Heyward
Out: Joe Giles-Harris, Liam Anderson, Eric Gentry**, Jack Dingle**
I had Giles-Harris making it through last week, but Heyward got the start next to Bozeman this time around and had a productive evening. This is likely a 50-50 race, with Anderson as the dark horse behind the two.
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**
There’s not much debate here. Newton got the start along with Ivey, but the former was beaten deep and showed his lack of straight line speed remains a problem. Taylor is the better player over Lux to back up Jalen Davis in the slot. The other Davis had a decent rookie debut, and was always a lock.
Safety (4)
In: Bryan Cook, Jordan Battle, Kyle Dugger, PJ Jules
Out: Daijahn Anthony, Russ Yeast
It’s anyone’s guess for the fourth safety. Jules flies around the field and will give his all on special teams. Yeast may be the better defensive player. Anthony has been around the team longer. No change as of yet from me.
Specialist (3)
In: Evan McPherson, Ryan Rehkow, William Wagner
No notes.
