Bengals Practice Squad Prediction: Which 16 players will Cincinnati keep around?

The Cincinnati Bengals will have more than just 53 players in their locker room after final cuts come and go. Here’s how I predict the 16-man practice squad will look.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer

Aug 30, 2026 7:00 AM EDT

The Cincinnati Bengals will have more than just 53 players in their locker room after final cuts come and go. The club can roster up to 16 players on their practice squad throughout the regular season.

Most of the practice squad will be comprised of younger players. Up to six of the 16 players can have unlimited NFL experience. The rest have to be rookies or second-year players.

It’s also worth noting Cincinnati has typically added players cut from other rosters to its practice squad. Expect a couple names to have come from other teams. For the sake of this prediction, I will pick exclusively from players I left off of my Bengals 53-man roster prediction.

Note: Players with one asterisk (*) represent 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) represent 2026 undrafted free agents.

Bengals Practice Squad Prediction

1. QB Sean Clifford – The Bengals always keep at least one quarterback on the practice squad. Clifford is much more likely to clear waivers than third-stringer Josh Johnson. Both were impressive this month.
2. RB Kentrel Bullock** – No one had more carries this month for Cincy than Bullock, one of two UDFA rookies in the room. He popped off Friday night and he’s worth keeping around.
3. RB Jamal Haynes** – I believe the Bengals are going light at running back on the 53-man roster, which makes keeping two on the practice squad ideal. Haynes’ touchdown run against the Eagles was one of the best plays from the entire preseason.
4. WR Ke’Shawn Williams – Charlie Jones seems to have the return job secured, but having a backup on the practice squad would be wise. Williams can take over midseason again like he did las year.
5. WR Noah Thomas** – It wasn’t too long ago when Thomas was turning heads in camp practices. It’s a good plan to stash a rookie receiver on the practice squad, and since I expect Mitchell Tinsley to find a better opportunity elsewhere, Thomas would be next in line after him.
6. TE Cam Grandy – Tight ends get banged up during the season more than most positions. Grandy’s value as a blocker will keep him around.
7. OT Andrew Coker – Only one other offensive tackle played more preseason snaps at the position than Coker. They’ll need another behind the swing tackle, whom I predict will be Javon Foster.
8. C Jacob Bayer – No one on this list deserves to make the actual roster more than Bayer. He should be the guy they want to bring back the most after playing three very good games at both guard and center.
9. DE Isaiah Foskey – Foskey would make a team with a worse defensive line. He registered a 13.5% pass rush win rate, 11 pressures, and three sacks on 102 pass rush snaps. He played more defensive snaps (172) than any other Bengal this month.
10. DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland – Extra juice in the pass rush if needed. Powell-Ryland has some of the best bend on the roster. He’s a good fit as a true 3-4 outside backer.
11. DT Jordan Jefferson – I expect six defensive tackles to make the team, but only two of them are natural nose tackles. Jefferson, a former fourth-round pick, can give them an emergency third-stringer.
12. LB Joe Giles-Harris – If five linebackers are kept on the roster, then Giles-Harris is likely No. 5. He’s a special teams savant, and that’s why he’ll be prioritized for the practice squad as a worst case scenario.
13. LB Liam Anderson – Anderson was quietly pretty good on both special teams and at LB this month. He should be easy to retain on the practice squad.
14. CB Bralyn Lux – Lux never really got the chance to compete for the starting nickelback gig and he fell behind Ja’Sir Taylor for the backup role quickly. He spent almost all of last year on the practice squad, and he could do that again.
15. CB Matthew McDoom** – The cornerback signed to replace Ceyair Wright hasn’t been around for that long, but stashing a rookie for the long haul is very low risk.
16. S Russ Yeast – He would make the team if it was about keeping the best safeties. Yeast just isn’t the special teams player PJ Jules is, and for that, he’s a bit more expendable.