The first version of the Cincinnati Bengals 53-man roster will be known this time next week. 36 players will receive their walking papers before then. Around the third of them will be asked to come back to the practice squad. Most of them will never wear a striped helmet again.

In a not so distant future, roster decisions will be made after two preseason games. There are still three on this year’s schedule, so Cincinnati has the next few days and Friday night’s preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles to sort out its remaining battles and conundrums.

A couple competitions still linger large on the Bengals’ roster, and a numbers game needs to be settled. It may take the entire week to determine who makes it through at these positions.

Keeping five tight ends?

We know Cincinnati will have at least four tight ends on its roster. Drew Sample and Mike Gesicki are the two featured players. Erick All Jr. isn’t going anywhere now that he’s fully healthy again. Tanner Hudson, as expendable as you may think he is, remains highly valued as Gesicki’s backup.

Is the room for one more, and are we sure who that extra name is?

My hunch is seventh-round pick Jack Endries if five is the number. As far as talent goes, he probably has the edge over Sample and Hudson. He greatly impressed in the preseason-opener, and continued putting in solid work over the weekend. There’s more to unlock with him in time, and a fifth TE is going to get that.

If I ever kept an injuries is cut, then Cam Grandy would make it through. Grandy is the natural backup for Sample as a stable inline blocker. He just doesn’t offer very much in the passing game, and quite honestly, he would be easier to stash on the practice squad.

This really comes down to whether or not they feel they can reclaim Endries off waivers. I wouldn’t take that risk, and looking at recent history, the Bengals don’t normally take that risk with promising rookies.

Prediction: Five TEs including Endries

Who’s the swing tackle?

Two words for you: big yikes.

This is not a problem Cincinnati wanted to have. The starting offensive line is finally in a really good place, and rookies Brian Parker II and Connor Lew are locked in as developmental backups at guard and center, respectively. Even Jacob Bayer looks like he can stick around as a swing interior reserve.

Behind starting tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims is a lot less hope. Both Cody Ford and Jalen Rivers have swung and miss thus far in securing the backup OT job. Andrew Coker has also gotten some run, but hasn’t stood out in anyway. Javon Foster, a former fourth-round pick, may now be the best of very weak options.

Should the Bengals keep any of these four, they would undoubtably be the weakest member of the o-line room. They may not have a choice if an external option does not become available during final cuts. A player for player trade is always on the table for the organization, and I’m sure they’re gauging the market for one of the most important backup jobs on the roster.

Friday night will be huge in determining which direction Cincinnati goes.

Prediction: Waiver claim

Heavy at defensive line?

The Bengals’ second of two seventh-round picks from this year’s draft is making things quite interesting on the other side of the ball. Rookie defensive tackle Landon Robinson is having a great first preseason. He’s posted six pressures and two sacks on 67 pass rushing snaps, it has five defensive stops to boot. He’s also played more than any DT on the team, but he’s capitalized on his opportunities.

If Robinson sticks around, it’s tough to see Cincinnati go any lighter than 11 for its defensive line. Five edge defenders are very standard, and you get that number with Myles Murphy, Boye Mafe, Shemar Stewart, Cashius Howell, and one of Cedric Johnson or Isaiah Foskey. In-between the tackles will be Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, B.J. Hill, T.J. Slaton Jr., and Kris Jenkins Jr. has gotten so many first team reps with Hill having missed time that it’s hard to see him getting cut as a second-rounder from three years ago.

Add in Robinson, and that’s 11. Is it too much? You could argue it’s the one position in which going heavy is necessary. This offseason has been all about bolstering the entire d-line from top to bottom. It’s a group that inevitably deals with injuries, and anyone notable the Bengals cut will be highly covered on the waiver wire.

I just can’t see Robinson being subjected to that. He’s done far too much good as a rookie, and has even been practicing occasionally as a goal line fullback. You just feel like he’s in the plans going forward.

Prediction: 11 DL including Robinson

Previous battles that appear settled

It looks like both wide receiver and cornerback are good to go with six in each group. Dohnte Meyers has done more than enough to secure the last WR spot, and I would confidently predict Ja’Sir Taylor is the final CB. DJ Ivey has also had a backup CB job locked in for a few weeks now.

It would take monumental performances from the likes of Charlie Jones, Ke’Shawn Williams, and Josh Newton to change the status quo at the buzzer.