April showers bring May flowers, among other things of note. Rookie minicamps and OTAs are just around the corner as NFL teams get a grasp on their new offseason additions.

The Cincinnati Bengals will gather their full rookie class at the end of this week, all eight draft picks and around 10 college free agent signings that aren't yet official. How do they stack up against the veterans already on the roster? It's all below in our first 53-man roster projection of the offseason.

Note: Players with single asterisk (*) are 2023 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2023 undrafted free agents.

Quarterback (2)

IN: Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
OUT: No one for now

The skinny: Whatever backup quarterback they bring in for the offseason will have to beat out Browning, and vice versa. Maybe that's Brandon Allen coming back. The Bengals had interest in rookie quarterback class, but most of them got taken earlier than expected.

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Running back (3)

IN: Joe Mixon, Chase Brown*, Trayveon Williams
OUT: Chris Evans, Calvin Tyler Jr.**, Jacob Saylors**

The skinny: Evans is most definitely on the hot seat if they were to go light at the position, which makes sense given the strengths of the team and the structure of the offense. All three of Mixon, Brown, and Williams will have roles for the season. Evans could definitely return on the practice squad along with one of the UDFAs.

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Wide receiver (7)

IN: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Trenton Irwin, Stanley Morgan Jr., Charlie Jones*, Andrei Iosivas*
OUT: Trent Taylor, Kwamie Lassiter II, Shedrick Jackson**

The skinny: Out of Irwin, Morgan, and Taylor, one of them is getting cut. Jones' productive return-man experience means he'll get plenty of chances to overtake Taylor as the punt returner. Regardless, seven feels like the number after drafting two receivers.  

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Tight end (3)

IN: Irv Smith Jr., Drew Sample, Devin Asiasi
OUT: Nick Bowers, Tanner Hudson, Christian Trahan**

The skinny: Woof. That depth isn't looking too good right now. Star this position for any waiver wire help before the season arrives. If he stays healthy, Smith will carry the production of the group. It may not take much for one of Bowers, Hudson, or the rookie Trahan to overtake one of Sample or Asiasi.

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Offensive line (9)

IN: Orlando Brown Jr., Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Jonah Williams, Jackson Carman, Cody Ford, Max Scharping, Trey Hill 
OUT: Hakeem Adeniji, D'Ante Smith, Devin Cochran, Nate Gilliam, Ben Brown, Jaxson Kirkland**
PUP: La'el Collins

The skinny: When is Collins returning? That's the biggest question of the offseason for me. He seems optimistic about a full recovery for the season, but let's slot him on the PUP list for now. Ford was essentially signed to replace Adeniji, and Smith already seemed to be on the way out after doing next to nothing last year. I'm intrigued by what Ben Brown can do after losing his rookie year to injury. 

Defensive line (10)

IN: Trey Hendrickson, DJ Reader, B.J. Hill, Sam Hubbard, Myles Murphy*, Joesph Ossai, Cam Sample, Tarell Basham, Zach Carter, Josh Tupou
OUT: Jeff Gunter, Jay Tufele, Raymond Johnson III, Domenique Davis, Owen Carney, Devonnsha Maxwell**

The skinny: Now's when the tough cuts begin. Gunter and Tufele will be gunning for spots, and I might personally give latter the edge over the older Tupou. Gunter and Basham are the early candidates for the sixth edge in what's now a very deep position on the depth chart.

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Linebacker (5)

IN: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Markus Bailey, Joe Bachie
OUT: Keandre Jones, Shaka Heyward**, Jaylen Moody**

The skinny: No notes needed. The five are pretty much locked in. No drafted linebackers mean the team is confident in retaining most of the 2020 trio in Wilson, Davis-Gaither, and Bailey, or simply not worried about finding their replacements. Either reasoning works.

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Cornerback (6)

IN: Chidobe Awuzie, Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, DJ Turner II*, Sidney Jones IV, Jalen Davis 
OUT: Allan George, D.J. Ivey*, Marvin Tell III

The skinny: Now that's how you build a cornerback room. Turner and Jones replaced Eli Apple and Tre Flowers' spots, and both are nice insurance policies in case Awuzie's recovery takes longer than expected. I like George to stick around as long as he can to push Jones. He and Ivey are prime practice squad players as well.

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Safety (5)

IN: Dax Hill, Nick Scott, Jordan Battle*, Tycen Anderson, Michael Thomas
OUT: Yusuf Corker, Larry Brooks III**

The skinny: Nothing was more surprising than the fact that the Bengals drafted a safety instead of a tight end, but Battle was a great value add after trading back in the third round. The team graded him as a second-round player, and that can't be taken lightly. He might just start over Scott out of the gate. Anderson and Thomas are the specialists as they go deep to accommodate the rookie. 

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Special Teams (3)

IN: Cal Adomitis (LS), Brad Robbins* (P), Evan McPherson (K)
OUT: Drue Chrisman (P)

The skinny: It's another punter battle this offseason, and Chrisman may lose once more, this time to a rookie. Robbins has the better leg entering the competition and was a draft pick by the team. It's his job to lose right now.