The cutdown to 53 must be on the books by 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Bengals wrapped up the preseason with a 29-26 loss against the Dolphins on Sunday night.
There’s no more tape left to be made or lobbying to be done.
The Bengals front office will gather over the next two days to finalize the path they will plot to set up the season, with most cuts expected on Tuesday. Here’s how I see the 53 breaking down.
Offense (24)
Quarterback (2)
• Starter: Joe Burrow
• Reserve: Brandon Allen
• Out: Kyle Shurmur
Outlook: Nothing to see here. As expected. Burrow checked every box this preseason and then some. He battled through the early acclimation period of camp getting used to trusting his knee in the pocket. He quickly got over that and looked like his old self as camp wrapped. Allen was fine in camp. He put enough on tape last year that the team trusts him should he be needed to bridge the gap for a few games this year. We’ll see if Shurmur hits the practice squad or if the team looks outside for a third QB to hang in the background.
Running back (3)
• Starter: Joe Mixon
• Reserves: Samaje Perine, Chris Evans
• Practice squad preference: Trayveon Williams, Jacques Patrick
• Out: None
Outlook: Really, the injury to Williams that kept him out of the first two preseason games hurt him too much. Evans proved a dynamic weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, which he emphatically proved again with his touchdown reception Sunday. He’s solid enough at this point carrying the ball and in pass protection. He will find a periodic role spelling Mixon on third downs that could potentially grow as the season unfolds. Patrick showed well as a power back who could be promoted should something happen to Perine or Mixon. I still think they try to put Williams on the PS, but you have to wonder if the 2019 sixth-round pick has any interest in sticking around considering the lack of opportunity he’s seen here since being drafted.
Wide receiver (6)
• Starters: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd
• Reserves: Auden Tate, Mike Thomas, Trenton Irwin
• Practice squad preference: Pooka Williams, Stanley Morgan
• Out: Trent Taylor, Scotty Washington
Outlook: Irwin took control of the final receiver spot midway through camp and as soon as he showed up catching punts, making special-teams tackles in games and practice, the writing was on the wall. He’s proven resourceful, tough at the catch point and made some notable plays. He’ll land as Tyler Boyd’s backup in the slot and potentially the safety punt returner. Morgan makes sense on the practice squad due to his value on special teams.
Tight ends (3)
• Starter: C.J. Uzomah
• Reserves: Drew Sample, Thaddeus Moss
• Practice squad preference: Mitchell Wilcox
• Out: Mason Schreck
Outlook: Uzomah and Sample are the obvious top of the roster among tight ends. The battle waged for the third spot came down to Sunday’s game. The same way Moss impressed during camp making the toughest catches, he did so again in the game against Miami. He’s the best offensive threat of the bunch competing for the final spot. He’s good friends with Burrow, who told a story after the game of talking with Shurmur after drives regarding why he kept throwing to Moss and he said because he could trust he always knew where he’d be. That’s speaking the Bengals’ language in a huge way. Yet, he’s the least experienced on special teams and that’s the primary role of this spot. I think they still keep him for what he can do on offense and trust special-teams coach Darrin Simmons can get Moss up to speed and make it work.
Offensive line (10)
• Starters: LT Jonah Williams, LG Quinton Spain, C Trey Hopkins, RG Xavier Su’a-Filo, RT Riley Reiff
• Reserves: Fred Johnson, D’Ante Smith, Michael Jordan, Jackson Carman, Billy Price
• Practice squad preference: Isaiah Prince, Trey Hill
• Out: Keaton Sutherland, Gunnar Vogel
• Injured: Hakeem Adeniji (pectoral)
Outlook: The starters rose to the surface over the last two weeks where nobody played above the level of veteran guards Spain and Su’a-Filo. The biggest question ended up being a surprising one and the toughest decision of the 53: Does Jordan hang on? The team won’t be punting on draft picks Jackson Carman and D’Ante Smith. That leaves Jordan as the fifth guard on the roster. The Bengals can stretch and keep 11 offensive linemen if they want to also hold onto Prince, but he might be easy enough to stash on the practice squad. But you can never be sure a player survives the cut and the fourth tackle would then be Carman or Smith, who have both fully transitioned to guard. I don’t think they give up on Jordan yet. I’d imagine if somebody was interested in him in a trade they could dangle, but it feels unlikely there would be suitors.
Defense (26)
Defensive line (11)
• Starters: Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader, Larry Ogunjobi, Trey Hendrickson
• Reserves: Joseph Ossai, Tyler Shelvin, Mike Daniels, Cameron Sample, Josh Tupou, Khalid Kareem, Darius Hodge
• Practice squad preference: Khalil McKenzie, Amani Bledsoe
• Out: Renell Wren, Noah Spence
• Injured: Wyatt Hubert (pectoral)
Outlook: This won’t end up at 11, but my guess is they carry Ossai through the cut so they can bring him off injured reserve later in the year if that ended up a possibility, even if it’s remote. Remember, there are unlimited returns from reserve now. That allows them to potentially add another tight end or running back if they like somebody on the waiver wire. The rest looks fairly straightforward, especially after Kareem enjoyed the impactful first series Sunday with a pass breakup and sack. The only question there is if he’s still healthy — he didn’t come back after the original series and head coach Zac Taylor didn’t have any updates after the game. You also can’t cut Hodge considering how productive he’s been. In fact, he’s probably the rotational edge starter on passing downs.
Linebackers (5)
• Starters: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt
• Reserves: Akeem Davis-Gaither, Jordan Evans, Markus Bailey
• Out: Joe Bachie, Keandre Jones
Outlook: Easy decisions all around here. Coaches love what they’ve seen from Wilson and Pratt this camp. Both solidified themselves as starters. The three backups will see rotational and special-teams roles. The Bengals could end up fishing the free-agent pool for a practice squad linebacker.
Cornerbacks (6)
• Starters: Trae Waynes, Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton
• Reserves: Eli Apple, Darius Phillips, Jalen Davis
• Practice squad preference: Tony Brown
• Out: Donnie Lewis, Winston Rose, Antonio Phillips
Outlook: Davis earned this final spot. He made plays throughout practices and the games. The most surprising aspect of Sunday’s game was Darius Phillips playing deep into the third quarter and Eli Apple not playing at all. You would think Phillips would be the first corner off the bench and needed as Waynes’ hamstring injury should linger into the regular season, but he is not. Taylor said after the game Apple sat to ensure he didn’t get hurt with Waynes’ hamstring injury possibly keeping him out early on. That clarifies Phillips is viewed as CB5, continually pushed down the depth chart by this staff. He does appear to be the starting punt returner and staying a reserve keeps him in that role.
Safeties (4)
• Starters: Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell
• Reserves: Ricardo Allen, Brandon Wilson
• Practice squad preference: Trayvon Henderson
• Outside looking in: Kavon Frazier
Outlook: A nice showing by Henderson in the finale with a tackle for loss and interception keeps him in the sights of the practice squad, but this was an impossible foursome to crack without an injury.
Specialists (3)
• Starters: P Kevin Huber, LS Clark Harris, K Evan McPherson
• Practice squad preference: P Drue Chrisman
• Out: K Austin Seibert
Outlook: Would somebody be willing to trade for Seibert? The former fifth-round pick has done a nice job, but nobody was beating out McPherson, who put an exclamation point on the best camp we’ve seen for a kicker nailing the 57-yarder with room to spare against the Dolphins. Chrisman will go on the practice squad after missing the entire preseason with a hand injury. He was healthy Sunday, but putting him out there to punt would only have potentially made him more valuable to the rest of the league. The Bengals would prefer he hang on the practice squad so they can keep working with him behind 36-year-old Huber.