The Bengals still have work to do before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. cutdown deadline, but Saturday night’s 27-9 win over the Bears gave a few players a clear boost in the roster race.
Cincinnati must get from 89 players - after the release of offensive lineman Cody Ford - down to 53 by Sunday evening, and Zac Taylor made it plain Monday that nobody should be breathing easy heading into the preseason finale Friday night at Philadelphia.
“I don't feel like anybody should feel comfortable going in this last week that they've made the team,” he said. “That's a big part of it, is we want guys that we can depend on.
So they’ve got to continue to be consistent and accountable over this last week through the Philly game. And we'll make our decisions this weekend.”
Even with that warning, some of the decisions already look close to settled. A handful of players were on solid ground before the Bears game, and a few more strengthened their case with what they put on tape.
Dohnte Meyers was one of the clearest winners. He’d been building momentum with what he’s shown in practice and with his preseason opener against the Lions, but he backed it up again against Chicago. Meyers finished with a team-high five catches on six targets, good for 41 receiving yards, and he also got chances in the return game, handling two kickoffs and two punts.
His kickoff returns went for 29 and 25 yards, and his punt returns covered 25 and 9 yards.
Josh Johnson said the quarterbacks have had their eyes on Meyers since the spring, and he didn’t hold back on the praise.
“Dohnte pops off the film,” he said. “I think now you're just seeing him put his mind with his ability, and that's a great sign for a young player to be able to do that as quickly as he's doing it.
“All of the quarterbacks have confidence in him,” Johnson added. “You don’t need to say a lot when you’ve got Joe speaking out about him, Flacco always throwing the ball to him, and when I get out there, we throw the ball to him.
There’s a reason. He’s been showing me there are no limitations to his game.”
Jenkins may have done enough earlier to lock things up, too. The 2024 second-round pick logged 48 percent of the snaps against the Lions, finished with five tackles, and added a sack, and that outing may have already pushed him over the top.
He entered camp with pressure on him after two uneven seasons, especially with the additions of T.J. Slaton last year and Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen this spring.
But Saturday night suggested the coaching staff already knows what it wants to see from him - or has already seen enough. Jenkins played just nine snaps against Chicago, and that limited workload stood out.
That kind of reduced usage usually means one of two things: the staff is protecting a player’s value, or it’s comfortable enough with his spot that it doesn’t need to see much more. Either way, Jenkins appears headed for a 53-man roster somewhere next week.
Robinson is another name pushing his way into that group. The seventh-round rookie has two sacks through his first two preseason games, including 1.5 against the Bears and a half sack against the Lions. Taylor pointed to the way Robinson finished his rush as a positive, while also stressing the part coaches care about most.
“I’ve seen cleaner tackles in my life, but he did a good job coming clean, looping around, and kind of not wasting any space there, and closing down on the quarterback before you could really see him coming,” Taylor said. “Just like I say with any guys competing for some of these backup jobs - just the consistency.
It doesn’t always happen. His flash play - it’s great to see his flash play.
That was a big, big play, but we really want to see the consistency that if people in the game have to play five to 20 snaps, that you’re going to do your job and allow those around you to do their jobs as well.”
Robinson also has six pressures, which tie him for 12th in the league and rank second on the team behind Isaiah Foskey’s eight.
How much he plays Friday will be worth watching, just like Jenkins’ workload. Meyers should see plenty of snaps, and so should Robinson.
Linebacker Swayze Bozeman is in that same conversation, too, even if he hasn’t quite locked down a roster spot yet. He’s trending in the right direction.
In Other News...
Bengals Tackle Uncertainty Keeps Pressure On Front Of Joe Burrow
The Bengals search for help on the edge is still very much alive, and Cam Robinson has surfaced as one more veteran name tied to the conversation. Bleacher Report identified the offensive tackle as a possible free-agent fit for Cincinnati, a reminder that the front of Joe Burrows pocket remains an area the team is still trying to sort out as camp competition continues to unfold.
For now, the Bengals are giving reps to a group that includes Jalen Rivers, Corey Robinson II, Javon Foster and Brian Parker II, hoping one of those players can stabilize the tackle picture. Robinsons market is the catch, though, and his recent contract values suggest Cincinnati may only press harder if the current options fail to hold up the way the staff wants. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Fans Just Got An Emotional C.J. Uzomah Farewell
C.J. Uzomah closed the book on his NFL career as a Bengal, announcing his retirement through social media and giving Cincinnati fans one last emotional moment from a player who spent much of his pro life tied to the franchise. A fifth-round pick by the Bengals in 2015, Uzomah carved out a 10-year career that also included stops with the Jets and Eagles, but his announcement made clear where the strongest bond remained.
For Bengals fans, the news lands with a familiar mix of appreciation and nostalgia. Uzomah made sure to thank both the organization and the fan base in his retirement message, a fitting ending for a player whose name has long been woven into the modern Bengals era, even as the next chapter now begins off the field. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Now Know Which Browns Decision Could Fuel This Rivalry
Deshaun Watson remains the starting quarterback in Cleveland despite a rough stretch that has drawn plenty of fan frustration, including boos during a recent preseason game. Watson pushed back on the reaction this week, suggesting the criticism is personal rather than tied only to what has happened on the field, and he also pointed back to past incidents involving fan behavior as part of the backdrop.
For the Bengals, the setup is straightforward and potentially combustible: they will see Watson and the Browns twice later this season, and he is expected to be under center both times. However the Browns crowd feels about it, Cincinnati now knows the quarterbacking decision across the division could keep this rivalry loaded with tension well beyond the box score. [Read more 🡒]