With one preseason game left and the Aug. 30 roster-cutdown deadline closing in, the Bengals are down to the kind of decisions that can swing a player’s entire camp. Cincinnati beat the Chicago Bears 27-9 at Paycor Stadium on Aug. 22, and now the team heads into a short week before its Friday, Aug. 28 preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That leaves three practices and one last game for players to make their case before the Bengals settle on their 53-man roster and practice squad. Here’s how the roster picture looks with the finish line in sight.
At quarterback, there’s no mystery in the projection. Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco are still the two names in the room.
Burrow and Flacco both sat against Chicago, while Josh Johnson and Sean Clifford split the snaps. Johnson completed 15 of 23 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, continuing to get more work than Clifford did in the preseason opener.
Clifford made his chances count once he got in, fitting throws into tight windows and dropping a fade into the back corner of the south end zone for a touchdown. He also threw an interception in the fourth quarter, finishing 10-for-15 for 126 yards, one touchdown and one pick.
Running back remains unchanged as well, with Chase Brown, Samaje Perine and Tahj Brooks holding the projected spots. Brooks was the only one of the three to see the field, and he logged a handful of touches.
The receiver group is where things got more interesting. Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Colbie Young, Charlie Jones and Dohnte Meyers are the six projected to stick.
Meyers made the strongest push in the game, and the Bengals made sure to get him involved. By midway through the third quarter, he had piled up 138 all-purpose yards on five catches for 41 yards, one nine-yard run, three kick returns and two punt returns.
Young also helped his case, catching three passes on eight targets and winning a one-on-one battle late in the first half for a touchdown. With Young staying steady throughout camp and Meyers making a late charge, Mitch Tinsley is the one left on the outside in this projection.
At tight end, the projected group is Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All Jr. and Tanner Hudson. Hudson got into the end zone against the Bears, which at least gave him something to point to in a crowded late-camp conversation. The target that became his touchdown might have otherwise gone to Jack Endries, who caught the only touchdown in the Bengals-Lions game but did not record a catch against Chicago until midway through the third quarter.
The offensive line projection also holds steady with Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner, Amarius Mims, Cody Ford, Jalen Rivers, Brian Parker II and Connor Lew. One detail worth noting: Cincinnati may have shown a look at what’s ahead by starting Brian Parker II and Connor Lew against the Bears. Parker was a sixth-round pick and Lew went in the fourth round.
Up front on defense, the projected line includes Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, B.J. Hill, Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, T.J.
Slaton Jr., Shemar Stewart, Cashius Howell, Kris Jenkins Jr., Cedric Johnson and Landon Robinson. McKinnley Jackson, who had one solo tackle against Chicago, is still not in the projected group.
Robinson remains ahead of him after turning in 1.5 sacks, a pass deflection at the line of scrimmage and a tackle for loss.
The linebacker room stays the same too, with Barrett Carter, Demetrius Knight Jr., Oren Burks, Shaka Heyward and Joe Giles-Harris projected to make it. None of the final two linebackers in this group did anything to hurt their chances.
At cornerback, the projection is DJ Turner II, Dax Hill, Jalen Davis, Tacario Davis, Josh Newton and Bralyn Lux. Tacario Davis was among Cincinnati’s most active tacklers in the game, and there’s no movement in the room.
Safety remains Bryan Cook, Kyle Dugger, Jordan Battle and PJ Jules, with no change there either.
The specialists are still projected as K Evan McPherson, P Ryan Rehkow and LS William Wagner. The only notable hiccup from that group came when McPherson’s opening kickoff did not reach the landing zone. Even that feels like a small note in what has otherwise been a strong camp for him, especially after he added field goals from 25 and 58 yards.
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