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The Bengals released their final official depth chart before final cuts on Tuesday, giving us a good idea of what players will be out on the field early for the team’s third preseason game.
This is the time most NFL teams like to have what they expect to be their Week 1 lineup out there, so the guys can get a dry run of what it will be like to play together. Is it final and set in stone?
Of course not, but it does give us a good indication of who will possibly be starting, and how positional competitions are going as the preseason winds down.
Let’s take a look at the roster, and then make some observations:
Quarterback
- Andy Dalton
- Matt Barkley
- Jeff Driskel
- Logan Woodside
Running back
- Joe Mixon
- Giovani Bernard
- Mark Walton
- Tra Carson
- Brian Hill
- Jarveon Williams
- Quinton Flowers
H-back/Fullback
- Ryan Hewitt
- Cethan Carter
- Jordan Franks
Wide Receiver 1
- A.J. Green
- Josh Malone
- Cody Core
- Auden Tate
- Devonte Boyd
- Kayaune Ross
Wide Receiver 2
- Tyler Boyd
- John Ross
- Alex Erickson
- Kermit Whitfield
- Ka’Raun White
- Jared Murphy
Tight End
- Tyler Eifert
- Tyler Kroft
- C.J. Uzomah
- Mason Schreck
- Moritz Bohringer
Left Tackle
- Cordy Glenn
- Jake Fisher
- Justin Murray
Left Guard
- Clint Boling
- Christian Westerman
- Cory Helms
Center
- Billy Price
- T.J. Johnson
- Brad Lundblade
Right guard
- Trey Hopkins
- Alex Redmond
Right tackle
- Bobby Hart
- Cedric Ogbuehi
- Kent Perkins
Defense
Left Defensive End
- Carlos Dunlap
- Sam Hubbard
Right Defensive End
- Michael Johnson
- Jordan Willis
- Carl Lawson
Defensive Tackle
- Geno Atkins
- Ryan Glasgow
- Andrew Brown
- Eddy Wilson
- Simeyon Robinson
Nose Tackle
- Andrew Billings
- Chris Baker
- Josh Tupou
- Chris Okoye
Strongside Linebacker
- Nick Vigil
- Vincent Rey
- Brandon Bell
Middle Linebacker
- Preston Brown
- Hardy Nickerson
- Junior Joseph
Weakside Linebacker
- Vontaze Burfict
- Jordan Evans
- Malik Jefferson
- Chris Worley
Left Cornerback
- Dre Kirkpatrick
- Darqueze Dennard
- Davontae Harris
- Sojourn Shelton
- C.J. Goodwin
Right Cornerback
- William Jackson
- KeiVarae Russell
- Tony McRae
- Darius Phillips
Strong Safety
- Shawn Williams
- Clayton Fejedelem
- Brandon Wilson
- Trayvon Henderson
Free Safety
- Jessie Bates III
- Josh Shaw
- Tyrice Beverette
Punter
- Kevin Huber
Kicker
- Randy Bullock
- Jonathan Brown
Long Snapper
- Clark Harris
Holder
- Kevin Huber
Punt returner
- Alex Erickson
- Tyler Boyd
- Jessie Bates
Kick Returner
- Alex Erickson
- Darius Phillips
- Brandon Wilson
Key observations
- Not much has changed in the way of starters from the last depth chart release. Hart and Hopkins are still the starters along the right side of the offensive line despite some rocky play, and that is putting it nicely.
- Alex Erickson remains the starter on both kick and punt returns. That isn’t shocking but Phillips has had a couple nice returns when he has been given a chance.
- Johnson is still starting at right defensive end despite being clearly outplayed by the young talent behind him on the roster. It is becoming clear that Johnson could benefit from having a lesser role this season.
- Westerman is still buried behind Boling at left guard. He hasn’t been given the opportunity to get a shot with the starters despite being one of the most impressive lineman on the team during the preseason.
- Tate is still behind Core on the depth chart at wide receiver. This will be something to watch as it seems these two are battling for the final receiver spot on the roster. It could come down to whether Tate can give the Bengals anything on special teams. Tate is clearly the bigger offensive threat, but a sixth receiver on the roster will have to be able to play special teams.
- What ever little chance Flowers had of making the Bengals’ roster are all but gone. He is one of the few players the Bengals actually bothered to move down on the depth chart, and he is now last among a very competitive group of running backs. There is still a chance he gets invited to join the Bengals’ practice squad though.
- Barkley still sits as the Bengals’ backup quarterback, which shouldn’t feel great. Driskel failed to impress with his chance to run with the second team against the Cowboys, but Barkley was a train wreck against the Bears. At this point we seem to be arguing over a lesser of two evils.
- Hewitt keeps his spot as the top fullback despite getting very little playing time in comparison to his competition. I get starters don’t play as much, but it is obvious the players he is competing with are more versatile in where they can lineup. Plus Hewitt has barely played at all, so it isn’t a matter of just playing less.
- Of course, Bates is set to take George Iloka’s spot as the starting free safety. This will mark one of the rare times Cincinnati has started a rookie on defense to open the season.