A look at the Bengals’ new depth chart before their dress rehearsal game

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

1. Andy Dalton
2. Matt Barkley
3. Jeff Driskel
4. Logan Woodside

Running back

1. Joe Mixon
2. Giovani Bernard
3. Mark Walton
4. Tra Carson
5. Brian Hill
6. Jarveon Williams
7. Quinton Flowers

H-back/Fullback

1. Ryan Hewitt
2. Cethan Carter
3. Jordan Franks

Wide Receiver 1

1. A.J. Green
2. Josh Malone
3. Cody Core
4. Auden Tate
5. Devonte Boyd
6. Kayaune Ross

Wide Receiver 2

1. Tyler Boyd
2. John Ross
3. Alex Erickson
4. Kermit Whitfield
5. Ka’Raun White
6. Jared Murphy

Tight End

1. Tyler Eifert
2. Tyler Kroft
3. C.J. Uzomah
4. Mason Schreck
5. Moritz Bohringer

Left Tackle

1. Cordy Glenn
2. Jake Fisher
3. Justin Murray

Left Guard

1. Clint Boling
2. Christian Westerman
3. Cory Helms

Center

1. Billy Price
2. T.J. Johnson
3. Brad Lundblade

Right guard

1. Trey Hopkins
2. Alex Redmond

Right tackle

1. Bobby Hart
2. Cedric Ogbuehi
3. Kent Perkins

Defense

Left Defensive End

1. Carlos Dunlap
2. Sam Hubbard

Right Defensive End

1. Michael Johnson
2. Jordan Willis
3. Carl Lawson

Defensive Tackle

1. Geno Atkins
2. Ryan Glasgow
3. Andrew Brown
4. Eddy Wilson
5. Simeyon Robinson

Nose Tackle

1. Andrew Billings
2. Chris Baker
3. Josh Tupou
4. Chris Okoye

Strongside Linebacker

1. Nick Vigil
2. Vincent Rey
3. Brandon Bell

Middle Linebacker

1. Preston Brown
2. Hardy Nickerson
3. Junior Joseph

Weakside Linebacker

1. Vontaze Burfict
2. Jordan Evans
3. Malik Jefferson
4. Chris Worley

Left Cornerback

1. Dre Kirkpatrick
2. Darqueze Dennard
3. Davontae Harris
4. Sojourn Shelton
5. C.J. Goodwin

Right Cornerback

1. William Jackson
2. KeiVarae Russell
3. Tony McRae
4. Darius Phillips

Strong Safety

1. Shawn Williams
2. Clayton Fejedelem
3. Brandon Wilson
4. Trayvon Henderson

Free Safety

1. Jessie Bates III
2. Josh Shaw
3. Tyrice Beverette

Punter

1. Kevin Huber

Kicker

1. Randy Bullock
2. Jonathan Brown

Long Snapper

1. Clark Harris

Holder

1. Kevin Huber

Punt returner

1. Alex Erickson
2. Tyler Boyd
3. Jessie Bates

Kick Returner

1. Alex Erickson
2. Darius Phillips
3. 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.