HEADLINES

Clarence Hicks

Bengals’ Roster Down To Final 53

August 30th, 2022 at 5:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Cincinnati made the necessary moves today to trim its roster down to 53 players. While some may find themselves back in the striped helmet Wednesday, many will have to clear waivers before being announced to the 16-man practice squad. Here are the moves made today to get down to the 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

The defending AFC champions are looking to run it back with much of the same roster as last year. Thirty-eight of this year’s 53-man roster were on last year’s Super Bowl roster, with the differences coming on offensive line and at the bottom of the depth chart.

Additionally, it appears all six 2022 draft picks made the roster for the Bengals, as well as one undrafted rookie signing. With so many starters returning from the Super Bowl team, all the rookies will be expected to contribute in backup roles. First- and second-round defensive backs Daxton Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt figure to factor heavily into the defensive rotation, though. Also in the secondary, cornerback Allan George is the lone UDFA from this year’s crop to make Cincinnati’s final roster.

To call it the final roster is a bit misleading as the Bengals will likely follow their own trends from last season, setting the roster up for multiple post-deadline moves. The roster currently includes 11 defensive backs, not including starting safety Jessie Bates, working currently on a roster exemption. Taylor-Britt could likely find his way to the four-week injured reserve list after undergoing core surgery recently. Defensive end Khalid Kareem will join Taylor-Britt on short-term IR, according to head coach Zac Taylor, with a hamstring injury.

Many expect Cincinnati to mirror a roster move from last year with wide receiver Thomas. Thomas is a vested veteran who will avoid the waiver wire and is expected to re-sign with the team after a corresponding roster move, exactly what he did last year.

Finally, two position battles have been effectively decided with the waiving of long snapper Adomitis and punter Chrisman. Both intended to challenge incumbents Clark Harris and Kevin Huber from their long-time starting jobs. After avoiding being unseated, Huber is now on track to set a franchise record for games played in a Bengals uniform. Harris is close behind, trailing Huber by just six games.

Bengals Announce 16-Man UDFA Class

May 14th, 2022 at 6:09pm CST by Ely Allen

After adding six rookies to the team in the NFL Draft last month, the Bengals announced the addition of 16 undrafted free agents:

Continuing their focus on addressing the offensive line, Cincinnati brought in some potential depth pieces who will have an opportunity to earn playing time for the reigning conference champions.

Brown started for three seasons after redshirting his first for the Rebels, moving from right guard to center in his last collegiate season. Cochran transferred to the Yellow Jackets after four years at Vanderbilt. Even as a newcomer, the blindside tackle was selected as Georgia Tech’s weekly-Captain for five of the team’s twelve games. Noel joined the Owls after a stint at Fort Scott Community College. He started for three years on the Owls’ offensive line, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility provided by COVID-19.

The Bengals also added some potential contributors at receiver. Heiligh was two-yards away in 2020 from posting consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons while catching a combined 17 touchdowns in his last two years with the Chanticleers. Lassiter II improved every year for the Jayhawks, averaging 11.1 yards per reception in his redshirt senior season. Pryor provides some versatility, displaying some rushing ability for the Badgers throughout his college career in addition to his duties as a receiver. Sorenson had an impressive freshman year for the RedHawks before going relatively quiet over the next two seasons. He came back with a vengeance in his final college season, exploding for 1,406 yards and 10 touchdowns.