The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have an easy task in front of them now that the preseason is over and the cutdown deadline looms.
That’s a good problem to have, of course. But the Bengals appear to have too many rosterable guys at wide receiver, running back, tight end, along the defensive line and in the secondary — and that’s attempting to keep the list short.
We issued our final 53-man roster projection after the preseason finale and to say there were some difficult calls within would be an understatement.
Below, we’ll outline guys who didn’t make the cut in our final 53-man prediction and why as we await the team submitting its own 53 by the deadline.
QB Trevor Siemian
This one stings because you’d like to have a veteran presence behind Joe Burrow to take over games if needed. The Bengals enjoyed this with Brandon Allen, but Siemian just hasn’t looked comfortable for the most part, giving way to Jake Browning.
RB Trayveon Williams
Williams had an untimely injury combined with rookie Chase Brown looking good and Chris Evans seemingly hitting an upward trend. The good news? The Bengals can probably slip him onto the practice squad and keep him, too.
WRs Trent Taylor and Stanley Morgan
Something had to give when the Bengals drafted Charlie Jones and Andre Iosivas. The latter has looked way, way ahead of schedule. That means losing a returner like Taylor and a special teams ace like Morgan. In our 53, they only kept six in order to squeeze in more elsewhere. Both guys could head to the practice squad, though.
OL Jackson Carman
Carman didn’t play the entire third preseason game, suggesting he’s a lock. And he looked, as expected, more comfortable at left tackle than right. But he missed our 53 because D’Ante Smith has enjoyed a breakout and Max Scharping is a versatile interior backup. So is Cody Ford. Depending on what happens with La’el Collins though, Carman is the first one on this list right back on the team after a subsequent move.
TE Mitchell Wilcox
Wilcox finally worked his way back from injury but just a tad too late. He’s been a quietly vital part of depth and special teams for a few years now. But Tanner Hudson has looked undeniably good and our 53 only kept three tight ends. But again, Wilcox could easily shift to the practice squad.
DLs Domenique Davis and Owen Carney
Talk about two guys making the most of their opportunity. Unfortunately for them, the Bengals used a first-round on Myles Murphy and Raymond Johnson III had a massive breakout this summer. The team is extremely deep here, with both Davis and Carney potentially guys other teams will steal.
