Bengals 1st preseason depth chart has 3 big surprises that nod to rocky offseason

Let's dive in to check out some of the, ahem, unpleasant surprises to surface from Sunday's reveal — bearing in mind that new players can still join the team, and that a depth chart is rather fluid, especially in preseason ball.

Shemar Stewart didn't beat out Myles Murphy or Joseph Ossai for a DE1 slot

I feel like every single year, we're hearing about how Joseph Ossai will finally put it all together. It's about to be his fifth NFL season. The only thing that sticks out about him is hitting Patrick Mahomes late out of bounds to cost the Bengals a chance at overtime in the AFC Championship Game.

Meanwhile, the man at the left defensive end position who's listed ahead of rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart is 2023 Day 1 draftee Myles Murphy. He of three career sacks through 30 NFL games fame.

You'd think that Stewart could clear the low bar set at the position by the likes of Ossai and Murphy. Maybe he could have by now if not for the dead-brained holdout that kept Stewart out of action for the entire offseason leading up to training camp.

Given his unreal physical tools and ability to be disruptive, Stewart will, in all likelihood, beat Murphy out by Week 1 and start. My thinking is, Murphy has had two full years to develop and little to show for it. Not to prematurely anoint a rookie, but shouldn't Stewart get as many quality/first-team reps as possible before the season so he's ready to roll?

My answer to that question would be "yes." In any event, this Bengals DE group looks rough without Hendrickson in the mix. Stewart is at least doing his part by showing flashes of very real talent at camp.

Lucas Patrick appears to be RG solution

Scooping up a 32-year-old entering his 10th season with a cap hit of just over $2 million is certainly one way to address a glaring need at right guard.

No shade to Lucas Patrick. He's done well to hang in the NFL as long as he has given his UDFA status out of Duke in 2016. It's just that, if this is really the final answer for the Bengals at that position, that will be a fair bit underwhelming and worrisome to Joe Burrow's health.

Glad I'm not the only one thinking this.

Incumbent Bengal Cody Ford played some guard and tackle during the 2024 campaign. Hard to decide if it's encouraging that Patrick has beaten him out to this point, or if it's worse that Ford couldn't hold the RG spot over a player who's started 64 of his 107 NFL games.

I just find it weird that the Bengals are leaving right guard in such a vulnerable place this close to Week 1. Dependable vets like Brandon Scherff and Will Hernandez are still waiting to find a new team. Cincinnati has north of $28 million in cap space to play with. Wouldn't take anywhere near that much to bring one of 'em into the fold.

Drew Sample as TE1 over Mike Gesicki

Since Noah Fant just signed earlier this week, it's not a red flag to see him as the initial TE3. If anything, it shows how highly the Bengals think of him — while also underscoring that Cincinnati might've squandered two picks at the position on Erick All Jr. (on IR, out for season) and Tanner McLachlan (TE6) in the 2024 draft.

What is strange is that Mike Gesicki makes a full $5 million more per year on his 3-year contract than Drew Sample, yet the latter is atop the Bengals' tight end depth chart. Maybe this is throwing a bone to Sample for all the grit work he does blocking. However, I'd feel a type of way if I were Gesicki. Not anything worth publicly venting about. Just a tad slighted.

Here's a surprise: Not only did Gesicki pull down 65 catches last season, but when he was asked to serve a Sample-esque role in the trenches, he posted a respectable 61.4 PFF run blocking grade on 73 such snaps. That beat out Sample's 50.2 mark on 295 run blocks.

I understand it's harder to sustain a high grade on a larger sample size. I'm just saying Gesicki can get his nose dirty and body some dudes as a blocker better than his reputation would suggest.

Nevertheless, Sample leading the way for this group exposes how critical signing Fant was — and how a bigger effort should've mounted sooner to upgrade the TE room. All's injury was a major blow, and in the end, the two-deep lineup should read "Gesicki-Fant."

PS, Gesicki is dealing with a tweaked hamstring, which is not great, Bob — and only drives home my larger point about this position group being led by Sample. Love you Drew, no offense.

BONUS SECTION: Good signs from 1st Bengals preseason depth chart

Love to see Dax Hill slotted in to start at nickel. He's coming off a torn ACL and did very well on the perimeter last year before getting hurt. Ascending speedster DJ Turner and Hill might be better suited to swap roles in the bigger picture. Oh well. Have a feeling they're going to perform at a much higher level than the national talking heads realize.

Second-round pick Demetrius Knight Jr. is the most buzzed-about rookie in Bengals camp. The South Carolina product is listed as a starter alongside Logan Wilson — and notably ahead of ex-Eagle/playoff breakout star Oren Burks. Not bad, young man!

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