Bengals 53-man roster projection after the first week of training camp

Another season of NFL football is inching closer as teams across the league prepare to start training camp. On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals kicked off their first day of camp in the midst of two contract disputes with defensive ends Trey Hendrickson, the reigning sack leader, and Shemar Stewart, a first-round pick who finally agreed to terms Friday.

As the Bengals approach the final hurdle in their never-ending summer of contract negotiations, there are still plenty of other questions as to who will make the team and earn starting positions in the game day lineup.

Who will earn a spot on the Bengals' roster? Who will be on the outside looking in? What will head coach Zac Taylor's starting lineup look like? Continue reading below to find out.

Bengals 53-man roster prediction:

Quarterbacks (2): Joe Burrow, Jake Browning

There should be no surprises here. Star quarterback Joe Burrow's reputation precedes him as arguably the second-best signal caller in the NFL. His job as the Bengals' starting QB is among the most secure in the league and there is no end in sight to his time in the Queen City.

Behind Burrow, veteran backup Jake Browning has provided stability for Taylor's offense when called upon and the seventh-year head coach is unlikely to move away from him at this time. The Bengals' recent signing of former-Cincinnati Bearcat Desmond Ridder is interesting, but the team has tended to roster only two quarterbacks in recent years and he does not present a clear upgrade over Browning.

Running Backs (4): Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Zack Moss, Tahj Brooks

Despite a breakout year for Chase Brown in 2024, the Bengals struggled with depth at the running back position last season. The front office made a priority of fixing this in the offseason, as they signed veteran Samaje Perine for his second stint with the team and drafted Texas Tech prospect Tahj Brooks in the sixth round of the draft. Between these acquisitions and Zack Moss expected to return from injury, Taylor and his staff have a much stronger group to help improve their ground attack.

After Moss was injured in the middle of the 2024 season, Brown took the starting job and ran with it, putting up huge numbers that ensured he would remain the team's workhorse for the foreseeable future.

It is less clear what the rotation will look like behind him, but Perine was a reliable third-down back in the Bengals' Super Bowl run and should reprise his role, Moss is still a talented back who should be able to find at least a few touches a game and Brooks may be relegated to the bench until he gains the trust of his coaches.

Wide Receivers (6): Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones, Isaiah Williams

The Bengals' wide receiver corps is arguably their strongest position on the roster. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were both recently signed to lucrative contract extensions and have developed into the league's best receiving duo over the past four years. Starting between them in the slot last season was Andrei Iosivas, a solid player who showed enough promise to remain Burrow's No. 3 receiver in 2025.

On the bench, Jermaine Burton and Charlie Jones were promising prospects in college, but have failed to live up to the hype for various reasons. Going into a new season, Taylor will hope to squeeze as much production out of them as he can.

The Bengals could choose to only roster five WRs to start the season, especially considering two of their tight ends essentially function as receivers themselves, but Isaiah Williams can provide valuable snaps on special teams that may just get him past the final round of cuts.

Tight Ends (4): Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson, Tanner McLachlan

On Thursday, free agent tight end Noah Fant visited the Bengals but left without a deal. He is the top available player at his position and may be able to win the starting job in Cincinnati if they can agree to a contract. For now, Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample essentially share the team's No. 1 tight end duties depending on the situation, the former as a pass catcher and the latter as a blocker.

Next up in the rotation are the Tanners: Hudson and McLachlan. The veteran Hudson serves a similar to Gesicki, he's more of a receiver and is likely to get a handful of targets throughout the season. As for the second-year McLachlan, he dropped below his fellow-rookie Cam Grandy on the depth chart in 2024, but has much more potential and should be the favorite to take the final roster spot.

Offensive Line (9): Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Cody Ford, Amarius Mims, Lucas Patrick, Jalen Rivers, Cordell Volson, Matt Lee

The Bengals have taken it upon themselves to answer a bold question in 2025, "What if we just don't roster any starting-level guards this season?" Third-round rookie Dylan Fairchild seems capable of becoming a solid pro, it's just a tall task to expect him to reach his potential in his first season.

Still, he should beat out veteran Cordell Volson, who is commonly be mistaken for a traffic cone. The right guard position likely comes down to Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick, unless they give second-year lineman Matt Lee a chance to swap positions. Since that's unlikely, Ford wins over Patrick due to his prior chemistry with the rest of the offensive linemen. Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims return as the starting tackles and Ted Karras as the starting center.

Volson, Patrick and Lee may not win starting jobs, but they'll each be kept as important depth for a offensive line that desperately needs it. Fifth-round rookie Jalen Rivers is also a near lock to make the team with the versatility to fill in at pretty much any position on the line. Joe Burrow is no stranger to dealing with injuries to his pass protectors and it will be important for any of these guys to step up when called upon.

Defensive Line (9): Joseph Ossai, BJ Hill, TJ Slatron Jr., Trey Hendrickson, Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart, Kris Jenkins Jr., McKinnley Jackson, Taven Bryan

Mike Brown and the Bengals resolved one of the two contract disputes on their defensive line at the end of the week by finally agreeing to a contract with rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart. His elite athleticism is sure to give him a shot at starting in the season opener, but there's one edge rusher who as waited patiently for his chance and deserves first dibs: Joseph Ossai.

Surprised it's not Myles Murphy? Well, Ossai had as many sacks in a three-game span last season as Murphy has in his entire career as a pro and is a generally more polished player. At only 25 years old himself, Ossai can still break out if the coaching staff finally puts its trust in him.

The edge rusher most locked in as a starter, assuming he plays, would be the NFL's reigning No. 1 in sacks Trey Hendrickson, but who knows what's going to happen with his contract at this point. Because the Bengals would be committing malpractice to let him sit out the season, we can assume for now that they'll find a way to make peace at some point.

Veterans BJ Hill and TJ Slaton Jr. are the clear favorites to start on the interior of the defensive line, although they may come off the field a lot. The Bengals have set Al Golden up much better at the position than Lou Anarumo had been in a few years, so he'll find plenty of ways to keep a steady rotation going and keep players fresh.

Both second-year tackles Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson are hoping to break out this season and will likely get plenty of chances to prove themselves. Newly-added veteran Taven Bryan is a clear upgrade over either of the undrafted rookies who appeared to be competing for the job prior to his arrival.

Linebackers (5): Logan Wilson, Demetrius Knight Jr., Oren Burks, Maema Njongmeta, Barrett Carter

It's not yet clear what exactly Al Golden's defense will look like in his first year as the Bengals' defensive coordinator. The trendy thing to do nowadays is to start two linebackers. Nobody will be surprised to see Logan Wilson continue being a defense leader in his sixth year as a pro, but rookie Demetrius Knight Jr. will quickly turn heads by stealing the other starting position over veteran Oren Burks. At 25 years old before he's even played an NFL game, i25 years old,t is imperative that Knight hit the ground running.

Joining Burks on the bench are second-year Maema Njongmeta and fourth-round rookie Barrett Carter. As linebacker is one of the most physical positions in football, it wouldn't be unexpected for all of Golden's backups to see the field at one point or another, whether it be in a rotation or in relief of injured players. That's why the Bengals didn't prioritize just adding another starting linebacker for the 2025 season, but filling out their depth on the back end too.

Secondary (11): Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner II, Josh Newton, Geno Stone, Jordan Battle, Dax Hill, DJ Ivey, Daijahn Anthony, Tycen Anderson

The Bengals' starting cornerback situation is probably the toughest to guess on the entire team. Each of the top three players has a good case to make and it could ultimately come down to their performances in training camp and the preseason.

Despite being reportedly on track to playing in the week one game against the Browns, fourth-year cornerback Dax Hill is coming off an ACL tear that may prove harder to bounce back from than Cam Taylor-Britt's inexplicable regression or DJ Turner II's fractured clavicle.

Replacing Mike Hilton from the nickel is set to be Josh Newton, who could turn out to be a breakout player in his second year. DJ Ivey provides a lot of help on special teams and can occasionally help out in the event of an injury, so he is likely to make the team for another year.

At safety, there doesn't seem to be much stopping Geno Stone and Jordan Battle from being the two starters. This is a bit of a concern for the Bengals, as the veteran Stone had a mixed season at best and the third-year Battle has shown flashes but never fully gained Lou Anarumo's trust.

Unfortunately, these are the problems a team faces when they let star safety Jessie Bates III walk out the door, so they team will have to lay in the bed they made and hope it works out. Daijahn Anthony and Tycen Anderson each provide their own ways of helping, even from the bench, so they likely make the team as backup safeties and potential special teams contributors.

Special Teams (3): Evan McPherson, Ryan Rehkow, Cal Adomitis

There isn't a lot of anaylsis required to figure out the Bengals starters on special teams. For the second year in a row, the Bengals trio will consist of Evan McPherson at kicker, Ryan Rehkow at punter and Cal Adomitis at long snapper.