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2021 Final Roster Thread


HoosierCat

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Glad to see he has Darius Hodge on there, he earned it.  Regarding DBs - as stated earlier, it looks like Eli Apple is making the roster and will see significant time.  The last time I watched him play, it was not good.  Hopefully that was scheme-related or he was injured.  Really need him to be serviceable right away, and without many pre-season reps.

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Here is Dehner's guess:

https://theathletic.com/2797322/2021/08/29/dehner-jr-predicting-the-bengals-53-man-roster-ahead-of-final-cutdowns-tuesday/

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The cutdown to 53 must be on the books by 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Bengals wrapped up the preseason with a 29-26 loss against the Dolphins on Sunday night.

There’s no more tape left to be made or lobbying to be done.

The Bengals front office will gather over the next two days to finalize the path they will plot to set up the season, with most cuts expected on Tuesday. Here’s how I see the 53 breaking down.

Offense (24)
Quarterback (2)

• Starter: Joe Burrow
• Reserve: Brandon Allen
• Out: Kyle Shurmur

Outlook: Nothing to see here. As expected. Burrow checked every box this preseason and then some. He battled through the early acclimation period of camp getting used to trusting his knee in the pocket. He quickly got over that and looked like his old self as camp wrapped. Allen was fine in camp. He put enough on tape last year that the team trusts him should he be needed to bridge the gap for a few games this year. We’ll see if Shurmur hits the practice squad or if the team looks outside for a third QB to hang in the background.

Running back (3)

• Starter: Joe Mixon
• Reserves: Samaje Perine, Chris Evans
• Practice squad preference: Trayveon Williams, Jacques Patrick
• Out: None

Outlook: Really, the injury to Williams that kept him out of the first two preseason games hurt him too much. Evans proved a dynamic weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, which he emphatically proved again with his touchdown reception Sunday. He’s solid enough at this point carrying the ball and in pass protection. He will find a periodic role spelling Mixon on third downs that could potentially grow as the season unfolds. Patrick showed well as a power back who could be promoted should something happen to Perine or Mixon. I still think they try to put Williams on the PS, but you have to wonder if the 2019 sixth-round pick has any interest in sticking around considering the lack of opportunity he’s seen here since being drafted.

Wide receiver (6)

• Starters: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd
• Reserves: Auden Tate, Mike Thomas, Trenton Irwin
• Practice squad preference: Pooka Williams, Stanley Morgan
• Out: Trent Taylor, Scotty Washington

Outlook: Irwin took control of the final receiver spot midway through camp and as soon as he showed up catching punts, making special-teams tackles in games and practice, the writing was on the wall. He’s proven resourceful, tough at the catch point and made some notable plays. He’ll land as Tyler Boyd’s backup in the slot and potentially the safety punt returner. Morgan makes sense on the practice squad due to his value on special teams.

Tight ends (3)

• Starter: C.J. Uzomah
• Reserves: Drew Sample, Thaddeus Moss
• Practice squad preference: Mitchell Wilcox
•  Out: Mason Schreck

Outlook: Uzomah and Sample are the obvious top of the roster among tight ends. The battle waged for the third spot came down to Sunday’s game. The same way Moss impressed during camp making the toughest catches, he did so again in the game against Miami. He’s the best offensive threat of the bunch competing for the final spot. He’s good friends with Burrow, who told a story after the game of talking with Shurmur after drives regarding why he kept throwing to Moss and he said because he could trust he always knew where he’d be. That’s speaking the Bengals’ language in a huge way. Yet, he’s the least experienced on special teams and that’s the primary role of this spot. I think they still keep him for what he can do on offense and trust special-teams coach Darrin Simmons can get Moss up to speed and make it work.

Offensive line (10)

• Starters: LT Jonah Williams, LG Quinton Spain, C Trey Hopkins, RG Xavier Su’a-Filo, RT Riley Reiff
• Reserves: Fred Johnson, D’Ante Smith, Michael Jordan, Jackson Carman, Billy Price
• Practice squad preference: Isaiah Prince, Trey Hill
• Out: Keaton Sutherland, Gunnar Vogel
• Injured: Hakeem Adeniji (pectoral)

Outlook: The starters rose to the surface over the last two weeks where nobody played above the level of veteran guards Spain and Su’a-Filo. The biggest question ended up being a surprising one and the toughest decision of the 53: Does Jordan hang on? The team won’t be punting on draft picks Jackson Carman and D’Ante Smith. That leaves Jordan as the fifth guard on the roster. The Bengals can stretch and keep 11 offensive linemen if they want to also hold onto Prince, but he might be easy enough to stash on the practice squad. But you can never be sure a player survives the cut and the fourth tackle would then be Carman or Smith, who have both fully transitioned to guard. I don’t think they give up on Jordan yet. I’d imagine if somebody was interested in him in a trade they could dangle, but it feels unlikely there would be suitors.

Defense (26)
Defensive line (11)

• Starters: Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader, Larry Ogunjobi, Trey Hendrickson
• Reserves: Joseph Ossai, Tyler Shelvin, Mike Daniels, Cameron Sample, Josh Tupou, Khalid Kareem, Darius Hodge
• Practice squad preference: Khalil McKenzie, Amani Bledsoe
• Out: Renell Wren, Noah Spence
• Injured: Wyatt Hubert (pectoral)

Outlook: This won’t end up at 11, but my guess is they carry Ossai through the cut so they can bring him off injured reserve later in the year if that ended up a possibility, even if it’s remote. Remember, there are unlimited returns from reserve now. That allows them to potentially add another tight end or running back if they like somebody on the waiver wire. The rest looks fairly straightforward, especially after Kareem enjoyed the impactful first series Sunday with a pass breakup and sack. The only question there is if he’s still healthy — he didn’t come back after the original series and head coach Zac Taylor didn’t have any updates after the game. You also can’t cut Hodge considering how productive he’s been. In fact, he’s probably the rotational edge starter on passing downs.

Linebackers (5)

• Starters: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt
• Reserves: Akeem Davis-Gaither, Jordan Evans, Markus Bailey
• Out: Joe Bachie, Keandre Jones

Outlook: Easy decisions all around here. Coaches love what they’ve seen from Wilson and Pratt this camp. Both solidified themselves as starters. The three backups will see rotational and special-teams roles. The Bengals could end up fishing the free-agent pool for a practice squad linebacker.

Cornerbacks (6)

• Starters: Trae Waynes, Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton
• Reserves: Eli Apple, Darius Phillips, Jalen Davis
• Practice squad preference: Tony Brown
• Out: Donnie Lewis, Winston Rose, Antonio Phillips

Outlook: Davis earned this final spot. He made plays throughout practices and the games. The most surprising aspect of Sunday’s game was Darius Phillips playing deep into the third quarter and Eli Apple not playing at all. You would think Phillips would be the first corner off the bench and needed as Waynes’ hamstring injury should linger into the regular season, but he is not. Taylor said after the game Apple sat to ensure he didn’t get hurt with Waynes’ hamstring injury possibly keeping him out early on. That clarifies Phillips is viewed as CB5, continually pushed down the depth chart by this staff. He does appear to be the starting punt returner and staying a reserve keeps him in that role.

Safeties (4)

• Starters: Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell
• Reserves: Ricardo Allen, Brandon Wilson
• Practice squad preference: Trayvon Henderson
• Outside looking in: Kavon Frazier

Outlook: A nice showing by Henderson in the finale with a tackle for loss and interception keeps him in the sights of the practice squad, but this was an impossible foursome to crack without an injury.

Specialists (3)
• Starters: P Kevin Huber, LS Clark Harris, K Evan McPherson
• Practice squad preference: P Drue Chrisman
• Out: K Austin Seibert

Outlook: Would somebody be willing to trade for Seibert? The former fifth-round pick has done a nice job, but nobody was beating out McPherson, who put an exclamation point on the best camp we’ve seen for a kicker nailing the 57-yarder with room to spare against the Dolphins. Chrisman will go on the practice squad after missing the entire preseason with a hand injury. He was healthy Sunday, but putting him out there to punt would only have potentially made him more valuable to the rest of the league. The Bengals would prefer he hang on the practice squad so they can keep working with him behind 36-year-old Huber.

 

 

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9 minutes ago, TJJackson said:

I am really not happy about this trade.

Hopkins is still recovering and the remaining Center is an injured rookie

are they bringing back Lamont Gaillard?

also our need is not at DT.....its at DE.....so......why why why.....?

I’m assuming from this that Trey Hill’s injury isn’t serious. That said I would not be surprised if they brought Gaillard back or picked up some other vet center as a backup and sent TH to the PS. I think he’s pretty safe to pass through waivers.

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1 hour ago, TJJackson said:

I am really not happy about this trade.

Hopkins is still recovering and the remaining Center is an injured rookie

are they bringing back Lamont Gaillard?

also our need is not at DT.....its at DE.....so......why why why.....?

YOU were the Billy Price fan? Didn't see that coming. I knew he must have one...

The rookie Trey Hill goes to back-up C. He had good moments this fall. Austin Reiter is still unsigned too...

 

PS - are you not always the "gimme a lineman" guy? Hill pretty damn well graded IDL guy. So, we lose Price, who has been checkered at best at C and get a piece to help in the rotation at IDL. Seems okay to me.

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I know PFF isn't the be all/end all but it's at least a reference point...

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-cincinnati-bengals-trade-former-first-rounder-billy-price-to-new-york-giants

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The New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals have struck a trade prior to Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.

Cincinnati is trading center Billy Price to New York in exchange for interior defensive lineman B.J. Hill. Price, the 21st pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, started all 10 games he played as a rookie but has made just nine starts over the last two seasons. He's graded under 60.0 in all three of his seasons in the NFL.

Like Price, Hill is also entering the final year of his rookie contract. Drafted with a third-round pick in 2018, Hill racked up six sacks in his first year but quickly fell out of the rotation after the team added more talent on the interior.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE GIANTS
Price's 46.7 PFF grade ranks 105th among the 106 interior offensive linemen with 1,200-plus offensive snaps played since 2018. His career grade is also the fifth-lowest mark of any player from the 2018 NFL Draft class with 1,000-plus snaps.

Price played 48 snaps in the 2021 NFL preseason and earned a 38.3 PFF grade, 65th among the 69 centers who played at least 40 total snaps.

Price has logged a similar number of snaps at center (698) and guard (655) since entering the NFL in 2018, and he could feasibly step in at any of the three interior positions for New York.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE BENGALS
Hill ranks 32nd among the 91 interior defensive linemen with 1,000 or more defensive snaps played since 2018. He’s earned a 73.0-plus PFF grade in each of the past two seasons, as well.

The Bengals had a lot riding on projected starters D.J. Reader and Larry Ogunjobi remaining healthy, with questionable depth behind them at defensive tackle. Hill gives Cincinnati another feasible option to turn to in the case of injury.

Hill ranks in the 72nd percentile of qualifying interior defensive linemen in run-defense grade over the past three years. That is an area the Bengals need to improve after allowing 4.9 yards per run play in 2020, 31st in NFL.

 

 

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I’d give the deal a snap grade of A. Price was gone after this year (if not this year, if they dealt him you have to think he was on the bubble right now) so this is good value. Hill at worst gives us depth behind Reader and Ogun, both of whom have had some injury issues in the past. At best he boosts a pass rush that has taken some hits in the preseason. Yes as mentioned it thins out oline depth but, if needed, finding a below-average interior OL to replace Price shouldn’t be hard. Overall not a lot to dislike. Props to the FO.

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I chuckled a bit when I saw the news. Bengals fans wait all July and August for the eventual late FA signing on the offensive line. So something finally happens and it's subtraction instead.

I'm not mad. Price isn't very good, and it appears to be a decent player they've acquired regardless of position. Sure. If Trey Hill is injured though center is suddenly pretty yikes.

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