The Cincinnati Bengals open the 2021 NFL regular season against the Minnesota Vikings at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals finished 4-11-1 in 2020.
Second-year quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to make his comeback from a left knee injury that ended his rookie year. He will be leading a team that has six wins in the last two years and is looking to end a playoff drought that stretches to 2015.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Joe Burrow, Brandon Allen
The Bengals brought in quarterbacks Eric Dungey and Kyle Shurmur for training camp. Dungey didn't make it to the 80-man cuts on Aug. 24. Given the numbers across the roster, it makes sense for Cincinnati to keep Burrow and Allen initially, and if an emergency quarterback is needed, the Bengals should be able to find one similar to Shurmur on the open market.
RUNNING BACK (3): Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, Chris Evans
One of the most highly anticipated camp battles lost a bit of luster when 2019 draft pick Trayveon Williams sustained a hamstring injury right before the preseason opener against Tampa Bay. That put him at a severe disadvantage as rookie Chris Evans showed flashes in games and practices. Jacques Patrick had strong showings in the preseason games but other situations will make it difficult to keep four running backs.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Ja'Marr Chase, Trenton Irwin, Auden Tate, Mike Thomas, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins
Take a bow, Trenton Irwin. Irwin, mostly resigned to the practice squad the last two seasons, made up significant ground in camp and took the lead over Trent Taylor, who was penciled into the 53-man roster at the start of training camp. Mike Thomas has been effective toward the end of camp as well, giving him the nod as one of the last two wide receivers to make the cut.
TIGHT END (3): C.J. Uzomah, Drew Sample, Thaddeus Moss
Moss is another former LSU player who played with Burrow on the Tigers' 2019 championship team (there are four on the roster). Moss gives the Bengals another pass-catching option at tight end.
OFFENSIVE LINE (11): Billy Price, Trey Hill, Trey Hopkins, Quinton Spain, D'Ante Smith, Riley Reiff, Xavier Su'a-Filo, Jonah Williams, Fred Johnson, Jackson Carman, Mike Jordan
This is the group really creating numbers issues for the rest of the roster. Ideally, rookie Carman slots in as the starting right guard. But with Su'a-Filo poised to best the second-round pick for that job, Cincinnati will likely have to carry extra guards on the roster.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE (5): Larry Ogunjobi, Josh Tupou, Mike Daniels, D.J. Reader, Tyler Shelvin
Nothing complex here. The veterans will give the tackles some depth in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's base 3-4 scheme. Rookie Tyler Shelvin's development will be worth tracking over the course of the season.
DEFENSIVE END (5): Khalid Kareem, Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Cam Sample, Darius Hodge
This unit has been decimated by injuries throughout the preseason. Kareem, Sample and Joseph Ossai have all battled various issues, with Ossai's knee injury the most serious. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Ossai had surgery and likely will miss the season. That should open up a roster spot for Hodge, an undrafted rookie who has had strong showings in preseason games.
LINEBACKER (5): Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Markus Bailey, Jordan Evans, Akeem Davis-Gaither
The coaching staff has done little tinkering with the unit throughout training camp. The big sleeper to watch? Second-year player Markus Bailey. The 2020 draft pick and former Purdue player has earned rave reviews from the coaching staff and front office this offseason. If Bailey can be impressive when he's on the field, it won't be surprising if he plays his way into a starting role at some point this season.
CORNERBACK (6): Trae Waynes, Chidobe Awuzie, Eli Apple, Mike Hilton, Darius Phillips, Jalen Davis
This is easily the best group of cornerbacks since the coaching staff took over in 2020. Waynes, Awuzie and Hilton as the cornerbacks in nickel packages could quietly be one of the best units on the entire roster. Awuzie, who signed with the Bengals in free agency, has had an excellent training camp.
SAFETY (4): Jessie Bates III, Vonn Bell, Ricardo Allen, Brandon Wilson
Nothing to overthink here. Bates and Bell are quality starting safeties. Allen gives the unit good depth and Wilson is one of the league's best kick returners.
SPECIALISTS (3): Evan McPherson (PK), Kevin Huber (P), Clark Harris (LS)
The Bengals liked McPherson so much that they drafted him in the fifth round. McPherson showed why with an exquisite camp that featured great accuracy and a strong leg. Huber and Harris are more reliable than anyone else on the roster.