re-signing of Flacco<\/a> created this scenario, and the Bengals will have enough arms for the offseason. They only need Flacco behind Burrow for the real games.<\/p>\nRunning back (3)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks
Out:\u00a0Gary Brightwell, Kendall Milton, Kentrell Bullock**, Jamal Haynes**<\/p>\n
Two UDFAs enter the backfield behind reserves who would be roster surprises. Three is likely the ideal number considering strengths of other positions. It may take Brooks being outperformed to change the dynamic.<\/p>\n
Wide receiver (6)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0Ja\u2019Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Colbie Young*, Mitchell Tinsley, Charlie Jones
Out:\u00a0Ke\u2019Shawn Williams, Kendric Pryor, Jordan Moore, Xavier Johnson, Dohnte Myers, Noah Thomas**<\/p>\n
Young was drafted to push Iosivas for playing time, but at the very least should be an ideal Higgins backup for the short term. Williams figures to have the best chance at pushing Jones off the roster.<\/p>\n
Tight end (4)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0Drew Sample, Mike Gesicki, Erick All Jr., Jack Endries*
Out:\u00a0Tanner Hudson, Cam Grandy, Josh Kattus**<\/p>\n
Toppling Hudson on the depth chart has proven to be a tough task, but it\u2019s what Endries must do to make the team in all likelihood. Even if they kept five, an inline blocking specialist like Grandy or Kattus would have more value than both Hudson and the seventh-round pick. All coming back as healthy as ever is paramount for him.<\/p>\n
Offensive line (9)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner, Amarius Mims, Brian Parker II*, Connor Lew*, Jalen Rivers, Christian Jones**
Out: Cody Ford, Andrew Coker,\u00a0Javon Foster, Jacob Bayer, Corey Robinson II**<\/p>\n
Minimal depth turned into promising depth with Lew and Parker in the fold. The former was drafted in the fourth round but would\u2019ve likely gone at least a round earlier if he wasn\u2019t recovering from an ACL tear. Parker was another strong value pick and has a great shot at jumping Rivers on the depth chart as one of the first reserves off the bench. He may be the sixth OL before long. Look for Jones to have a real shot at pushing Ford out at swing tackle. <\/p>\n
Defensive line (11)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, B.J. Hill, Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, T.J. Slaton Jr., Shemar Stewart, Cashius Howell*, Kris Jenkins Jr., Cedric Johnson, Landon Robinson*
Out:\u00a0McKinnley Jackson, Isaiah Foskey, Jordan Jefferson, Howard Cross III<\/p>\n
Might as well go as heavy as you can here. Keeping 11 could still mean a former top-100 pick in Jackson gets waived. Six defensive tackles is a wise number in a defense expected to utilize 3-4 fronts at a decent rate. Lawrence, Allen, and Hill \u2014 the featured trio of the DTs \u2014 each get a backup in Slaton, Robinson, and Jenkins, respectively. Five worthy edges stick around.<\/p>\n
Linebacker (5)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0Barrett Carter, Demetrius Knight Jr., Oren Burks, Shaka Heyward, Joe Giles-Harris
Out:\u00a0Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr., Liam Anderson, Eric Gentry**, Jack Dingle** <\/p>\n
Maybe a veteran comes in. Maybe not. Either way, keeping more than five at the cost of cornerback, defensive lineman, or any other more valuable and talented position is not worth the trade off. It will be fascinating to see what how the 6-7 Gentry will be used in the summer with his freakish 86.25\u2033 wingspan for the position. Maybe he\u2019ll eventually fill out more of his frame and drop down to the line.<\/p>\n
Cornerback (6)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0DJ Turner II, Dax Hill, Jalen Davis, Tacario Davis*, DJ Ivey, Ja\u2019Sir Taylor,
Out:\u00a0Josh Newton, Bralyn Lux, Jalen Kimber, Ceyair Wright**<\/p>\n
The older Davis is a big winner from the draft as he remains the favorite to become the top nickelback. The rookie Davis may be able to help there in certain packages, but he will be the much-need No. 4 corner above all else. Taylor vs. Newton should be an interesting battle for what could be the final spot. Don\u2019t sleep on Lux for that spot. <\/p>\n
Safety (4)<\/p>\n
In:\u00a0Bryan Cook, Jordan Battle, Kyle Dugger, PJ Jules
Out:\u00a0Daijahn Anthony, Russ Yeast, Isaiah Nwokobia**<\/p>\n
The summer will be figuring out the fourth guy here. Jules played a ton of special teams last year and that should give him an early edge. Nwokobia\u2019s collegiate production had promise so there\u2019s hope for him. <\/p>\n
Specialist (3)<\/p>\n
In: Evan McPherson, Ryan Rehkow, William Wagner<\/p>\n
Get used to me saying \u201cnot notes\u201d regarding this group.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t![\"Oct](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_27356823-200x200.jpg\")
\t\t<\/p>\n
Cincinnati Bengals News<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBiggest risk of the Bengals\u2019 2026 NFL Draft class has more than just an off-field incident attached to him\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\nFormer Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young was drafted with the No. 140 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Young may only be a fourth-round pick, but the Bengals are taking a risk investing in him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cincinnati Bengals had a productive 2026 NFL Draft and are adding nearly 20 rookies to their 90-man…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2053],"tags":[228,227,256,118640,118552,2296,7,6],"class_list":["post-875964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cincinnati-bengals","tag-bengals","tag-cincinnati","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-cincinnati-bengals-53-man-roster","tag-cincinnati-bengals-draft-class","tag-cincinnatibengals","tag-football","tag-nfl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116476175733377888","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Cincinnati](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_27931397-scaled.jpg\")