Cincinnati Bengals 53-man roster projection following second week of preseason

Just one preseason game remains for the Cincinnati Bengals. They'll take on the Indianapolis Colts this Thursday night , giving a plethora of roster hopefuls one last chance to make their case.

For the fifth time this offseason, it's time to project who will be left on the team when the regular season is upon us.

Note: Players with single asterisk (*) are 2024 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2024 undrafted free agents.

Quarterback (2)

IN : Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
OUT: Logan Woodside, Rocky Lombardi**

The skinny: Woodside picked a bad week to come crashing back down to earth. Browning's rib injury gave him nearly three full quarters of work, and he threw two interceptions and took just as many sacks. He was never competing for Browning's spot anyways, but a chance to land somewhere else may've taken a hit.

Running back (3)

IN: Zack Moss, Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams
OUT: Noah Cain**, Elijah Collins**
I.R.: Chris Evans

The skinny: Pour one out for Evans as his season ended during the team's joint practice against the Bears. A fourth back could be added via the waiver wire, but there's a good argument to rock with just three here to prioritize more important positions with better depth to begin with.

Wide receiver (6)

IN: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin, Jermaine Burton *, Charlie Jones
OUT: Shedrick Jackson, Kwamie Lassiter II, Kendric Pryor, Hakeem Butler, Cole Burgess**

The skinny: Burton got to see the field a lot earlier this week and even returned kickoffs and punts. Jones returned to practice and should be good to start the season.

Tight end (5)

IN: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson, Erick All*, Tanner McLachlan*
OUT: Cam Grandy**

The skinny: It would feel improper to leave McLachlan off the roster after two clean preseason games. Can both Tanner's make the team? I'm not sure, but both are deserving. Going light at running back may make it possible.

Offensive line (9)

IN: Orlando Brown Jr., Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Trent Brown, Amarius Mims *, Cody Ford, Matt Lee*, Jaxson Kirkland
OUT: Jackson Carman, Trey Hill, Devin Cochran, Nate Gilliam, Eric Miller**
I.R.: D'Ante Smith

The skinny: Lee and Kirkland have boosted their roster odds better than most players on the bubble. Lee has looked the part as the team's future starting center while Kirkland has now played quality games at both left guard and left tackle. The latter has only gotten more valuable with both Brown and Mims dealing with injury.

Defensive line (10)

IN: Trey Hendrickson, Sheldon Rankins, B.J. Hill, Sam Hubbard, Myles Murphy, Kris Jenkins*, McKinnley Jackson*, Joseph Ossai, Zach Carter, Cedric Johnson*
OUT: Jay Tufele, Domenique Davis, Devonnsha Maxwell, Travis Bell, Justin Blazek**, Carlos Davis, Joshua Pryor, Andre Carter
I.R.: Cam Sample
Retired: Jeff Gunter

The skinny: Gunter's retirement came out of the blue, but it clears the way for Johnson to make the team as a rookie. Carter had somewhat of a bounce-back week against the Bears' starting o-line, but nothing's locked in at the fifth defensive tackle spot yet.

Linebacker (5)

IN: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joe Bachie, Maema Njongmeta**
OUT: Shaka Heyward, Devin Harper, Aaron Casey**

The skinny: Njongmeta is simply one of the Bengals' five best linebackers, and he may not be five . He has some weaknesses, but not enough to bump him off the roster despite both Heyward and Harper playing well on Saturday.

Cornerback (5)

IN: Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, Dax Hill, DJ Turner II, Josh Newton
OUT: Jalen Davis, Allan George, Nate Brooks, Lance Robinson**
PUP: DJ Ivey

The skinny: While Newton had some issues playing on the outside in Chicago, he looked mighty comfortable in the slot. If Davis is going to be cut, that's where Newton will need to provide immediate depth.

Safety (5)

IN: Geno Stone, Vonn Bell, Jordan Battle, Tycen Anderson, Daijahn Anthony*
OUT: P.J. Jules**, Michael Dowell**

The skinny: Anthony looks locked in as a subpackage piece in the secondary while Anderson is ready to play again off his injury from last year. To reiterate from last week: if you have at least five cornerbacks and 10 defensive backs overall, your projection should be fairly accurate.

Specialists (3)

IN: Evan McPherson, Ryan Rehkow**, Cal Adomitis
OUT: Brad Robbins

The skinny: Rehkow could use a more convincing week of film to close things out, but the fact of the matter is he's healthy and Robbins isn't right now .

Related: Matt Lee, Kris Jenkins Jr. among Bengals who raised their stock after preseason matchup vs Bears