Here are the most intriguing moves as Cincinnati Bengals release 53-man roster

After wrapping up the preseason against the Indianapolis Colts last week , the Cincinnati Bengals trimmed their roster to 53 players on Tuesday afternoon with the start of the regular season just around the corner.

While every roster cutdown comes with intrigue and suspense, here are the moves by the Bengals brass that stood out the most.

More: Bengals must cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Follow along with projections and rumors

Cincinnati Bengals LB Maema Njongmeta makes 53-man roster

It may not have been a surprise Tuesday that linebacker Maema Njongmeta made the Bengals' 53-man roster. However, the Wisconsin product was an obvious longshot to make the roster after going undrafted and signing with the Bengals in April.

Njongmeta quickly made his presence felt over the summer and ranked second in the NFL during the preseason in total tackles (26). He cemented his place on the 53-man roster with an 11-tackle performance in the preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts and slots in as one of three backup linebackers along with Akeem-Davis Gaither and Joe Bachie.

Bengals offensive lineman Trey Hill gets released, Matt Lee makes roster

Offensive lineman Trey Hill was released on Tuesday afternoon. The Georgia product's versatility − starting two games at center and one at right guard as a rookie in 2021 − made him a valued backup, but the emergence of rookie Matt Lee sealed his fate.

Lee, a seventh-round pick in April from Miami , did not allow a pressure in 68 pass-blocking snaps this preseason, according to Pro Football Focus . He'll slide into the backup center role behind Ted Karras.

Cincinnati Bengals will start rookie punter Ryan Rehkow

A hip flexor injury has landed punter Brad Robbins on the injured reserve to start the season. That means undrafted rookie Ryan Rehkow from BYU is set to open the regular season as the Bengals starting punter.

Rehkow was a first-team all-Big 12 selection at BYU last season.

Cincinnati Bengals keep 5 cornerbacks in 2024

There was a chance the Bengals could go with six cornerbacks on their 53-man roster with backup slot corner Jalen Davis being on the bubble. Davis, who joined the Bengals in 2020 and played 50 games over the last four seasons, was one of two vested veterans, along with quarterback Logan Woodside, to get cut on Tuesday.

Cornerbacks on the roster include Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, Dax Hill, DJ Turner and Josh Newton.

Will the Cincinnati Bengals add another running back?

The Bengals appear to have a committee approach at the top of their running back room with Zack Moss and Chase Brown. After that, it's only Trayveon Williams on the 53-man roster with Chris Evans on injured reserve.

One possible scenario is a reunion with veteran running back Samaje Perine , as The Enquirer's Kelsey Conway suggested. Perine set career-highs in catches and receiving yards last season and spent nearly four seasons in Cincinnati from 2019-2022.

The Denver Broncos are expected to move on from Perine, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The Cincinnati Bengals retain every draft pick from the 2024 class

The Bengals went 10-for-10 in keeping their latest draft class on the 53-man roster. While there were obvious pieces the team hopes to build around in the future, the Bengals were still able to retain all their draft picks with guys like Lee and sixth-round safety Daijahn Anthony making strong cases throughout the summer.

Most notably, the Bengals will carry five tight ends on the 53-man roster. Fairfield product Erick All, a fourth-round pick, had two catches for 15 yards in the preseason and flashed enough as a blocker to stick around. The same goes for fifth-round pick Tanner McLachlan from Arizona, who had three catches for 42 yards in the preseason.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Here are the most intriguing moves as Cincinnati Bengals release 53-man roster