Three players to watch in Bengals' preseason finale

The Cincinnati Bengals are hosting the Indianapolis Colts for their preseason finale on Thursday. It provides the last opportunity for several players to make their case as starters or to make the 53-man roster.

With that in mind, here are three Bengals to watch.

Wide receiver Jermaine Burton

Burton, Cincinnati's third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has impressed through his first two preseason games, reeling in four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

However, he didn't see the field until late in the preseason opener, hinting he is pretty far down the depth chart. Then in the second game, he had just one catch and was used as a returner on special teams for the first time in his career.

This isn't to say Burton won't make the team. It would be shocking if he didn't, but maybe he won't have as much of an impact as a rookie as many previously thought.

If his usage remains the same in the preseason finale, that could be the case.

Tight end Tanner McLachlan

The Bengals have five capable tight ends in Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson, Erick All Jr. and McLachlan, but will they keep all of them?

It would be surprising if the answer to that question is "yes," but who is the odd man out?

Gesicki, Sample and All Jr., the team's 2024 fourth-round pick, seem to be locked. So that leaves Hudson and McLachlan, a sixth-round pick, to fend for the fourth spot.

Neither has lit up the stat sheet, but McLachlan leads with 42 receiving yards on three catches this preseason. One more solid performance could entice Cincinnati enough to go with his youth and upside over the 29-year-old Hudson.

Cornerback DJ Turner II

The battle for who will play opposite cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is still ongoing.

Turner's name hasn't shown up on the stat sheet this preseason with just one tackle, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to playing corner.

The competition is between him and former first-round safety-turned-corner Dax Hill. Turner is still ahead of Hill on the depth chart , but it could come down to their performances in the preseason finale.

The Bengals used their second-round pick on Turner a year ago. It's now or never for the 23-year-old to establish himself as a starter.