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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 12: Kyle Dugger #29 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up prior to the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Bengals went back and dipped their toe into the free agency market to sign two defensive backs. They added veteran safety Kyle Dugger and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor. They also re-signed Joe Flacco to (hopefully) hold the clipboard for Joe Burrow.
Here’s my second attempt at predicting the Bengals’ 53-man roster. Version 1.0 can be seen here.
Here we go!
Quarterback (2)
- Joe Burrow
- Joe Flacco
Notes: Easy answer here. With Flacco in the mix, he’ll be Burrow’s backup. Unless there’s some sort of catastrophic injury, Josh Johnson is a camp body.
Running Back (3)
- Chase Brown
- Samaje Perine
- Tahj Brooks
Notes: No change here from the first attempt. The Bengals’ offense flows through Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. The running game is an afterthought more often than not. That doesn’t mean Brown, Perine, and Brooks can’t all contribute, but there’s no need for another mouth to feed in the room.
Wide Receiver (6)
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Tee Higgins
- Andrei Iosivas
- Charlie Jones
- Mitchell Tinsley
- Kendrick Pryor
Notes: Again, no change here. Chase and Higgins make up the best wide receiver duo in the league. Chase is the best wide receiver in the NFL, and Higgins would be the No. 1 on almost every other team. Naturally, there’s a gap between those two and the rest of the room. Iosivas is probably WR3 right now, but there isn’t a single receiver with a stranglehold on the position.
Tight End (4)
- Mike Gesicki
- Drew Sample
- Tanner Hudson
- Erick All Jr.
Notes: Sorry, but no changes again. Gesicki is more of a slot receiver than tight end, and Sample and Hudson can each help move the chains if they’re needed, though an upgrade at the position would be welcome. The real wild card here is All. If he’s healthy and he can stay healthy, I could see him pry some playing time out of the other guys’ hands. Tight end is a tough position to stay healthy, especially if the injury bug has bitten you.
Bengals fans have seen it before, most recently from Tyler Eifert.
Offensive Line (10)
- Orlando Brown Jr.
- Dylan Fairchild
- Ted Karras
- Dalton Risner
- Amarius Mims
- Cody Ford
- Jalen Rivers
- Matt Lee
- Andrew Coker
- Javon Foster
Notes: The reality here is that the only reason to change this right now is to just change it. The Bengals may have the best starting five offensive linemen in front of Burrow in his career. The same starting five that finished the year last year should be the starting five that start the year in 2026. However, upgrades are needed for depth. Badly. Ford is probably a swing tackle and backup guard right now. I don’t expect the Bengals to grab an offensive lineman in the first round. Probably not even on Day 2. But Day 3 is fair game.
Defensive Line (10)
- Boye Mafe
- BJ Hill
- Jonathan Allen
- Shemar Stewart
- Myles Murphy
- Kris Jenkins Jr.
- T.J. Slaton Jr.
- Jordan Jefferson
- Cedric Johnson
- Howard Cross III
Notes: Only one change here. I swapped out Jordan Jefferson for McKinnley Jackson. Jackson not only had a hard time seeing the field in 2025, but he was a healthy scratch for several games during the season. Adding Jonathan Allen probably pushes Jackson out.
I also expect the Bengals to add a defensive lineman early in the draft, possibly in the first round.
Linebackers (5)
- Demetrius Knight Jr.
- Barrett Carter
- Oren Burks
- Joe Giles-Harris
- Shaka Heyward
Notes: The Bengals need more help here than anywhere on the roster. They let longtime linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt go and replaced them with 2025 draft picks Knight and Carter. It’s way too early to say either of them is a draft bust, but their first year as starting linebackers in the league wasn’t good. PFF consistently had them near the bottom week in and week out.
That’s not saying there can’t be improvement. It’s possible one or both develop into solid linebackers as early as this season. If one position needed some veteran leadership in free agency, it’s this one, though.
Cornerback (6)
- DJ Turner II
- Dax Hill
- Jalen Davis
- Josh Newton
- DJ Ivey
- Ja’Sir Taylor
Notes: The Bengals signed Taylor to the roster this week, and he’ll be added to the active roster. He’s a former sixth-round pick and finished the 2025 season with the Jets. He’s only started in three games over the last two seasons, and is expected to work on special teams and compete for snaps in the slot. This is another position the Bengals could use a first, second, or third-round pick on. Many mock drafts expect the Bengals to select a corner in the first round—either LSU’s Monsoor Delane or Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy.
Safety (4)
- Bryan Cook
- Jordan Battle
- Kyle Dugger
- PJ Jules
Notes: Dugger was a good signing for the Bengals. He can, at a minimum, be a veteran backup, but he should push Battle for the starting position opposite Cook this summer. That is, of course, if the Bengals don’t use the No. 10 overall selection on Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
Duggar has a lot of experience. He started last season in New England and finished in Pittsburgh, and he started almost every game of the season. He wasn’t the best safety in the league, but he certainly wasn’t the worst. If the Bengals don’t land a safety in the draft, I can go into the offseason feeling okay about this group.
Special Teams (3)
- K – Evan McPherson
- P – Ryan Rehkow
- LS – William Wagner
Notes: Again, no changes here.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments.
