Projecting Cincinnati Bengals' Most Heated Roster Battles This Offseason

With the NFL draft in the rearview mirror, now the Cincinnati Bengals can get to the fun stuff—sorting out one of the league's deepest rosters. 

Not only did head coach Marvin Lewis and the front office reel in another widely heralded class, they did so by turning an eye toward the future with great value. The team addressed future holes on both sides of the trenches, at all levels of the defense and even on special teams.

Of course, such a class makes the summer process of narrowing down the roster all the more difficult. The key now? Keeping a contending roster in place while not losing critical elements of future rosters on cut day.

Within, let's take a look at some of the positional battles sure to be the most heated this offseason in order of importance.

6. Quarterback

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Just how deep are the Cincinnati Bengals?

Even quarterback has a worthwhile competition this summer thanks to the addition of Terrelle Pryor, a revelation made by the team this past Sunday.

Make no mistake, Andy Dalton's job is safe, but things just got quite a bit more interesting behind him.

For a team as deep as the Bengals, keeping three quarterbacks might not be an ideal situation, meaning Pryor will engage sophomore AJ McCarron in a battle for the second slot, if the team goes such a route.

Many will remember Pryor as a guy who posted his best year as a pro under the guidance of Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson in Oakland before bouncing around the league. He's a project, but a high-upside one Jackson seems to understand how to use and develop.

Meanwhile, McCarron seems to be a younger version of Dalton, which is something the coaching staff will value for his ability to come in and run the offense.

In the end, such depth may necessitate the team keeping three quarterbacks, which creates obvious ripple effects elsewhere.

Verdict: McCarron and Pryor make final roster.

5. Wide Receiver

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Cincinnati Bengals kick returner Brandon Tate has some company at the back end of the roster. 

Seventh-round rookie Mario Alford knows a thing or two about the gig. Along with 65 catches for 945 yards and 11 scores last season, he returned two kicks for touchdowns.

The Alford-Tate battle isn't the only one at the position, though, as offseason addition and speedster Denarius Moore will look to fend off others such as Cobi Hamilton and James Wright.

At his height, Moore caught seven scores back in 2012 with Oakland. He's perhaps not a threat to take the job of Marvin Jones or Mohamed Sanu, but he does seem to be critical depth at the fourth spot thanks to his ability to create separation and stretch defenses.

Because of this, expect Moore to make the final roster. Ditto for Alford, who might have enough in the way of talent to see the base offense in certain packages for bubble screens and the like. Keeping him around means the team can avoid using a critical starter such as corner Adam Jones on returns.

Verdict: Alford and Moore make roster, Hamilton cut.

4. Cornerback

It wasn't hard to figure out the Cincinnati Bengals would use at least one pick on the secondary this year, which they did with USC corner Josh Shaw. 

While it goes without saying that Leon Hall, Adam Jones, Darqueze Dennard and Dre Kirkpatrick aren't going anywhere, the same cannot be said for Onterio McCalebb, Brandon Ghee and Chris Lewis-Harris.

Not only is Shaw a contributor right out of the gates on special teams, he offers starter upside in the long term. Making things worse for the players on the back end of the roster is the addition of Oregon corner Troy Hill as an undrafted free agent.

While Ghee and Lewis-Harris offer plenty of experience in the system, and the latter is a criminally underrated player, both may be shown the door in favor of future upside. McCalebb is a project who, barring a major performance as a returner, might be on his way out, too.

Look for the Bengals to strike a present-future balance and bank on two rookies, both of whom happen to arrive via great value with a thirst to prove the world wrong. Shaw figures to at least be a special teams standout as a rookie.

Verdict: Shaw and Hill make roster, McCalebb, Ghee and Lewis-Harris cut. 

3. Linebacker

The Cincinnati Bengals' most notable—and praised—pick in the 2015 draft might push a few capable names off the roster. 

Those in the know understand this refers to Paul Dawson, an absolute steal the team couldn't pass on at the end of the third round with an extra selection.

The thing is, Cincinnati, in hindsight perhaps prematurely, addressed the position a few times with the signing of A.J. Hawk and the re-signing of Rey Maualuga.

Dawson figures to be capable of lining up at a few different positions, but there are only so many roster spots to go around in a 4-3 alignment, meaning names such as Marquis Flowers, Jayson DiManche and Sean Porter will need to put on a show in camp and preseason to make the cut.

With Dawson a lock and everyone assumed healthy, look for Flowers and DiManche to miss the cut in favor of Porter, who offers more in the way of starter potential down the road. Dawson will rotate in depending on the situation as a rookie.

Verdict: Dawson and Porter make final roster, Flowers and DiManche cut.

2. Defensive Line

Again, the Cincinnati Bengals weren't shy about upgrading the defense in the 2015 draft. 

The team added Arizona State defensive lineman Marcus Hardison in the fourth round, a versatile player who figures to assume the Wallace Gilberry role sooner or later.

In other words, Hardison can line up on the outside or inside as a pass-rusher, which may also cause problems for defensive tackles on the back end of the roster such as Devon Still and Brandon Thompson.

The Bengals won't be giving away talent such as Hardison, but they also want to get young guys such as Margus Hunt and Will Clarke a chance to contribute in the rotation.

Presuming everyone stays healthy, look for the Bengals to move on from Still in order to keep Hardison and the young players around. Gilberry's contract expires after next season, so things will open up more a year from now. 

Verdict: Hardison, Clarke and Hunt make roster, Still cut.

1. Offensive Line

John Minchillo/Associated Press

None of the Cincinnati Bengals' starters along the offensive line are in danger, but the addition of two tackles in the opening two rounds of the draft makes things rather complicated.

Second-round pick Jake Fisher is a talent who can act as the primary backup at most spots right away, unless the coaching staff wants to make a shocking change to an effective lineup. This throws into question the future of someone such as veteran Eric Winston.

If healthy, Cedric Ogbuehi (he suffered an ACL tear this past January) makes things tough for high-upside projects such as Trey Hopkins and Tanner Hawkinson.

Thanks to his pro-ready frame and play, look for Fisher to cost a few players their jobs, as will Ogbuehi, provided he's healthy. Fisher might see the field as a rookie if an injury occurs.

Verdict: Winston, Hopkins and Hawkinson cut.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of May 13. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.