Updated 53-Man Roster Projections for Cincinnati Bengals Post Preseason Week 3

NFL teams, in theory, are at their best when the cut days are the hardest, a situation the Cincinnati Bengals will know in the coming days. 

With cut days looming, there's no easy way to figure out how coach Marvin Lewis and the front office will go about whittling the roster down to the league mandated 53 limit. Thanks to strong performances and solid offseason additions, Cincinnati's leftovers don't figure to last long on the market.

Within, let's take a stab at the final 53-man roster based on talent and roster construction. Remember, in a 4-3 scheme, certain positions are more important than others and not every rookie stands as a lock to make the team.

Quarterback (2)

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QB: Andy Dalton, AJ McCarron

Let's get the easy stuff out of the way first.

Andy Dalton remains the starter, and second-year man AJ McCarron rests as the obvious backup after the team cut Josh Johnson. The Alabama product looks the part too, having led the first-team offense on a scoring drive in Week 3 of the preseason.

As for the decision to keep two quarterbacks, it's simple logistics. McCarron's strong play means the Bengals can use the critical roster spot elsewhere.

Running Back (4)

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RB: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, Rex Burkhead, Cedric Peerman

Not much in the way of surprises in the backfield, either.

Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard are one of the league's better one-two tandems. Rex Burkhead's usage this preseason shows just how much the team plans to use him, especially in the passing game out of the slot, so he's safe.

Cedric Peerman gets the nod over others, both for his ability to pick up yards and his status as one of the team's best on special teams. He knocks off James Wilder Jr. by a hair, although he'll be a lock for another team's 53.

Wide Receiver and Tight End (8)

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WR: A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Greg Little, Mario Alford

TE: Tyler Eifert, Ryan Hewitt (H-back), Tyler Kroft

A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu make up the obvious starting trio, although Sanu's time might see a reduction this year with names such as Burkhead helping out.

Behind them is more interesting. Greg Little has looked strong all preseason with six catches, an unexpected development knocking Denarius Moore out of the way. Seventh-round rookie Mario Alford hasn't blown anyone away in a live game yet, but his speed should make Brandon Tate expendable on specials teams. Speaking of Tate, Little's consistency figures to eliminate him from the base offense, anyway.

Tight end isn't any easier. Tyler Eifert might be the most important player on offense, but the versatile Ryan Hewitt figures to play a major role, too. Tyler Kroft has looked great blocking, which is where he needed to improve. This leaves rookie CJ Uzomah on the outs, but he's a project the team will no doubt try to get on the practice squad.

Offensive Line (10)

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LT: Andrew Whitworth, Jake Fisher, Cedric Ogbuehi

LG: Clint Boling, Trey Hopkins

C: Russell Bodine, T.J. Johnson

RG: Kevin Zeitler

RT: Andre Smith, Eric Winston

First off,  Cincinnati's two-rookie approach at tackle somewhat complicates things on the depth chart, with both Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi taking up roster spots, unless the latter isn't fully healed from a knee injury suffered early this year.

The usual starters remain in place, with T.J. Johnson perhaps set to bump Russell Bodine out at center. Either way, Trey Hopkins and Eric Winston get nods as depth pieces over underperformers such as Dan France and Matthew O'Donnell, both of whom have struggled all preseason.

As the above shows, it looks like the Bengals have a depth issue on the interior of the line, but otherwise the starters should perform as one of the league's best yet again.

Defensive Line (9)

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LDE: Carlos Dunlap

NT: Domata Peko, Pat Sims

DT: Geno Atkins, Brandon Thompson, Marcus Hardison

RDE: Michael Johnson, Wallace Gilberry, Will Clarke

Defensive line will be one of the most polarizing areas for the Bengals in the days ahead. 

The usual suspects will start, provided Michael Johnson is healthy by Week 1 and the staff doesn't have a change of heart with Domata Peko.

Some would argue Pat Sims shouldn't make the roster after missing a few preseason games, but it doesn't hold much weight given his ability against the rush. Brandon Thompson gets the nod, as does versatile rookie Marcus Hardison, who shows bits and pieces of potential.

Behind Johnson, Wallace Gilberry has had a strong preseason. Will Clarke put on weight this offseason and has shown improvement, too.

Those left out? Devon Still just hasn't shown enough. Margus Hunt has been all over the place and loses the numbers game. There just wasn't enough space for rookie surprise DeShawn Williams, but rest assured the coaching staff will try to get him on the practice squad.

Keep in mind, though, this is the area with someone such as Hunt that the team will turn to first if a player somewhere else hits injured reserve.

Linebacker (7)

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SLB: Emmanuel Lamur, P.J. Dawson, Chris Carter

MLB: Rey Maualuga, A.J. Hawk, Vincent Rey

WLB: Vontaze Burfict

Cincinnati touts a borderline overwhelming amount of talent at linebacker, too.

If healthy, Vontaze Burfict starts next to Rey Maualuga and one of either Emmanuel Lamur or A.J. Hawk. The experienced Vincent Rey gets a nod for obvious reasons, as does sensational rookie P.J. Dawson.

Chris Carter has been the biggest surprise of the offseason for the Bengals and steals a spot on the 53. In the team's third preseason game alone, he recorded multiple sacks, a few negated by flags. He's the versatile rusher who can apply pressure standing up or with his hand in the dirt, which Lewis has always wanted.

The surprise and offseason additions leave others out. Jayson DiManche sits on the outside, as does Nico Johnson and the injured Sean Porter.

So it goes when the Bengals bring back Maualuga, sign Hawk and get a major steal with Dawson, all before landing another Lewis linebacker gem with Carter.

Defensive Back (10)

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

LCB: Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard, Josh Shaw

RCB: Adam Jones, Chris Lewis-Harris

Slot: Leon Hall

SS: George Iloka, Shiloh Keo

FS: Reggie Nelson, Shawn Williams

Say hello to another source of controversy.

Dre Kirkpatrick, Adam Jones and Leon Hall are the starters at corner, with former first-round pick Darqueze Dennard not far behind. The team figures to walk an upside-experienced tightrope for depth, meaning rookie Josh Shaw gets a spot next to veteran Chris Lewis-Harris.

Lewis-Harris makes Brandon Ghee expendable, while upstart rookie Troy Hill looks like another practice-squad candidate.

Safety doesn't end the controversy. Reggie Nelson and George Iloka form one of the better tandems in the league. Shawn Williams remains one of the players waiting in the wings, but it's clear from playing time this preseason the staff prefers Shiloh Keo to rookie turnover machine Derron Smith, yet another player the team will hope to keep in development off the 53.

Special Teams (3)

P: Kevin Huber

K: Mike Nugent

LS: Clark Harris

Shocking right? 

Tom Obarski put on a few strong performances this preseason, but Mike Nugent won't lose his job. There's no competition to Kevin Huber, and the coaching staff keeps Clark Harris around for one job, which he does quite well and keeps the well-oiled continuity rolling right along.

It's humorous there's no controversy at the end of the depth-chart projections, for which the trio's consistent performance deserves the credit.

Elsewhere, chaos reigns supreme as the coaching staff attempts to figure things out.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of August 30. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.