Cincinnati Bengals' Defensive Depth Shines in Preseason Win Against Colts

It wasn't pretty, but the Cincinnati Bengals picked up a 9-6 win in their usual end-of-postseason encounter with the Indianapolis Colts Thursday and learned a few things in the process. 

For one, cuts aren't going to be an easy task. Two, despite taking four sacks, quarterback AJ McCarron went 15-of-28 with 219 yards and continues to look like the sought-after backup. Three, there are holes along the offensive line when it comes to depth but especially among the starting five thanks to the struggles of Russell Bodine.

Most of all, though, the Bengals got a strong nod of reinforcement when it comes to defensive depth in a game most would call the "backup bowl" anyway.

Start in the trenches. Chris Carter continued to look like a disruptive pass-rusher and furthered his shocking case for the final roster by forcing a fumble and notching a sack. Even better, he flashed some key versatility, per Richard Skinner of Local 12:

The versatile Carter wasn't alone, with fourth-round pick Marcus Hardison getting in on the action with a strong presence most of the night and recovering the fumble Carter forced.

In fact, Hardison's play has continued to improve on a weekly basis since the move to defensive tackle, which makes things even harder for the coaching staff on cut day thanks to guys like free-agent acquisition Pat Sims, Brandon Thompson and Devon Still.

It should go without saying which backup linebacker put on a show.

He goes by the name P.J. Dawson now, and he has the look of an unstoppable player, if not a starter. 

After questionable usage over the course of the first three games, Dawson played most of Thursday night and wound up with a team-high nine tackles and two sacks, one of them coming on the Marvin Lewis favorite "double A-Gap" blitz.

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If anything, Dawson showed he can start in a pinch if one of the guys in front of him on the depth chart goes down with an injury. It's something many figured already thanks to his instinctual play, but it was good to see it come to life on the field regardless.

In the secondary, it wasn't a rookie corner such as Josh Shaw or Troy Hill impressing. Instead, it was veteran Chris Lewis-Harris, who has acted as key depth for the team over the course of the past three years.

ESPN.com's Coley Harvey offered praise for the veteran after the game:

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Lewis-Harris had arguably one of his best performances in stripes, recording five tackles and breaking up two passes. One of his deflections came with the Colts deep in the red zone. It ricocheted into the hands of safety Shiloh Keo, who recorded the Bengals' second interception of the game. Lewis-Harris had the other, picking off a pass that tipped off linebacker Trevor Roach's hands.

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While Lewis-Harris has at least Leon Hall, Adam Jones, Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard ahead of him on the depth chart, he continues to make it hard on the coaching staff when it comes to cuts.

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Shiloh Keo deserves a mention, too. Many figured turnover-machine and rookie Derron Smith might steal a roster spot this year, but Keo's had a strong preseason and helped make the play on the mentioned interception.

In a fourth, oft-criticized as unnecessary exhibition contest in which there isn't much to glean except end-of-depth-chart matters, some key names showed quite a bit Thursday night for the Bengals.

It might not sound like much, but if the injury bug strikes during the regular season, the Bengals appear deep in the right areas on the defensive side of the ball.

All that remains now after seeing offseason moves translate to the field is to trim the roster to 53.

Stats are courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of September 3. All advanced metrics are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.