(03-30-2021, 04:33 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: At the moment, Spotrac has 61 guys listed as signed with us. Well short of the 65 we will carry during the season (53 man + 12 man practice squad). Obviously, some will get get, be displaced by a draft pick or FA signing, or in the case of the PS guys, get a better offer elsewhere.

I decided to try my hand at projecting our roster. I break the roster down into 5 tiers. 1) Starters; 2) Primary Reserves; 3) Inner Fringe; 4) Outer Fringe; and 5) Practice Squad.

I acknowledge my calls are subjective and lines between the tiers can obviously blur. I mean, depending on how FA & the draft & camp play out, guys who I think are fringe 53 guys could become prinary backups, or be cut altogether. Heck, so could guys I have on the 2 deep (Price).

Further, I won't bump a guy up a tier just because we have not filled a slot above him (I do not see Tate as a starting WR, even though he'd be WR3 if we had to play a game tomorrow).

So, Starters + Primary Reserves: by position:

Offense:
QB: Burrow; Allen
RB: Mixon; Bernard
WR1: ????; Tate
WR2: Higgins; ???
WR3 (slot): Boyd; ???
TE: Uzomah; Sample
LT: J. Williams; ???
LG: XSF; ???
C: Hopkins; Price
RG: Spain; ???
RT: Reiff; ???

Offensive Inner Fringe: Perine (RB),  F. Johnson (OT), Adeniji (OT), Jordan (OG).

Offensive Outer Fringe: T. Williams (RB); Thomas (WR), Schreck (TE).

Offensive Pracice Squad: Shurmur (QB), Patrick (RB), Morgan (WR), Irwin (WR), Washington (WR), Wilcox (TE), Prince (OT), Sutherland (G/C)
--------------------

Defense
DE: Hendrickson; ???
DT: Reader; Tupou
DT: Ogunjobi; ???
DE: Hubbard; ???
LB: Wilson; ADJ
LB: Pratt; ???
CB1: Waynes; Apple
CB2: Awuzie; ???
CB3 (slot): Hilton; Phillips
S: Bell; Allen
S: Bates; B. Wilson

Defensive Inner Finge: Evans (LB)

Defensive Outer Fringe: Kareem (DE), Wren (DT), Bailey (LB), T. Brown (CB).

Defensive Practice Squad: Akinmoladun (DE), Jones (LB),  Davis (CB), Rose (CB), Lewis (CB), Henderson (S).
--------------

Special Teams
P: Huber
PK: ????
LS: Harris
KR: B. Wilson;
PR: ????

Special Fringe: Seibert (PK); Phillips (PR)

Special Praxtice Squad: Godsil (LS)

(03-30-2021, 05:06 PM)ochocincos Wrote: There are 8 draft picks right now too.
It's safe to estimate 5 draft picks minimum will make the roster.

Given the number of ???s you have there, some of those inner (and even possibly outer) fringe guys are going to occupy depth positions still.

(03-31-2021, 04:06 AM)pally Wrote: At least one of those PS WRs are going to be on the active squad.  Most likely Stanley Morgan who has been neck and neck with Erickson the last 2 years.  Erickson got the nod because of his return capabilities

(04-16-2021, 08:19 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: So, Bernard waived, Moss signed edition.

So, Starters + Primary Reserves: by position:

Offense:
QB: Burrow; B. Allen
RB: Mixon; Perine
WR1: ????; Tate
WR2: Higgins; ???
WR3 (slot): Boyd; ???
TE: Uzomah; Sample
LT: J. Williams; ???
LG: XSF; ???
C: Hopkins; Price
RG: Spain; ???
RT: Reiff; ???

Offensive Inner Fringe: F. Johnson (OT), Adeniji (OT), Jordan (OG).

Offensive Outer Fringe: T. Williams (RB); Thomas (WR), Schreck (TE), Moss (TE).

Offensive Pracice Squad: Shurmur (QB), Patrick (RB), Morgan (WR), Irwin (WR), Washington (WR), Wilcox (TE), Prince (OT), Sutherland (G/C)
--------------------

Defense
DE: Hendrickson; ???
DT: Reader; Tupou
DT: Ogunjobi; Daniels
DE: Hubbard; ???
LB: Wilson; ADJ
LB: Pratt; ???
CB1: Waynes; Apple
CB2: Awuzie; ???
CB3 (slot): Hilton; Phillips
S: Bell; R. Allen
S: Bates; B. Wilson

Defensive Inner Finge: Kareem (DE), Evans (LB)

Defensive Outer Fringe: Bledsoe (DE), Wren (DT), Bailey (LB), T. Brown (CB).

Defensive Practice Squad: Akinmoladun (DE), McKenzie (DT), Jones (LB), Davis (CB), Rose (CB), Lewis (CB), Henderson (S).
--------------

Special Teams
P: Huber
PK: ????
LS: Harris
KR: B. Wilson;
PR: ????

Special Fringe: Seibert (PK); Phillips (PR)

Special Practice Squad: Godsil (LS)
----------------

(05-02-2021, 02:47 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Post NFL draft edition.

So, to review. Starters + Primary reserves are guys I feel are near locks to make the 53 man roster. If all those spots are filled (44), we'd have room for 6 non-specialists (PK, P, LS) to make the 53. I am sure I will be wrong on a couple.

Inner fringe guys are players I think are likely to make the 53 and possibly could be a primary backup.

Outer fringe guys are players I think are not likely to see a lot PT if they make the roster, and usually not a primary backup (3rd-4th TE, 3rd NT, etc).

Offense:
QB: Burrow; B. Allen
RB: Mixon; Perine
WR1: Chase; ???
WR2: Higgins; Tate
WR3 (slot): Boyd; ???
TE: Uzomah; Sample
LT: J. Williams; ???
LG: XSF; Spain (or the other way around)
C: Hopkins; Price
RG: Carman; ???
RT: Reiff; ???

Offensive Inner Fringe: Thomas (WR), F. Johnson (OT). 

Offensive Outer Fringe: T. Williams (RB), Evans (RB), Schreck (TE), Moss (TE); Smith (OT), Adeniji (OT), Jordan (OG), Hill ©.

Offensive Pracice Squad: Shurmur (QB), Patrick (RB), Morgan (WR), Irwin (WR), Washington (WR), Wilcox (TE), Prince (OT), Sutherland (G/C)
--------------------

Defense
DE: Hendrickson; Ossai
DT: Reader; Shelvin
DT: Ogunjobi; Daniels
DE: Hubbard; Sample
LB: Wilson; ADJ
LB: Pratt; ???
CB1: Waynes; Apple
CB2: Awuzie; ???
CB3 (slot): Hilton; Phillips
S: Bell; R. Allen
S: Bates; B. Wilson

Defensive Inner Finge: Kareem (DE), Tupou (NT); Evans (LB), Bailey (LB), 

Defensive Outer Fringe: Bledsoe (DE), Hubert (DE), Wren (DT); T. Brown (CB).

Defensive Practice Squad: Akinmoladun (DE), McKenzie (DT), Jones (LB), Davis (CB), Rose (CB), Lewis (CB), Henderson (S).
--------------

Special Teams
P: Huber
PK: McPherson
LS: Harris
KR: B. Wilson;
PR: ???

Special Outer Fringe: Seibert (PK); 

Special Practice Squad: Godsil (LS)
----------------

Will add UFAs in a couple days.

(05-02-2021, 09:48 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: I would think that Thomas is almost a lock as the 5th WR for the Bengals since he is also one of their top gunners on special teams. That certainly gives him an edge over the UDFA guys and last season's practice squad guys.

(05-02-2021, 10:05 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: True. But we still have some cap room. There will be cuts made. We still need a PR guy to replace Erickson. That guy (kid from NW) plus a FA could bump Thomas or even Tate off the roster. 

I'd put Thomas' name in pencil but not in pen. The first list is for the guys in pen.

Yes, he and Tate are WR4 & WR5 at the moment. Still got a ways to go.

(05-05-2021, 12:38 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: Are we really concerned about WR 4,5,6?  I'm not.

I think Tate has shown he can play.  I'm still bewildered as to why he wasn't playing much last year.  I thought he would thrive with Burrow.  Say what you want about Thomas, but he knows the system and played fairly well last year.

I was actually shocked they didn't take a WR in the draft.  I'm guessing one of the special teams type guys will step up and take the 6th spot - or if Evans is as good at catching the ball as advertised, you could see him in the slot every now and then in 4-5 WR sets.