If we were looking for any clarity on the Bengals' first whack at the final roster from Friday night's preseason finale in Philly, the back of the roster didn't cooperate when they offered their most complete outing of what has been one of the club's most impressive Augusts in recent memory.
Guys like wide receivers Ke'Shawn Williams and Charlie Jones, offensive linemen Javon Foster and Jacob Bayer, linebacker Swayze Bozeman and cornerback Bralyn Lux played well enough in the 30-13 win over the Eagles to give Sunday's 6 p.m. cuts more than a few shades of gray.
Throw in the team's ability to put two players on IR-return in four weeks who don't count on the 53-man roster, the decisions of how many players to keep at each position in relation to their grades, potential trades (on the fifth anniversary of B.J. Hill for Billy Price), and how aggressive they'll be using the practice squad for promotions, and pieces are moving Saturday into Sunday.
A final look at just how close it is.
QUARTERBACKS (4)
**Joe Flacco** (19), **Josh Johnson** (14), **Joe Burrow** (7), **Sean Clifford** (2)
Head coach Zac Taylor called Johnson and Clifford "Nails," Friday night, and he could have hammered home the same thing the weekend before.
Johnson has been so good (his 90.6 preseason passer rating is better than such notable backups as Jarrett Stidham, Spencer Rattler, and Jameis Winston) that Taylor was asked Friday night about the possibility that he would be claimed on waivers if cut and never make it to the practice squad.
"He's going to capitalize on every rep he gets or doesn't get," Taylor said. "We'll see how it all shakes out for us."
WIDE RECEIVERS (12)
**Tee Higgins** (7), **Ja’Marr Chase** (6), **Andrei Iosivas** (4), **Charlie Jones** (4), **Mitch Tinsley** (3), **Kendric Pryor** (2), **Ke’Shawn Williams** (2), **Xavier Johnson** (1), **Jordan Moore** (1), **Dohnte Meyers** (1), **Noah Thomas** (R), **Colbie Young** (R)
How about those spots behind Chase, Higgins, Iosivas, and Young? Everybody in the world has got Meyers as their fifth when he played only Friday's first series and was promptly pulled after he caught 51 yards.
Jones reminded everyone why he would be a very tough cut. The man who has a return touchdown in each of the last three seasons ripped off a 31-yard punt return Friday and had two of their longest catches in the second half. No one had a longer catch than always-reliable Tinsley with a 31-yarder, and no one made a prettier touchdown catch than Williams, also a proven reliable returner. At some point, you have to just realize you may lose a good player and tip your hat to the scouts and coaches.
RUNNING BACKS (7)
**Samaje Perine** (10), **Gary Brightwell** (4), **Chase Brown** (4), **Tahj Brooks** (2), **Kendall Milton** (1), **Kentrel Bullock** (R), **Jamal Haynes** (R).
Brooks lost a fumble, but he still seems to have held on to the spot behind Brown and Perine. Bullock (85 yards on 14 carries) and Haynes (78 on seven), were outstanding in the fourth quarter, but they also came in with the least experience and the least film. The least surprised at what the rookies did was Josh Johnson: "Those are the guys I work with, and they can play."
You've got to love the 5-7, 195-pound Haynes, who came into the night with just one preseason carry before authoring a remarkable 39-yard touchdown run where he reversed field and then went back again before running away from a slew of missed tackles.
After the game, he promptly recalled he had a similar play for Georgia Tech on a screen pass when he ran through three defenders at the Syracuse goal line. Then he dropped a "Le'Veon Bell," as he talked about the patience on his run.
"I just stayed in the playbook and kept ready," Haynes said.
TIGHT ENDS (7)
**Mike Gesicki** (9), **Drew Sample** (8), **Tanner Hudson** (7), **Erick All Jr.** (3), **Cam Grandy** (3), **Jack Endies** (R), **Josh Kattus** (R)
Other than who the third tackle is, the first question people are going to ask as they wade through this afternoon's reports is going to be, "How many tight ends did they keep?"
Gesicki, Sample, Hudson, and All didn't play. Endries played 45 snaps and showed them exactly why they nabbed him in the seventh round. He's got soft hands, a feel for the pro game, and a willingness to go inside and block the run. Taylor was fired up about the fourth-quarter rushing stats, and Endries was a big part of it standing up his share of linebackers.
Now the biggest question. How do you get five tight ends to get to 53?
OFFENSIVE LINE (14)
C **Ted Karras** (11), LT **Orlando Brown Jr.** (9), LG **Dalton Risner** (8), RT **Amarius Mims** (3), G **Dylan Fairchild** (2), G **Jalen Rivers** (2), T **Andrew Coker** (1), T **Javon Foster** (1), C **Jacob Bayer** (1), G **Liam Brown** (R), C **Connor Lew** (R), T **Christian Jones** (R), T-G **Brian Parker II** (R), T **Corey Robinson II** (R).
With the eye in the sky on them in the swing tackle joust, three tackles posted in the top six for the Bengals' offensive grades of Pro Football Focus on Friday night. Coker was third on his 28 snaps, and Rivers and Foster were fifth and sixth on 67 and 60 snaps, respectively.
Rivers' versatility continues to impress since he made the switch from guard to tackle two weeks ago. In his showdown with the Eagles' Fred Johnson (also on the bubble in Philly), Foster held his own and did well on both sides.
Via PFF, Foster and Rivers each allowed only a pressure on 31 pass blocks while Johnson got beat once on 14 attempts. On Friday, Foster showed they've got an answer in their own building that stacks up with what may be out there Sunday.
When they say just keep the best players, Bayer may make them keep him. After a terrific camp, he finished it off playing 67 plays at center and snapped for 420 yards while being rated PFF's highest-graded pass protector for the Bengals in Philly.
Parker also finished off a good camp, not to mention the busiest of all with another 60 snaps, missing the final seven that would have given him 100% over the last two games. After playing three spots in the first two games, he stayed at right guard as they worked on his pass pro, where he ended up with the fourth-highest grades for the night.
DEFENSIVE LINE (16)
DT **Jonathan Allen** (10), DT **B.J. Hill** (9), DT **Dexter Lawrence II** (8), DT **T.J. Slaton Jr.** (6), DE **Boye Mafe** (5), DE **Myles Murphy** (4), DE **Isaiah Foskey** (4), DT **McKinnley Jackson** (3), DT **Jordan Jefferson** (3), DT **Kris Jenkins Jr.,** (3), DE **Cedric Johnson** (3), DE **Shemar Stewart** (2), DT **Howard Cross III** (2), DE **Antwaun Powell-Ryland** (1), DE **Cashius Howell** (R), DT **Landon Robinson** (R).
What now may among be the NFL's most impressive rooms proved its point when they used just six of them the entire game to stifle the Eagles on 3.6 yards per play with three sacks and seven quarterback hits.
Robinson could be saluting a roster spot Sunday afternoon after Gridiron Grades had him leading the NFL in sacks during the preseason with four and put him first among defensive linemen with 10 pressures.
But the biggest move here is going to be what they do with Stewart (knee), who missed all camp. If they don't think he can be back in a month, they can put him on IR return, which would open up another spot. As it is, they've got a jammed room with 11 guys, and they've got to decide where to go light or make a tough cut.
LINEBACKERS (9)
**Oren Burks** (9), **Joe Giles-Harris** (3), **Shaka Heyward** (3), **Swayze Bozeman** (2), **Barrett Carter** (2), **Demetrius Knight Jr.** (2), **Liam Anderson** (1), **Eric Gentry** (R), **Jack Dingle** (R)
Bozeman had PFF's third-highest defensive grade, Anderson led the linebackers with five tackles, and Heyward had the Bengals' highest PFF grade on special teams. These guys have been battling all camp, and it was hard to read from Friday's play counts. Heyward led with 32, Anderson had 25, and Bozeman 18. Their special-team ace, Giles-Harris, had 14. As tight as the tight end room is, this may be tighter.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (16)
S **Kyle Dugger** (7), CB **Jalen Davis** (6), S **Bryan Cook** (5), CB **Dax Hill** (5), CB **Ja’Sir Taylor** (5), S **Jordan Battle** (4), CB **DJ Ivey** (4), CB **DJ Turner II** (4), S **Daijahn Anthony** (3), CB **Josh Newton** (3), S **Russ Yeast** (3), S **PJ Jules** (2), CB **Jalen Kimber** (1), CB **Bralyn Lux** (1), CB **Tacario Davis** (R), CB Matthew McDoon (R).
Bobo Davis is the real deal, isn't he? Sure, Eagles receiver Makai Lemon was playing his first game after being hurt, but who looked like the first-rounder?
The cornerbacks room has also been gifted with much of camp's biggest competition as they try to find depth behind the Big Four of Hill, Turner, Davis and Davis. Taylor didn't play Friday, so does that mean it's the Big Five, and Newton and Lux are battling? Or would they keep seven? Who would get plucked?
Here's the thing. If you're looking at this camp, all Newton has done is show up, and on Friday PFF had him as the Bengals' top-rated defender in Philly. The one time they threw at him on eight snaps, he knocked down a sideline bomb. And Lux has been impressive, too. He's exactly what they want out of the slot, versatile and feisty, and rated their third-best run defender in Philly with a team-high seven tackles while also being the third-best cover corner behind Newton and Bobo Davis. He also added two tackles in the kicking game.
And the kicking game is going to have a big say if Jules or Anthony sticks at safety. On Friday, Anthony had PFF's second-highest grade behind Heyward.
SPECIALISTS (3)
K **Evan McPherson** (6), P **Ryan Rehkow** (3), LS **William Wagner** (2)
The only way to go into the regular-season. Another 58-yard dart from McPherson in a preseason of perfection. And kudos to Rehkow for pulling down a high snap along the way Friday to keep it going.
