The Cincinnati Bengals issued their first depth chart of the season ahead of the Week 1 opener against the New England Patriots.
There, a few surprises stick out, so here’s a quick look at those and some general takeaways.
- Fans will immediately notice that Mike Gesicki isn’t the top tight end—that honor belongs to Drew Sample. This perhaps signals that Gesicki will indeed be more of a slot wideout than anything. Rookie Erick All‘s quick return and rise featured him in two-tight-end sets with Sample and others during the preseason, so perhaps this plays a part, too.
- For all the fourth-team and kick-returning stuff from the preseason, rookie Jermaine Burton is indeed the primary backup behind Ja’Marr Chase.
- Perhaps only due to the injury, first-rounder Amarius Mims currently slots behind Trent Brown at right tackle. He’s notably the top depth name at left tackle, too.
- Zack Moss still gets the nod over Chase Brown in the backfield.
- Sixth-round rookie Cedric Johnson is the primary backup behind Sam Hubbard with Myles Murphy on injured reserve.
- Dax Hill won the starting boundary corner job. Perhaps notably, he’s also the primary backup to Mike Hilton in the nickel.
- Geno Stone and Vonn Bell are the starting safeties, though Jordan Battle is sure to get plenty of run. Breakout rookie Daijahn Anthony is a distant third behind Tycen Anderson.
- Jermaine Burton does show up as a deep third option at punt returner.
A look at the depth chart, courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway:
Here is the #Bengals depth chart ahead of the season opener pic.twitter.com/0sch4w2aTk
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) September 3, 2024
