9 winners and 4 losers from the initial Bengals 53-man roster
· Yahoo Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals have made their cuts and released the first version of their final roster on Sunday. They cut down from around 90 players to the 53 that will hopefully win the Bengals their first Super Bowl.
Of course, the Bengals will take a look at who was cut by the other 31 teams, and odds are they could put in a waiver claim or two. Until that happens, though, here are some winners and losers from the Bengals’ initial 53-man roster.
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Starting with….
Winners
Dohnte Meyers
There might not be a cooler story this season than Meyers’. From getting no D1 offers out of high school and having to pay $100 to try out for a CFL team to making a 53-man roster at 26 years old is the kind of stuff they make movies about. Meyers earned his spot too, catching 11 passes on 13 targets for 121 yards. He led the team in receptions and receiving yards this preseason, and will now take his spot on the most talented wide receiver corps in the NFL.
Landon Robinson
You know those guys that you can’t help but like? You know, the ones that usually play for other teams that you always think, “Man, I wish that guy was a Bengal.” Robinson is officially that guy. The seventh-round pick had a multi-sack preseason and not only made the Bengals’ initial 53-man roster, but he appears primed to get some playing time early.
Shemar Stewart
Stewart is a winner because, despite a nasty-looking hyperextension of his knee at the start of training camp, he won’t be joining Brian Parker II and Ja’Sir Taylor on IR. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be ready to go by Week 1 (though it’s not out of the realm of possibility), but it means he ‘should’ be good to go before Week 5, when he would have been eligible to come off IR.
Josh Newton
Though Newton looked solid on Friday night against the Eagles in the Bengals’ third preseason game, he struggled through much of camp and was reportedly in the doghouse. It appeared as if he was on route to getting cut, but thanks to Ja’Sir Taylor being placed on IR (with designation to return) due to a hamstring injury. This opened the door for Newton to stick around.
For now. These next four weeks are crucial for Newton’s chances of remaining on the roster. Play well, and he may very well remain there for the rest of 2026.
Jalen Rivers
The Bengals’ starting offensive line is set, and has been set since before the offseason even began. Rivers is one of four backup offensive linemen to make the first version of the Bengals’ final roster, but he wouldn’t be if it weren’t for the fact that Brian Parker II got placed on IR with Taylor with a knee injury.
Maybe the Bengals find a new offensive lineman from the many that are being cut throughout the league, but for now Rivers is on the roster.
Ke’Shawn Williams
This was likely the biggest surprise addition to the Bengals’ 53-man roster. I would have thought Charlie Jones or Mitchell Tinsley would have the inside spot, but it was Williams who is the team’s WR6 and likely kick and punt returner.
PFF gave him a score of 65.0 for kick returning and a 62.8 for punt returning compared to Jones’ 67.5 and 69.8, but he also caught seven passes to Jones’ four and Tinsley’s three.
Tahj Brooks
Brooks, the team’s third running back, didn’t do a lot to inspire confidence that, if the Bengals were to lean on him, he would be able to move the ball down the field. He only averaged 3.8 yards per carry on his 13 total rushing attempts.
Kentrel Bullock and Jamal Haynes never really had much of a chance at cracking the 53-man roster, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. They both averaged more yards per carry, and both looked pretty solid on Friday night in Philly.
That, and the Bengals were reportedly interested in Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson. But once Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, the Packers got desperate enough to trade for Johnson.
So for the time being, Brooks doesn’t have any real competition for his spot.
Speaking of a lack of competition…
Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter
Knight and Carter continue to have a stranglehold on their jobs after the Bengals opted to keep just two other linebackers on the roster in Oren Burks and Swayze Bozeman, neither of whom looks capable of pushing for a starting spot.
Unless the Bengals make a trade or sign someone like Bobby Wagner, Knight and Carter are the starting linebackers for the foreseeable future. Let’s hope they’re ready to make a big jump from last year.
Losers
Charlie Jones/Mitchell Tinsley
Jones and Tinsley were on the outside looking in when all was said and done on Sunday. Jones, a fourth-round pick in 2023, has been a solid return specialist in his time in Cincinnati, and Tinsley was one of the fun and exciting stories of the 2025 season.
Unfortunately, they were outshone by the trio of Williams, Colbie Young, and Meyers.
Ja’Sir Taylor
Taylor is on IR, but that’s not why he’s on the losers list. He’s on this list because the four weeks he’ll miss could be the four weeks Newton needs to prove he does belong on the final roster and hold on to his spot — whether that be on the field on defense or on special teams.
Taylor was signed in free agency on a one-year deal, and he was placed on IR with a designation to return. That return, at the earliest, would be in Week 5.
Newton, on the other hand, is a former fifth-round draft pick of the Bengals who is under contract through 2027. In other words, there’s more incentive for the front office to keep Newton if this is a close battle.
McKinnley Jackson
Jackson struggled to get on the field in 2025, but the additions of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen really sealed his fate. Now that fate is official. The 2024 third-round pick is now going to the practice squad or will be playing elsewhere.