The Bengals upgraded an already good roster this offseason.
And while that makes for a more stable entry to the season, it doesn’t translate into an extremely competitive camp at certain positions.
Though he has a month to get down to his final roster, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said he could do most of the work right now.
“If I cut the football team right now, I could probably cut it to 56,” Lewis said, via Paul Dehner of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Hopefully it’s more like 60 and those guys can start proving that next Thursday night.”
Every year, a few guys squeeze their way onto rosters based on their play in preseason games. The Bengals, who brought back almost their entire starting lineup, don’t have as much opportunity for that as others.
“In a lot of spots we do have competition and we’ve got some depth,” Lewis said. “Knock on wood that continues to be the opportunity we have to evaluate. We have some spots where we have that, but guys have to go prove it.”
The Bengals have also been largely fortunate with injuries, which is why Lewis is looking for tree byproducts to rap on, and if that holds up, picking his roster shouldn’t be complicated.