A Cincinnati Bengals depth chart should be more interesting than normal right now.
Should, because the team has undergone significant changes on the defensive side of the ball. It’s not just the new faces, either: The Bengals have fully cast aside the base defense 4-3 of old for something more like a 3-4, multiple look.
Ahead of the team’s first preseason game, the first depth chart doesn’t totally reflect that, but there are still some interesting things worth highlighting.
Bengals depth chart notes
Battle at wideout
Andrei Iosivas, at least for now, sits in the third wideout spot. But hyped rookie Colbie Young is already right behind Tee Higgins. Given his play style, that makes sense, but there’s still an outside shot that Young pushes up into that third wideout spot.
Battle of the OL backups
Rookies Brian Parker
and Connor Lew are, for now, primary backups at guard and center, respectively. Ascending young player Jalen Rivers is still the first backup at right guard, while Andrew Coker sits as the top backup behind Amarius Mims at right tackle.
Tight end shuffle
Good example of why these traditional depth charts don’t mean too much: Erick All is technically fourth on the depth chart at tight end, even behind Tanner Hudson. But everyone knows that, health willing, All should end up seeing more snaps than any other tight end on the roster.
Defensive line notes
Everyone will rotate and shift around based on the package and scenario, but for now: Myles Murphy over Shemar Stewart on one edge. Rookie Cashius Howell right behind Boye Mafe at the other.
On the interior, as expected, Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson both have two names in front of them at their respective spots. They could be in danger of falling further if they don’t flash compared to new arrivals like Landon Robinson.
Defensive back mixups
Another good example of depth charts being weird: Jalen Davis has the lead at nickel corner, as expected, but it’s DJ Ivey right behind him. Ivey is a fantastic boundary backup. The primary backups behind Davis figure to be Ja’Sir Taylor and/or Josh Newton. Rookie Tacario Davis is right behind Dax Hill on the boundary.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Quick takeaways from Bengals' first training camp depth chart
