The Bengals remain one of the relatively White friendliest teams in the NFL, once again starting 8 White players with 20 overall on the roster. Last year it was 8 and 18.
Last year’s starting left tackle Jonah Williams is now with Arizona, so Cincinnati starts sumos at both tackle spots this season with the same three Whites manning the interior positions as last year.
Most observers expected newly acquired Mike Gesicki to be the starting tight end but he was outsnapped by Drew Semple in the 2024 season opener and the Bengals website lists Semple as the starter. Gesicki is very fast with off the charts athleticism but his career has declined noticeably the last few seasons, first with Miami and then with New England last year before signing with the Bengals in the offseason. Hopefully his role will increase as the season progresses.
Speaking of which, Gesicki’s old team the Patriots, expected by many to be the worst team in the league this season, knocked off the Bengals in Week One. That continues a worrisome trend, as Zac Taylor is now just 1-10 in the season’s first two games since becoming head coach of a team that’s now annually listed among those with a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
The upside is that the Bengals are likely to once again shake off their annual slow start as there is lots of talent, beginning with quarterback Joe Burrow, one of the very best but whose career has been marred by injuries, including last year when he first battled a calf injury, followed by a torn ligament in his right wrist that ended his season and the team’s playoff hopes. Jake Browning did a solid job filling in for Burrow and though the Bengals finished at 9-8 they still finished last in the very competitive AFC North.
Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones remain backup wide receivers even after Tyler Boyd departed for Tennessee in free agency. Second year man Andrei Iosivas is currently the third receiver. He’s a mini-caste buster of sorts being from Hawaii and a White-Poly mix. Jones is the punt returner and the hope is that he’ll work himself into the receiving mix as the season goes along. He might have nailed down the third receiver position already if a significant chunk of his rookie season hadn’t been lost to injury.
On defense, Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson are the two very solid starting ends. Hendrickson had a career high 17.5 sacks in ’23, tied for second best in the league behind leader T. J. Watt. Hubbard is always among the league leaders in tackles for his position and usually adds a half dozen or so sacks.
Logan Wilson is one of the NFL’s best middle linebackers. He’s had over a hundred combined tackles in each of his three seasons as a starter, topped by last year’s 135. He’s also known for making timely interceptions and forced fumbles.
Backup linebacker Joe Bachie unfortunately remains the only other White defensive player. There are just two White players on the practice squad.
QB: Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
LG: Cordell Volson, Jaxson Kirkland
C: Ted Karras, Matt Lee
RG: Alex Cappa
TE: Drew Semple, Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson, Tanner McLachlan
WR: Charlie Jones, Trenton Irwin
LDE: Sam Hubbard
RDE: Trey Hendrickson
MLB: Logan Wilson, Joe Bachie
P: Ryan Rehkow
PK: Evan McPherson
LS: Cal Adomitis
Practice Squad: QB Logan Woodside, TE Cam Grandy
Number of White Starters: 8
Number of White Players on 53 man roster: 20
Grade: C-/D+
Last year’s starting left tackle Jonah Williams is now with Arizona, so Cincinnati starts sumos at both tackle spots this season with the same three Whites manning the interior positions as last year.
Most observers expected newly acquired Mike Gesicki to be the starting tight end but he was outsnapped by Drew Semple in the 2024 season opener and the Bengals website lists Semple as the starter. Gesicki is very fast with off the charts athleticism but his career has declined noticeably the last few seasons, first with Miami and then with New England last year before signing with the Bengals in the offseason. Hopefully his role will increase as the season progresses.
Speaking of which, Gesicki’s old team the Patriots, expected by many to be the worst team in the league this season, knocked off the Bengals in Week One. That continues a worrisome trend, as Zac Taylor is now just 1-10 in the season’s first two games since becoming head coach of a team that’s now annually listed among those with a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
The upside is that the Bengals are likely to once again shake off their annual slow start as there is lots of talent, beginning with quarterback Joe Burrow, one of the very best but whose career has been marred by injuries, including last year when he first battled a calf injury, followed by a torn ligament in his right wrist that ended his season and the team’s playoff hopes. Jake Browning did a solid job filling in for Burrow and though the Bengals finished at 9-8 they still finished last in the very competitive AFC North.
Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones remain backup wide receivers even after Tyler Boyd departed for Tennessee in free agency. Second year man Andrei Iosivas is currently the third receiver. He’s a mini-caste buster of sorts being from Hawaii and a White-Poly mix. Jones is the punt returner and the hope is that he’ll work himself into the receiving mix as the season goes along. He might have nailed down the third receiver position already if a significant chunk of his rookie season hadn’t been lost to injury.
On defense, Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson are the two very solid starting ends. Hendrickson had a career high 17.5 sacks in ’23, tied for second best in the league behind leader T. J. Watt. Hubbard is always among the league leaders in tackles for his position and usually adds a half dozen or so sacks.
Logan Wilson is one of the NFL’s best middle linebackers. He’s had over a hundred combined tackles in each of his three seasons as a starter, topped by last year’s 135. He’s also known for making timely interceptions and forced fumbles.
Backup linebacker Joe Bachie unfortunately remains the only other White defensive player. There are just two White players on the practice squad.
QB: Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
LG: Cordell Volson, Jaxson Kirkland
C: Ted Karras, Matt Lee
RG: Alex Cappa
TE: Drew Semple, Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson, Tanner McLachlan
WR: Charlie Jones, Trenton Irwin
LDE: Sam Hubbard
RDE: Trey Hendrickson
MLB: Logan Wilson, Joe Bachie
P: Ryan Rehkow
PK: Evan McPherson
LS: Cal Adomitis
Practice Squad: QB Logan Woodside, TE Cam Grandy
Number of White Starters: 8
Number of White Players on 53 man roster: 20
Grade: C-/D+
