Saturday afternoon the Bengals made the necessary roster moves to get down to the maximum 53 players for the start of the season.  The following transactions were announced:

  • WR Antonio Chatman was placed on the Reserved/Injured list, ending his season again before it ever got started.
  • Vested veterans LB Darryl Blackstock, DT Langston Moore, and LB Jim Maxwell had their contracts terminated.  They are now free agents.
  • The following players were waived:  S Marvin White, G Andrew Crummey, S Corey Lynch, G Jason Shirley, DE Chris Harrington, RB James Johnson, TE Kolomona Kapanui, WR Maurice Purify, WR Freddie Brown, TE Darius Hill, DT Ventrell Jenkins, DT Clinton McDonald, CB Rico Murray, T Augustus Parrish, FB Chris Pressley, and LB Dan Skuta.  These players were subject to the waiver system before becoming free agents.

Thus, the current roster heading into week one:

Offense

QBs:  Carson Palmer, J.T. O’Sullivan, Jordan Palmer

RBs:  Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard, DeDe Dorsey

FBs:  Jeremi Johnson

OLs:   Anthony Collins (OT), Andrew Whitworth (OT), Nate Livings (G), Bobbie Williams (G), Kyle Cook (C), Scott Kooistra (OG/OT), Jonathan Luigs (C), Evan Mathis (OG/OC), Dennis Roland (OT).  The Bengals also have OT Andre Smith on the roster, but he currently does not count towards the limit with a League-provided roster exemption.

TEs:  Dan Coats, Chase Coffman, J.P. Foschi

WRs:  Chad Ochocinco, Laverneus Coles, Chris Henry, Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson, and Quan Cosby

Defense

DLs:  Robert Geathers (DE), Antwan Odom (DE), Domata Peko (DT), Tank Johnson (DT), Pat Sims (DT), Jonathan Fanene (DE/DT), Frostee Rucker (DE/DT), and Michael Johnson (DE).

LBs: Dhani Jones, Keith Rivers, Brandon Johnson, Rashad Jeanty, Abdul Hodge, and Rey Maualuga

DBs:  Chris Crocker (S/CB), Roy Williams (S), Chinedum Ndukwe (S), Kyries Hebert (S), Tom Nelson (S/CB),  Jonathan Joseph (CB), Leon Hall (CB), Morgan Trent (CB), David Jones (CB) and Geoffrey Pope (CB).

Specialists

K: Shayne Graham

P:  Kevin Huber

LS: Brad St. Louis

On Sunday, the team also announced the signing of their 8-man practice squad.  All 8 players were on the team’s training camp roster; none were signed from other teams.

Practice Squad

Chris Pressley (FB), Darius Hill (TE), Corey Lynch (S), James Johnson (RB), Jason Shirley (OG), Clinton McDonald (DT), Maurice Purify (WR), and Dan Skuta (LB).

The roster may be further modified as the team evaluates the players released by the other 31 clubs.

Of Note:

  • The team kept four running backs, deciding not to part with either Brian Leonard or DeDe Dorsey.  This unconventional move was the result of the versatility and talent of the players.
  • Both Tom Nelson and Quan Cosby, thought to be battling for one spot, made the team.  Cosby will be the primary punt returner, with Nelson proving his value on defense.
  • Nelson’s development meant the mildly surprising release of Marvin “Gator” White.
  • FB Fui Vakapuna and WR Freddie Brown, two of the team’s 2009 draft choices, did not find a spot on either the roster or the practice squad.