Biggest Storylines To Watch for in Cincinnati Bengals Final Preseason Game

The Cincinnati Bengals will cap off their preseason schedule Friday night with a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The game will air on CBS at 8 p.m.

With Zac Taylor confirming the starters will not play at all, here are the biggest storylines to watch for in the preseason finale:

Do Landon Robinson, Jack Endries or Dohnte Meyers play?

All three guys were viewed as borderline 53-man roster players at the beginning of training camp, but they have all shown they are worthy of staying with the main roster for the regular season.

Robinson and Endries are both rookies who joined two of the most crowded position rooms in Cincinnati.

Especially after the addition of Dexter Lawrence, it looked to be a steep hill to climb for Robinson to earn a spot, but after a standout performance in the preseason and a consistent training camp, he looks to be on the right side of the cutoff for the 53-man roster.

The same goes for Endries, who entered a tight end room that, while wide open, had seven players competing for playing time. He had two great outings in the preseason and seems to have shown he can be an asset in both the running game and passing game.

Meyers isn’t a rookie, but he’s perhaps the most interesting story of the preseason. He’s come on strong in the wide receiver room and has made plays worthy of a roster spot.

With these guys on the cusp of making it through cuts, paying attention to whether they play or not could give some insight into whether they’ll be on the 53-man roster to start the season.

Can Josh Johnson or Sean Clifford separate themselves to claim QB3?

Joe Flacco is firmly slotted in as the QB2 behind Joe Burrow, but there’s likely one roster spot left for either Johnson or Clifford.

They both had solid outings in the Bengals’ last game against the Chicago Bears. Johnson was 15-for-23 with 156 yards and two touchdowns, while Clifford was 10-for-15 with 126 yards, one touchdown and an interception. They’ll be aiming to one-up each other again Friday night.

It will probably come down to whether Cincinnati wants someone who’s more experienced or someone who’s younger and has more longevity with the franchise.

Are there any other late bloomers who leap into a 53-man roster spot?

There are a few names with their fate still up in the air entering Friday, including tackles Jalen Rivers and Javon Foster, cornerback Josh Newton and even wide receivers Mitchell Tinsley and Charlie Jones.

While some roster spots appear nearly locked in, the final few places often come down to depth, special teams value and who can make an impact when given extended opportunities. A strong performance Friday could give one of these players the momentum needed to separate from the competition and force the Bengals to make a difficult decision.

The preseason finale offers those guys one last chance to earn a roster spot, especially with the starting group not suiting up.