Injuries affect the numbers game as the final cut approaches

T Sheldon Rankins (9), E Trey Hendrickson (8), T BJ Hill (7), E Sam Hubbard (7), E Joseph Ossai (4), T Jay Tufele (4), T Zach Carter (3), T Carlos Davis (3), T Travis Bell (2), E Myles Murphy (2), T Domenique Davis (1), E Justin Blazek (R), T McKinnley Jackson (R), T Kris Jenkins Jr. (R), E Cedric Johnson (R).

The injuries have really taken a toll on the Bengals here. First things first. They have to decide if Jackson (knee) and Murphy (knee) can be back before four weeks. If they can, they can keep them on the roster for the first few games and make them inactive on game day.

Or they'll have to use two of their eight IR returners right away to put them on the injured list for four weeks. The ideal number here would be 10 – five tackles and five edge rushers – and they'd have to decide how to fill the spots.

With Sample and Murphy injured and Jeff Gunter retiring, they're left with four edge rushers. Blazek could be the fifth after he had a great night on Thursday with a sack strip and five total pressures. Otherwise, it could be a tight end to the finish.

That certainly means Johnson can do it. Johnson, a sixth-round pick out of Ole Miss, capped off a great training camp with another active night Thursday, with three pressure situations on 20 carries and a sack that was nullified by the Bengals' only penalty.

Jenkins has held his own as a tackle behind Hill and Rankins. Carter clearly has a spot after not playing Thursday. With Jackson out, one wonders if Tufele has earned a spot after being injured earlier in training camp. He had a tackle for a loss on Thursday and has thrown some good balls in his 17 games over the last two years with the Bengals.

Germaine Pratt (6), Joe Bachie (5), Akeem Davis-Gaither (5), Logan Wilson (5), Devin Harper (3), Shaka Heyward (1), Maema Njongmeta (R).

The Bengals released undrafted rookie Aaron Casey from Indiana, leaving undrafted Njongmeta and practice squad picks Heyward and Harper apparently for the fifth and final spot.

PFF gave Heyward and Harper significantly higher grades than Njongmeta for Thursday night, but it's the coaches' grades that count, and Njongmeta has built up a lot of capital with them. PFF graded him for two missed tackles, not four or five like Maema said, but he was in on nine more tackles. He seemed to be the leader in the locker room. Did he do enough? And will injuries make them think about keeping six?

S Vonn Bell (9), CB Mike Hilton (8), CB Jalen Davis (5), S Geno Stone (5), S Tycen Anderson (3), CB Dax Hill (3), CB Cam Taylor-Britt (3) , S Jordan Battle (2), CB Nate Brooks (2), CB DJ Ivey (2), CB DJ Turner II (2), S Daijahn Anthony (R), S PJ Jules (R), CB Josh Newton (R) , CB Lance Robinson (R).

They are definitely thinking about keeping eleven players here, even if they have to deal with another injury to Robinson.

They are developing young talent like Anderson and Anthony as gunners and Battle as special teams captain because they want to have five safeties and six cornerbacks. Five of the cornerbacks can play the slot: Hilton, Davis, Hill, Newton and Turner. Theoretically, ten are active on game day, including all safeties.

Battle, the pick-six, was named the Bengals' best defensive player on PFF's list Thursday night. Newton was second overall and second in coverage. He allowed just four catches for 22 yards in his 33 coverage plays for most of the night when playing against Indy's starter. He showed the short memory of a veteran cornerback after an up-and-down day in Chicago five days earlier.

As the Bengals sift through their roster of new cornerbacks, they released highly-regarded Allan George on Friday. George, who was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt in 2022, was on the practice squad for the past two years and did not play a game last season. But he played in seven games as a rookie, including three in the playoffs.