Bengals Make MORE Signings To Practice Squad, Joe Burrow SOUNDS OFF, Reds Make Major Mistake?

As of Tuesday morning, Sept. 1, the Bengals have 11 players on their practice squad, with the expectation that the group can still change as Cincinnati continues to work the waiver wire. The current group is QB Sean Clifford; RBs Kentrel Bullock and Kendall Milton; WRs Noah Thomas and Jordan Moore; DT Howard Cross III; DE Isaiah Foskey; LBs Joe Giles-Harris and Shaka Heyward; CB Bralyn Lux; and S Russ Yeast.

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The interesting part is that Cincinnati still has room to maneuver. The team made its initial 53-man roster Sunday, then claimed offensive tackle Myles Hinton from Philadelphia and released tight end Tanner Hudson to make room. The Bengals also retained several young players who could have been vulnerable to waiver claims, giving them a fairly deep pool of developmental players heading into Week 1.

The bigger story, though, is the Albert Breer piece from Monday, “Why Success for the Bengals in 2026 Feels ‘Inevitable’ for Joe Burrow.”

Burrow was unusually candid about his expectations. He compared the feeling around this Bengals team to what he experienced at LSU in 2019, when he sensed internally that the Tigers were headed for something special. He said he has that same feeling now.

Most notably, Burrow isn't backing away from Super Bowl-or-bust expectations. He said, “I’ve never understood why people are scared to say it,” explaining that the team needs to set that expectation and work toward it every day. He also said he expects himself to be the best version of himself and wants to be playing in January and February.

His optimism is based on more than confidence. Burrow specifically pointed to Cincinnati's dramatically deeper defensive line, highlighted Dexter Lawrence II and Jonathan Allen as vocal leaders, and said the improved defense should allow the offense to play more balanced football rather than feeling like every possession is “do or die.”

And perhaps most revealingly, after missing extended time in two of the last three seasons, Burrow said he's simply excited to play. He described being injured as lonely and said he has put a lot of work into getting back on the field.

Read Breer’s full piece at Sports Illustrated

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