The last hurdle the Cincinnati Bengals had to overcome before the 2024 season could begin was to name the 53-man roster. That happened at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and now we just have to wait for the first kickoff.

There weren’t many surprises when the roster was announced, but a handful of players who were on the fence made it, a handful didn’t, and for many of them it probably could have gone either way.

While the conversations about who would make the team obviously took place behind closed doors, we can gain some insight from the Bengals front office’s decision about who they wanted to keep and who they didn’t. Questions about what the staff is and isn’t confident about can be answered with at least some accuracy by looking at the full roster.

So, let’s take a trip to the Batcave and put on our capes and hoods. I’ll be Bruce Wayne, of course, and you can be whatever version of Robin you feel most comfortable with. Don’t worry. You don’t have to wear tights; the Red Hood wears like a leather jacket.

Anyway.

The fact that Maema Njongmeta and Jay Tufele have been included in the team tells us …

Maybe the Bengals aren’t particularly comfortable with a single person taking on the role of run-stopper, as DJ Reader puts it. The Bengals struggled with the running game in 2023, allowing the seventh-most yards on the ground all season. They also allowed 4.7 yards per carry, which ranked second in the NFL.

DJ Reader was the man in the middle of the line, but he’s gone now and the Bengals have signed Sheldon Rankins in his place. Best known as an interior pass rusher, Rankins will hopefully significantly increase the team’s offensive power at the quarterback. However, it remains to be seen how he will help in run defense.

The Bengals are playing Nick Chubb, Najee Harris, and now Derrick Henry. These guys are on their respective rosters for a reason; the Steelers, Browns, and Ravens will definitely try to run the ball against the Bengals. There is no better game plan against Joe Burrow and an elite offense than to throw the ball down the defense’s throat and run down the clock. Burrow can’t help the team if he’s on the bench.

Njongmeta is not as polished, especially in pass defense, as Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt, and he probably never will be. However, he is a good linebacker who can stop runs. He will be useful on special teams when he offers more upside than downside, such as in short yardage situations and at the goal line.

As for Tufele, he is a veteran defensive tackle in Lou Anarumo’s system and can be an effective run defender at his best.

The release of Jalen Davis tells us…

The Bengals are really happy with Josh Newton and Dax Hill. Jalen Davis has been with the team since 2020 and has been Mike Hilton’s backup as the team’s nickelback for the vast majority of his time with the Bengals. And he’s done his job well.

That’s about all he could really do, though. He was a good replacement in the slot, but he wasn’t a replacement for Cam Taylor-Britt or DJ Turner, who are at the top of the outside position rankings. They obviously think Newton and Hill are versatile enough to play both inside and outside.

This allows the Bengals to run five corners instead of six and keep an additional safety/tight end/linebacker.

The fact that we keep three running backs tells us…

Trayveon Williams will likely be more involved in the offense in 2024. He has to be. Unless the Bengals plan to sign someone like Samaje Perine, who was released by the Broncos, they will only have three halfbacks. That means everyone gets their due.

Yes, Zack Moss and Chase Brown will be No. 1 and 2, but the days of leadoff players in Cincinnati are over. Joe Mixon is gone and Moss, Brown and Williams will have to carry the running game.

Williams has only carried the ball 15 times in 2023. I expect that number to increase significantly. That doesn’t mean you should add him to your fantasy team just yet, but I expect some more snaps.

The fact that we keep five tight ends tells us…

The Bengals are very happy with their two rookie tight ends, but they aren’t ready to pass the baton yet. The Bengals brought in Mike Gesicki, who will be the best receiver option of the group, but they also have Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson. Then on the third day of this spring, they drafted Erick All Jr. and Tanner McLachlan.

If the Bengals had kept four, the final spot would have been between McLachlan and Hudson. Hudson was the best receiving option of the tight ends on the roster in 2023, but the bar wasn’t set high. McLachlan, who fell to the Bengals in the sixth round, had a solid preseason, and it’s unlikely either would have passed the waivers list.

This likely means the Bengals are happy with McLachlan, but not so convinced that they want to let Hudson go. Of course, a lot can change between now and their Week 1 opener against the Patriots, but for now, the Bengals are in a good position at tight end.

The fact that we keep all newcomers tells us …

The Bengals are confident in the guys they took in the draft this year. Not only did they keep all 10 picks and two undrafted rookies, but some later-round guys, like Matt Lee, came into camp and won a backup job over established veterans.

The Bengals chose Lee over Trey Hill. They kept Newton over Davis. They have five tight ends to accommodate All and McLachlan, and they have five safeties to keep Daijahn Anthony. Myles Murphy’s injury could have opened the door for Cedric Johnson, but Johnson has also looked good at times in the preseason, especially in some snaps against the Bears.

The Bengals are in absolute “win now” mode, and teams that are legitimately considered Super Bowl contenders don’t often have a bunch of rookies in their ranks. This shows that the Bengals aren’t just interested in winning a Lombardi Trophy.

The fact that Amarius Mims does not land on the IR tells us …

The football gods have finally turned a loving eye to the Queen City and its football fans!

Murphy and punter Brad Robbins landed on the injured list with the intention of returning. Many expected the same for rookie and first-round pick Mims. However, that hasn’t been the case. Does that mean he’ll be ready for Week 1? Not necessarily, but it also means it’s not impossible.

The Bengals do have Trent Brown on the roster, but he’s dealing with lower back tightness and he definitely has an injury history. A guy that size and that much playing time would have to be from another planet to be healthy all the time.

It’s possible that neither Mims nor Brown will be 100 percent in Week 1, but it’s better to have both healthy enough to be effective or rotate when needed than to have only one and another backup.

As I said, the Bengals are in “win now” mode. That means they don’t have time to deal with the offensive line. Unlike in recent years, the offense needs to hit the ground running. Having both Mims and Brown is definitely a positive twist of fate.

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We really didn’t have to pretend to be the world’s greatest detective or the prodigy to understand the above storylines. Of course the Bengals want to stop the run. Of course they want to get everyone on the roster involved in some way or another; if people aren’t involved, it hurts the team.

However, it will be interesting to see if we can get a glimpse into the minds of the team management or at least make an educated guess as to how and why they assembled the squad in this manner.

The 53 guys that Duke Tobin and Co. wanted to keep are now well equipped to lead the franchise back to the Super Bowl and hopefully win it all.

This is Bruce Wayne, saying goodbye…

Who are you?