Bengals set practice squad

September 6, 2:54 PMCincinnati Bengals ExaminerGreg Stephens

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Lynch to practice squad--photo by AP

According to the Cincinnati Bengals' Sunday news release, the team has selected its eight-man practice squad roster.

Making the squad this season are:

-Tight end Darius Hill (rookie, Ball State)

-Halfback James Johnson (first-year, Kansas State)

-Safety Corey Lynch (second-year, Appalachian State)

-Defensive tackle Clinton McDonald (rookie, Memphis

-Fullback Chris Pressley (rookie, Wisconsin)

-Wide receiver Maurice Purify (first-year, Nebraska)

-Guard Jason Shirley (second-year, Fresno)

-Linebacker Dan Skuta (rookie, Grand Valley State)

Under the terms of the NFL practice squad rules, the eight members of the squad can practice with the team's full 53-man roster.  The minimum salary for a member of the squad is $5,200 per week for 17 weeks.  The eight men on the squad are considered unconditional free agents that remain free to sign with any other NFL team with no compensation being due to the original team, and may be promoted to the team's regular roster at any time.

This line-up of practice squad players is a very good line-up that provides a fair amount of reserve depth to the club.  Corey Lynch was a surprise cut to some, being a safety whose coverage ability was fairly decent when he was healthy and on his game.  Consistency was always his biggest issue, however, as his level of play tends to span the extremes.  Should the team fnd itself short at the position due to injury, however, Lynch would probably serve as a capable, if temporary, replacement.

James Johnson, Chris Pressley and Maurice Purify were all bubble cuts that demonstrated significant strengths on the field, but Johnson and Purify fell victim to significant depth of competition, while Pressley became expendable in light of the team's decision to keep just one fullback.

The biggest surprise was the retention of Jason Shirley.  No doubt the team looks to retain a measure of depth on the offensive line given the issues and injuries that have plagued that unit over the past two seasons, but is the Shirley-experiment worth continuing at the expense of a practice squad spot?  Apparently someone thinks so.