Dre Kirkpartrick has officially been installed as a starter on the depth chart.
No surprises Monday when head coach Marvin Lewis released his depth chart for Friday's 7:30 pre-season game against the Giants at Paul Brown Stadium since it's the way he's lined them during training camp.
Leon Hall, who has made 101 starts at cornerback, is backing up Adam Jones on the right corner. Dre Kirkpatrick, who has made five NFL starts, gets the nod at left, backed up Darqueze Dennard. Jones, who led the NFL in kick returns last year and finished runnerup in punt returns, is listed No. 1 in punt returns and is backing up Brandon Tate in kick returns.
Plus, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu is starting opposite A.J. Green. Marvin Jones, sidelined by a hamstring injury the last week, is backing up Sanu.
Seventh-rounder Mario Alford, a wide receiver from West Virginia, is listed as the fourth punt returner behind Jones, Tate, and running back Giovani Bernard. But Alford probably drops back for Friday's first punt. He's also listed third behind Tate and Jones on kick returns.
In the toughest position battle on the team, the defensive line, veteran Pat Sims is backing up nose tackle Domata Peko and veteran Brandon Thompson is backing up tackle Geno Atkins. On the offensive line, rookie Jake Fisher is backing up left tackle Andrew Whitworth and veteran Eric Winston is backing up right tackle Andre Smith. T.J. Johnson is backing up center Russell Bodine and Trey Hopkins, who taken center snaps for the first time in his career, is backing up left guard Clint Boling.
