Tag: Cedric Johnson

Bengals rookie gets huge chance after veteran’s surprise retirement

A sudden Bengals retirement means a late-round rookie gets a huge chance.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Jeff Gunter has decided to retire from the NFL, which leaves a huge opening for sixth-round rookie Cedric Johnson over the next two weeks.

Gunter’s retirement was a shocker of a news release from the team on Wednesday. The 2022 seventh-round pick was a success story who initially made the roster and managed to hang around — a season-ending injury to Cam Sample this summer made it seem like he would do so again.

Instead, the Bengals are already struggling for depth on the edge even without Gunter’s removal. The team wants to keep the likes of Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai healthy and fresh for the regular season.

That means Johnson will get a ton of reps in the remaining two preseason games and the rest of the training camp practices.

The Mississippi product has already flashed in camp, so continuing to trend the right direction and prove he can hold up against the run will be key to his roster chances.

That said, the Bengals still figure to add a free agent at some point, at least to soak up summer snaps before the regular season. But for Johnson, Gunter’s surprise departure bumps him even farther up the depth chart and under the spotlight as coaches think about final cuts.

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Bengals announce signing of another draft pick

The Bengals almost have the entire draft class under contract.

The Cincinnati Bengals got a sixth draft pick under contract on Monday.

There, the team announced the signing of defensive end Cedric Johnson, one of its two sixth-round picks and one of 10 overall.

Johnson, a promising edge prospect, has a chance to compete for the final 53-man roster this summer.

He joins the following rookies who have already signed their deals with the team:

  • DT McKinnley Jackson
  • CB Josh Newton
  • TE Tanner McLachlan
  • S Daijahn Anthony
  • C Matt Lee

This means the Bengals have four players left to sign as of this writing, including first-rounder Amarius Mims, second-rounder Kris Jenkins and third-rounder Jermaine Burton.

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3 Bengals rookies (2 of them surprises) make top 100 rankings

Two unexpected Bengals rookies get big praise.

The reviews continue to be strong for the Cincinnati Bengals draft class.

There have been plenty of good grades for the Amarius Mims-led class. Even the “heightened risk” of the draft class hasn’t prevented praise either.

And now we have three of the team’s draft picks making Matt Miller’s list of top 100 best picks, steals and fits at ESPN.

The first isn’t a shocker — Mims, the team’s first-round pick, checks in at No. 39 overall, with Miller noting the offensive tackle’s “ceiling is All Pro-caliber.”

More interesting is sixth-round pick Tanner McLachlan checking in at No. 63:

The Bengals used two picks on Day 3 at the tight end position, and both could be listed here — but I’ll go with McLachlan over Erick All as the better pick. He is a throwback with excellent toughness and an ability to find soft zones and sink into them. Quarterback Joe Burrow is going to love having a reliable target like him over the middle.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen massive praise for the McLachlan pick.

And just two spots later at No. 65, Cincinnati’s other sixth-round pick, defensive end Cedric Johnson:

Time will tell if the Bengals will ultimately give in to the trade request of star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, and if the front office does move him, it needed to secure more depth at defensive end. Johnson has to develop more pass-rush tools, but his potential is much better than a sixth-round selection would have you believe.

Johnson had some impressive grading numbers from PFF that were notable right after the draft.

It speaks to the quality of Cincinnati’s draft class that three prospects make a list like this — and two of them came late in the process. If those late-rounders can eventually make an impact, it eases the concern at critical positions as the team attempts to balance a tricky checkbook while contending around a star quarterback.

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Instant analysis of Bengals picking Cedric Johnson in the sixth round

Instant analysis after the Bengals make another pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The inevitable-feeling defensive end pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2024 NFL draft arrived late in the sixth round when they selected Ole Miss edge rusher Cedric Johnson.

Johnson might remind some fans of Jeff Gunter, another recent late-round pick by the Bengals who eventually broke onto the final 53-man roster.

A 6’3″, 260-pound edge, Johnson has impressive athletic testing numbers and had at least four sacks in each of his last three seasons.

The Atheltic’s Dane Brugler offered this summary (h/t Paul Dehner Jr.):

Still learning how to build an efficient rush sequence, but he has interesting athletic tools, and an NFL team should be able to coach more out of him. Although he might never reach three-down-starter status, he can develop into a serviceable subpackage rusher.

There’s a lot the Bengals like here: Big program, loads of experience, solid production and numbers, in addition to however interviews went.

This late in the draft, adding a Gunter-styled pressure creator who could scrap together a fight for a final roster while developing as a pro is nothing short of a good thing.

Overall, when the only blatantly ignored positions throughout the draft are interior offensive line and running back, it’s hard to complain — especially when pass-rushing is at such a premium in the league these days.

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Bengals select Ole Miss DE Cedric Johnson in sixth round, 214th overall

The Bengals have made another pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals used their second of two sixth-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft on Ole Miss edge rusher Cedric Johnson.

It felt like only a matter of time before the Bengals attempted to upgrade the depth on the edges, and with Johnson, they get a 6’3″, 260-pound pressure creator who had 5.5 sacks and three pass breakups last year.

Johnson will join the likes of depth pieces such as Jeff Gunter in a scrap for a 53-man roster spot this summer while attempting to break into the rotation.

The Bengals used their first pick in the sixth round — at No. 194 — to draft Arizona tight end Tanner McLachlan, the second player at that position they selected in the draft.

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List of linebackers and edges at 2024 Senior Bowl

List of linebackers and edges at 2024 Senior Bowl

With the NFL as pass-happy as it is, pass-rushers are extremely valuable. Having a good week in Mobile can also help such players. Just ask the Jets. They have selected an edge that was at the Senior Bowl in the first round in each of the last two drafts — Jermaine Johnson, 2022; Will McDonald, 2023.

Could the Jets add another this year? Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will get a close eye on some of these players as the American team head coach. Not just Ulbrich, but linebackers coach Nathaniel Willingham as well, as he will be on the coaching staff. Joining Willingham is Imarjaye Albury of the Vikings, Rob Leonard of the Raiders and Cato June of the Colts. [anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]Here’s who’s in Mobile this week at the edge and linebacker positions.