The regular season is just around the corner, and everyone is excited and cannot wait until September 5th. With the second week of the preseason now in the books, some things can be taken from each week. These are the three things from preseason week 2 for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Penalties
Having 19 penalties through two weeks in the preseason is not ideal. It isn’t a huge issue with most starters not playing, but you’d like the guys fighting for a spot on the roster to be playing cleaner football this late into the preseason.
Maema Njongmeta
Undrafted free agent rookie Maema Njongmeta has been having a fantastic preseason. Between the two games, he showed a lot of potential. He is making a push for a spot on the 53-man roster. The Bengals could use some depth behind starters Jermaine Pratt and Logan Wilson, and what better way to get it than by an undrafted free-agent rookie?
If he continues playing the way he has through weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason, the Bengals are going to have no choice but to give me a spot on the 53-man roster. Through two weeks, he has looked like a great depth piece to add to the linebacker room. After hearing Njongmetas’s interview with Elise Jesse for Cincinnati Bengals Talk, it’s hard not to root for the guy. His stats through two weeks are 18 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and two passes defended.
Josh Newton
The Bengals drafted Josh Newton in the fifth round. The fifth-round rookie should push for a role on the defense. Newton has shown great potential through games this preseason, but he has had some ups and downs.
Overall, his play has warranted a spot on the defense for the 2024 season. Through two games, Newton has 7 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 passes defended, and one interception (against Tampa Bay) in preseason week 1.
Newton’s strong showings in practice and the final preseason game this week could determine his depth chart position. He needs to make every snap count to carve out some playing time in the regular season in a hopefully much-improved secondary in 2024.
Final Thoughts
The regular season can’t come soon enough. Everyone in the Cincinnati area is excited for the Bengals to return. The preseason has been about what everyone expected as far as the starters go, but there have been some great contributions from some of the young guys and rookies. Who Dey nation has a lot of good to look forward to in 2024.
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