Shemar Stewart was inactive due to injury, but all of the Bengals’ other draftees and two UDFAs saw action this weekend. Let’s talk about what we saw from the class of 2025.
Second-round pick Demetrius Knight had an off day at linebacker. He was praised throughout training camp, but struggled in the preseason. Then, once the regular season started, you started to look pretty solid.
Unfortunately, this weekend looked more like preseason. Knight took some bad angles in this one, and it hurt the team in run defense. Knight had six total tackles (three solo and three assists).
After not seeing any action on defense a week ago, fourth-round pick Barrett Carter was back in action at linebacker this week. He came in for the dime package as well as relieving Logan Wilson in pass from time to time. He looked pretty solid, and the defense played well with him out there wearing the green dot. He had one tackle and two assists.
The increased emphasis in the run does not mesh well with Dylan Fairchild’s strength as a pass blocker. This led to some struggles for the third-round guard. He looked passable as a pass blocker but rough as a run blocker.
Jalen Rivers was the opposite. The fifth round pick came in at right guard when Dalton Risner went down, taking 41 percent of the snaps on the day. He looked okay in the run game, but his pass blocking was suspect.
Linebacker and guard are two of the most difficult positions to adjust to in the NFL. All of these guys have talent and potential. They will make their mistakes, but as long as the trend continues to push their performances upward, they will be successful.
Tahj Brooks continues to impress in kick and punt coverage, but this week he saw some action on offense as well. He didn’t fare much better than Chase Brown did. The sixth-round pick picked up 17 yards on five carries.
Howard Cross was active for the first time this week. The UDFA defensive tackle out of Notre Dame played nine snaps and had his first career tackle.
Of course, the star of the UDFA class is long snapper William Wagner, who seems to have stabilized the kick operation, helping kicker Evan McPherson regain his confidence. Wagner’s long and short snaps have been clean all season.
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