The Story of Bengals undrafted free agent Quinton Flowers

The Cincinnati Bengals made a group of signings for undrafted free agents following the draft. One included South Florida Quinton Flowers.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted quarterback Logan Woodside out of Toledo in the seventh-round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Following the end of the draft, Cincinnati made a group of undrafted free agent signings including South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers. The interesting part of the signing is that the Bengals are not interested in Flowers as a quarterback.

Both running backs coach Kyle Caskey and wide receivers coach Robert Bicknell were at USF’s pro day expressing their interest in Flowers being an offensive weapon. It’s unknown whether at running back or wide receiver, but Flowers is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. During his time at USF, he set or tied 42 records including AAC’s all-time leader in total offense (11,802).

Before all of this took place, Flowers had a rough childhood starting with his father being killed in a drive-by shooting at a young age. When he was in high school, he lost his mother to cancer. If that wasn’t enough, his brother was gunned down while protecting kids playing outside just days before his first collegiate start in 2014 against SMU. Flowers was hit with another loss when his grandmother died the prep week before the East-West Shrine Game in January.

After all of that, Flowers wants a shot to play in the NFL. That shot might come at either a running back or slot wide receiver at the next level. Flowers ran the fastest of any quarterback in the combine with his 4.63 40-yard dash. He will most likely get his chance as a running back with his stout frame and quick feet and ability to make plays in space.

ESPN’s Todd McShay gave his opinion on Flowers leading up to the draft.

"I view him quite honestly as more of a developmental running back, offensive weapon-type. He’s 215 pounds, 5-foot-10, ran like a 4.63 (in the 40) at Indianapolis. Not great speed, but obviously he can do some things with the ball in his hands. If he wants to make a run at quarterback, I think it’s probably gonna be as an undrafted free agent who may have to bounce around in some different leagues and just get some experience and continue to work on his footwork."

Next: Bengals have faith in offensive line talent

At the age of 22, no one should see as much loss as Flowers has in his lifetime. Wanting to make it into the NFL and reach his dreams, he also wants to support his family, including his daughter. This is a kid that has shown he can overcome adversity and be a great young man and leader. Flowers has demonstrated his drive and hard work through his struggles to get here, and I hope that the Bengals can find a spot on this team for him to contribute.

Make sure to keep track of the Bengals undrafted free agents on our Undrafted Free Agent Tracker.