What to expect from Bengals rookies in Week 1 vs. Vikings
By Alex Austin
The Cincinnati Bengals will be relying on a few rookies to have breakout performances this year, and that starts in the first game.
The NFL is back and for the first time in 2021, fans will get to see their starters play a full game. Every team has hopes and expectations, which are added to by the excitement of rookies entering the team and injecting fresh talent.
The Bengals are no different in their hopes riding on the backs of first-year players. With such a young team in general, Cincinnati needs their rookies to step up to elevate the overall level of the team.
Cincinnati already lost one of their most stand-out rookies from the preseason, Joseph Ossai, so he will unfortunately not play a factor this week. The only other rookie that cannot make an impact is Wyatt Hubert who was also injured and slated to miss the entire season.
The rest of the players have the potential to contribute. Most will ride the bench and only step in to fill an injury, but there are a few role players and starters that could turn the tide for Cincinnati.
Here is what to expect from each rookie, from the least to the highest chance to impact their upcoming game.