5 Cincinnati Bengals that will suprise fans in 2022

2.  Khalid Kareem

Khalid Kareem is someone who got noticed by Bengals fans when he had the clutch strip-sack against the Denver Broncos inside the 10-yard line that paved the way for a vital win late in the Cincinnati season.

Kareem won’t be an every-down type starter, but he will be a critical rotational pass rusher with Larry Ogunjobi not on the team anymore. His snap total rose in the postseason when Ogunjobi was hurt, and fans should see a lot more of a similar look just with Joseph Ossai and possible rookie defensive linemen in the picture.

Kareem had a slight decrease in production from 2020 to 2021, but a lot like Davis-Gaither, this is a critical season for Kareem and for the Bengals to analyze why they have in the Notre Dame product.

Many players have contract years coming up, and more than likely, Duke Tobin will need to shed salary consistently in the offseason to re-sign the guys they want. Likewise, Kareem will have to show why a piece is not worth releasing in the summer.