John Brannon joined the Cincinnati Bengals roster in December of last year. What should fans expect from the cornerback in 2022?
Even the diehard Cincinnati Bengals fans might not be familiar with the name John Brannon. The Western Carolina product was an undrafted free agent by the Chargers in the 2020 season and appeared in just one game for them, appearing in 64% of special teams snaps and only 9% of defensive snaps.
Brannon joined the Bengals’ practice squad in December of last season and spent limited time on the active roster. He was signed by the team in February.
The Bengals’ cornerback position is arguably the weakest on the roster but they went to work on addressing it this offseason. They re-signed Eli Apple, who came on strong in the second half of last season and also drafted Cam Taylor-Britt out of Nebraska in the second round.
Brannon hasn’t had much experience in a regular-season game and when he was on the field, it was mostly as a special teams contributor. That’s likely going to be the case if he makes the 53-man roster in Cincinnati.
#Bengals roster moves:
— Marisa Contipelli (@BengalsMarisa) January 1, 2022
LB Germaine Pratt & QB Brandon Allen have been added to the active roster off of the COVID/reserve list.
CB John Brannon, QB Jake Browning and WR Trent Taylor have been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for tomorrow’s game.
Bengals Roster: What should fans expect from John Brannon?
As mentioned above, if Brannon finds his way onto the 53-man roster, he probably won’t be anything more than a special teams guy. If injuries occur, there’s a chance that he moves up on the depth chart and sees more playing time on defense but if the players remain healthy, Brannon probably won’t be on the field much.
The cornerback position is an interesting one for the Bengals. Apple likely wins the starting job and Brannon won’t factor into that competition but he could be someone to watch this summer as a third-string option. He’ll be competing with undrafted free agents Bookie Radley-Hines, Delonte Hood, and Abu Daramy-Swaray for a spot on the 53-man roster.
What do you expect from John Brannon this year?