Bengals’ waiver claims set to make an immediate impact

The Cincinnati Bengals made important waiver wire additions this week and added depth at several positions. Here’s a brief look at each new player.

Despite their unsuccessful pursuit of O.J. Howard, the Bengals claimed former New England Patriots tight end Devin Asiasi. The former third-rounder didn’t feature much in the starting lineup and only recorded a few catches in his first two seasons.

The Pats could afford losing Asiasi, and he was promptly picked up by a tight end-needy team like the Bengals. Currently, Asiasi sits at TE3 on the depth chart behind Hayden Hurst and Drew Sample.

Cincinnati also picked up guard Max Scharping and defensive tackle Jay Tufele.

A quick look at the Bengals’ three new waiver wire additions

Scharping, a 2019 second-rounder, switched positions last season but stayed productive for the Houston Texans. He’ll immediately compete for a backup spot behind Alex Cappa and has a good chance of moving up the depth chart given how poorly the Bengals’ backup offensive line fared in preseason.

As for defensive tackle Jay Tufele, he projects to be more of a developmental project as he enters his second year in the league. Last season at Jacksonville, Tufele featured in four games and struggled in the pass rush and in coverage.

After losing Larry Ogunjobi in free agency, the Bengals added much-needed defensive tackle depth in the form of Tufele, though the realistic expectation is for him to continue honing his skills as a depth piece in the interior defense.

Overall, a pretty eventful waiver wire period for the Bengals, who will likely continue making minor changes and shuffling their roster ahead of the 2022 season.