The Cincinnati Bengals don't typically have a lot of undrafted free agents in legitimate competition for roster spots, but for the second year in a row, we may have ourselves an exception.
After nickelback Bralyn Lux stuck on the practice squad last season and earned starter's reps in the latest minicamp, there's reason to believe at least one new UDFA could stick on the 53-man roster. Who it winds up being is the big question.
In an ideal world, Cincinnati will lean on its veteran core and not worry much about the back end of the roster. But could someone like, say, linebacker Jack Dingle emerge as a training camp surprise? I believe so. As Yoda said in The Empire Strikes Back, though, "There is another."
Liam Brown may crash the party as Bengals' last interior offensive lineman
That's right. His name is Liam Brown. The pride of Montana was a four-year starter for the Grizzlies, and despite being at an FCS program, Brown tested as a legitimately elite athlete at the guard position:
Liam Brown is a OG prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.51 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 95 out of 1904 OG from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/wgflRD06x6 pic.twitter.com/XL19hNtsFx
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 19, 2026
Not that Relative Athletic Score is the end-all, be-all. Still, all those banked reps in college, the versatility to play either guard spot, and a healthy PFF pass blocking grade of 79.9 in 2025 suggest the Bengals may have something in their unheralded rookie.
Fourth-round pick Connor Lew is still recovering from a torn ACL and is strictly a center. His draft classmate, Brian Parker II, is cross-training at center and guard. Kind of a jack of all trades.
But beyond those fellas, and the trio of interior starters in Ted Karras, Dylan Fairchild, and Dalton Risner, there's room for someone like Brown to be a surprise qualifier for the 53-man cut.
Now, of course, this would come at the expense of Jalen Rivers. He was thought to be a possible swing tackle candidate, only to be thrust into duty at guard last year and play some of the worst football at the position in the league. Rivers was dead-last out of 75 qualifying guards in run blocking by PFF's metrics, and 76th out of 77 in pass blocking.
To put it delicately, the bar is rather low for Brown to clear Rivers for the last guard spot. That is, unless one considers Cody Ford as a keeper at the position. Only Ford is more of a struggling swing tackle than anything else, or at least that's how the coaching staff deploys him.
Keep an eye on Liam Brown, y'all. He's probably about to give Jalen Rivers a run for his money.
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