Bengals Roster: Realistic expectations for Garrett Nelson in 2023

The Cincinnati Bengals filled their practice squad with the maximum 16 players and one of the last players to join the fold was Garrett Nelson. The Nebraska product went undrafted, signed with the Miami Dolphins after the draft, and then was cut by the Dolphins following the preseason.

The Bengals, who seem to like Nebraska players (Stanley Morgan Jr. and Cam Taylor-Britt both played there, as did Zac Taylor... hmmm), signed Nelson and in doing so, cut Tyler Murray from their practice squad.

Now that Nelson is a Bengal, what should be expected of him?

What should Bengals fans expect from Garrett Nelson in 2023?

Nelson did okay during his preseason stint with the Dolphins, notching five tackles and one sack in his three appearances. It's not too likely that we see much of Nelson this year, as he was a last-minute add and doesn't know the system well, but clearly, the Bengals saw something in him.

The Bengals have a lot of tremendous defensive line depth on their roster but Nelson is probably third in command when it comes to d-line call-ups this year. Both Domenique Davis and Jeff Gunter will likely get activated before Nelson if the Bengals end up needing help on their defensive line this year.

All of that being said, Nelson was a team captain during his final year at Nebraska and clearly made enough of an impression on the Bengals front office for them to bring him in late in the process.