Bengals Roster: Realistic expectations for Nate Gilliam in 2023

After going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest, Nate Gilliam signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers on their practice squad. He was with the Chargers still for a bit in 2021 and then spent the rest of the season on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 and -- you guessed it -- spent the season on the practice squad.

During his time at Wake Forest, Gilliam played on the right side of the line, lining up at right guard and right tackle, per Wake Forest's athletics website. He has yet to make an appearance in an NFL regular season game.

What should Bengals fans expect from Nate Gilliam in 2023?

Well, as noted, Gilliam has been in the league for three years and has yet to see the field during the regular season. That will likely continue in 2023, at least assuming he's still on the Bengals' practice squad. Injuries could certainly happen but it'd take a lot of injuries to get Gilliam on the field.

As of now, Gilliam is listed as the third-string left guard on Our Lads' depth chart behind Cordell Volson and Max Scharping. If something happened to Volson, Scharping could step in but there would be other options to toss out there before it came down to Gilliam, such as Jackson Carman, D'Ante Smith, or Hakeem Adeniji if he makes the team.

Gilliam's likely destination for the 2023 season is on the Bengals practice squad but it wouldn't be surprising if he was with a different team altogether.