Bengals Roster: Realistic expectations for Raymond Johnson III in 2023
When discussing the defensive linemen on the Cincinnati Bengals' roster, Raymond Johnson III might be one of the forgotten ones. Johnson went undrafted out of Georgia Southern and spent the 2021 season with the New York Giants and appeared in 15 games.
Following that season, Johnson was waived by the G-Men and the Bengals signed him in August 2022. He then went on to spend the entire 2022 season on Cincinnati's practice squad and was signed to a reserve/future contract earlier this year.
What should Bengals fans expect from Raymond Johnson III in 2023?
Johnson spent all of last year on the practice squad and that's a likely destination for him again in 2023. Ahead of Johnson on the depth chart are Trey Hendrickson, Myles Murphy, and Tarell Basham, which means that it'll be an uphill climb for Johnson to make the 53-man roster.
Hendrickson and first-rounder Murphy are locks to make the team. Basham was signed in free agency this year and while he's a local guy (he played college ball at Ohio), that's not going to guarantee him a spot on the team. Basham will be Johnson's main competition in training camp and preseason. If he outplays him, a roster spot could be up for grabs but more than likely, he'll land on the practice squad.
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It won't be an easy ride for Johnson to make the 53-man roster but the Bengals kept him around on the practice squad last year so doing so again this year shouldn't be a problem.