When the 2023 NFL Draft came to a close, Auburn's Shedrick Jackson was still waiting for his NFL home. He ended up signing with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent.
Let's get this out of the way -- You might have heard that Jackson is the nephew of former Raiders legend Bo Jackson. The rookie even joked about how he's a better athlete than Uncle Bo.
While Bengals fans would love for that to end up being true, Jackson has a tough road ahead of him when it comes to making the 53-man roster.
What should Bengals fans expect from Shedrick Jackson in 2023?
Before we dive into Jackson's potential role with Cincinnati in 2023, let's first take a look at the Bengals' wide receiver situation.
We know that Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd are the starters and therefore are locks to make the roster. Trenton Irwin is also pretty close to a sure thing to make the team. That takes the Bengals up to four receivers out of maybe seven but more likely six.
The other two spots are, in all likelihood, going to come down to the two drafted rookies Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas and then long-time special teams contributor Stanley Morgan Jr. Unless Jackson tears it up in camp and preseason, he's probably going to get cut.
Maybe Jackson makes the practice squad but with the other receivers the Bengals could opt to keep on there over him (Morgan, Kwamie Lassiter, Trent Taylor, Malachi Carter, Mac Hippenhammer), that's not a guarantee.
I wouldn't expect much from Shedrick Jackson in 2023, at least not as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.