‘Bad Shot, Bad Shot, Good Shot’ – Bengals Rookie Maema Njongmeta Learning on Fly in Bid To Make 53-Man Roster

CINCINNATI — There was a play in Saturday’s preseason game at Chicago that helped make the case for undrafted rookie linebacker Maema Njongmeta to make the Cincinnati Bengals‘ 53-man roster.

There also was a play that gave the Cincinnati coaches pause about whether Njongmeta was ready.

They were the same play.

UDFA Njongmeta Making Case For Bengals 53-Man Roster

With the Bears facing 2nd-and-21 early in the second quarter, Caleb Williams threw a screen pass to running back Khari Blasingame.

Njongmeta eluded two Chicago blockers and stood up Blasingame for no gain and one of his team-high seven tackles.

“He makes a great play on the screen, but what did he do? He jumped under two blockers,” Bengals linebackers coach James Bettcher said. “That’s one of those ‘bad shot, bad shot, good shot. He made a great play, but ultimately we’ve got to learn from a team defense standpoint, we’ve got to get the ball back.”

Njongmeta said he knew in the moment what he was doing wasn’t sound from a technique standpoint.

“It was a cool play, but I was like ‘ugh.’ I knew it as I doing it,” he said. “It looks flashy. But it was actually really bad ball. I’m the edge of the defense there. If I miss that tackle, he’s hitting his head on the goal post.

“Stuff like that flies in college maybe, but up here, I need to make sure I’m playing team defense.”

To be clear, there is plenty of film of Njongmeta flying around making plays within the scheme of the defense. He led the Bengals in tackles in the preseason opener with 10, to go along with two pass defenses.

Against the Bears, Njongmeta got his first career tackle for loss, stoning Khalil Herbert in the hole for a loss of a yard on 2nd-and-1.

Njongmeta’s 17 tackles in the preseason, tied for the third most in the league, are a big reason why he enters tonight’s preseason finale against Indianapolis as the favorite to be the fifth linebacker if that’s how many the Bengals keep when the roster cuts are announced Tuesday afternoon.

But for as much as Njongmeta has stood out on the field, it’s the pre- and post-practice meetings that have especially impressed Bettcher.

“His preparation is the thing I don’t want to miss on if I’m gonna talk about him,” he said. “He’s a great note taker, he’s dialed in, he watches extra tape.

“Young players are sometimes, I don’t want to say afraid, but hesitant to ask the questions that need to be asked to fully understand things,” Bettcher continued. “He has no problem asking any question that’s on his mind.”

Njongmeta’s eyes light up when he hears that Bettcher said that. Because preparation hasn’t always been a part of his plan.

Early in his career, the Cameroon-born Njongmeta barely knew the game and thrived purely on instincts and talent.

“In high school, I was just a knucklehead,” he said. “I didn’t understand the aspects of the game.”

He walked on at Wisconsin and flashed early, but Njongmeta was stuck behind Leo Chenal, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, and Jack Sanborn, who started as an undrafted rookie for the Bears in 2022.

Pride Personified. Badger Pride. Maema Njongmeta, UDFA with Bengals. Tim Krumrie, College Football Hall of Famer. Jonathan Taylor, 2-time UW All-American and budding NFL star with Colts. Krumrie showed up at joint practice with Cincy and Indy and set up this priceless snapshot. pic.twitter.com/jPlZperv39

— Mike Lucas (@LucasAtLarge) August 22, 2024

Njongmeta simply watched how they played rather than studying the intricacies of the defense and learning why they did what they were doing.

“My lack of understanding bit me in the butt last year when we got new coaches, and I didn’t really understand the nuances of defense,” Njongmeta admitted.

Despite being a team captain, Njongmeta was briefly benched in October for his inability to play within the scheme. But he rallied to be voted team MVP.

“When I was coming here, I was like, ‘This is my last shot. I really need to get ahead on the details and be on top of that,’” Njongmeta said. “So becoming detail-oriented is something I’ve tried not just to change, but really take pride in.”

Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, and Joe Bachie appear to be locks to make the 53-man roster. That likely leaves one spot.

Cincinnati has kept five linebackers in four of Zac Taylor’s previous five seasons. They kept six in 2020.

FREE: Subscribe to PFN’s NFL Newsletter

The Bengals were one of the teams Njongmeta had circled as a landing spot if he went undrafted. The multiplicity of the defense, something that once intimidated him, was something he wanted to embrace.

The Green Bay Packers called first and offered him a chance to stay in Wisconsin, but they had drafted two linebackers and signed two others as UDFAs.

“They gave one a signing bonus of $1 million and another $600,000, so I didn’t think that was a great situation,” Njongmeta said. “The Bengals offered a signing bonus, then they doubled it, then they tripled it, and I was like, ‘Man, I want to be a Bengal.’”

Realizing the Bengals had four linebackers who have been with the team for a long time, Njongmeta knew special teams could play a big role in making the roster.

Trouble was, he had zero experience in high school or college playing special teams.

“I’ve been making sure my attention to detail is the same for special teams as it is linebacker,” Njongmeta said. “If the coach says something once, I’m not gonna mess it up. It’s been really great to get some live reps in the games. That’s a real confidence boost and something to build on.”

And build he has. Njongmeta logged only four snaps in the preseason opener, but special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons bumped him higher in the rotation at Chicago, where Njongmeta logged a team-high 12 snaps and recorded a tackle.

To those watching from the outside, it looks as though Njongmeta has done more than enough to make the 53-man roster. But from the guy sitting in a cramped corner stall in the small space adjacent to the Bengals’ main locker room, that’s not the case.

“I haven’t done anything yet,” he said.