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Bengals' former late-round draft pick could have big role in 2025

There's a lot to like about the pass-rushing group going into 2025 for the Cincinnati Bengals. Provided, of course, one ignores the messy contract drama for Trey Hendrickson and first-round rookie Shemar Stewart. Advertisement But even including those two, the Bengals have first-round product Myles Murphy and are excited about the return of Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai also likely getting more looks. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic tacked on another name to keep in mind, too: 'Another name of note, further under the radar, is 2024 sixth-round pick Cedric Johnson. He found himself in regular rotations and has received praise from different corners of the building throughout the offseason program. He's the only edge who fits the speed rusher profile at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, and could find a subpackage role because of it.' RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route Advertisement Cedric Johnson was a pretty popular pick in the minds of fans when the Bengals made it in the 2024 draft. Like others before him, he was one of those guys who appeared to have huge upside, once the logjam of names like Sam Hubbard cleared up a bit. Now, it has. Like the rest of the defense, there's some seriously impressive upside, but nothing much has been proven yet. The youth movement is an overall high-upside gamble to complement what should be an elite offense again. Johnson locking down a subpackage role in an effective manner and getting notable snaps would mean the defense is forcing opposing offenses into pass-rushing situations in the first place, which would imply the unit is improved from last year, too. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' former late-round draft pick could have big role in 2025