The Bengals' secondary should once again be one of the team's biggest strength when 2016 finals kicks off.
Between George Iloka and Shawn Williams both returning as full-time starters after signing big extensions, no one is challenging them this season, and likely for the foreseeable future for a starting role. Safety is simply not a position with much concern in terms of who the starters will be, but there is quite a bit of doubt in regards to who will be the No. 3 and No. 4s to back them up.
With Reggie Nelson gone and Williams now being a starter opposed to coming off the bench, there's a rare lack of proven depth on the bench if either starter gets injured. We've been accustomed to seeing guys like Chris Crocker, Gibril Wilson, Jeromy Miles and Kyries Hebert offer Cincinnati experience along the last line of defense.
Now, the Bengals will need the likes of Derron Smith, Clayton Fejedelem and Floyd Raven to step up and give them viable depth at safety. For Raven, this may be the best shot at making an NFL team the 23-year-old journeyman gets.
Raven joined the Bengals last year as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M, and got a $5,500 signing bonus in the process. Now, he'll look to crack the 53-man roster in 2016 after failing to do so last year. After spending time with the Bengals last offseason and preseason, he ended up spending the regular-season on the Patriots' practice squad before re-joining the Bengals this offseason.
Player Info
College: Texas A&M
Position: Safety
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 202 pounds
Age: 23
Born: 12/31/1992
Experience: 1st season
Contract
2016 Stock
On one hand, Raven's stock should be about as low as it can for an NFL player. That is in no way a knock on Raven's ability, but in football, you're only as good as what your film says. Simply put, that film doesn't exist for Raven.
With safety being as deep as it was last offseason with Shiloh Keo, Derron Smith and Erick Dargan in addition to Nelson, Williams and Iloka, Raven was never able to get considerable snaps in camp and the preseason. That's why he's a big unknown to this point, even though he wound up spending time on the Patriots practice squad before eventually being cut by them, too.
The Bengals bringing raven back suggests the team liked what they saw in him to some degree.
Roster Chances
Also working in Raven's favor is the lack of established depth at this position going into training camp, so in theory, Raven's stock is actually higher than a lot of guys on the 90-man roster just due to the fact that his road to a roster spot is much easier.
Still, it's really hard to see Raven making the final roster when we've not seen him much at all in the NFL. For all we know, he's a stud just waiting to get his shot. But history suggests guys who can't even get reps in practice have no business getting them in real games. That's why it's really hard to see him even cracking the practice squad this year.