Bengals fifth round pick J.J. Dielman claimed by Rams

The Cincinnati Bengals have lost a member of the 2017 NFL Draft class.

After waiving fifth round offensive lineman J.J. Dielman on Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams claimed him on Sunday. He will now join the 53-man roster in L.A., according to Rich Hammond, a beat writer in L.A.

The former Utah Utes captain started out in college as a right tackle before switching to play the center position in his senior season. Unfortunately, five games into the year he went down with a season-ending foot injury. That injury continued into this year with the Bengals. Dielman was unavailable for OTAs and minicamp but was cleared from his Lisfranc injury in time for training camp. That set him back a bit, which didn’t help toward his bid for a roster spot.

Alex Redmond, an undrafted player who joined the Bengals in 2016 and spent last year on the practice squad, beat Dielman out for the final offensive lineman spot on the team’s 53-man roster.

The Bengals were hoping to get Dielman on the practice squad, but he was exposed to waivers and quickly picked up by the Rams, who had a high priority order.

With experience at tackle and center, Dielman offers versatility, something every NFL team craves.

“I just want to show coach he can trust me and that I’m prepared both physically and mentally,” Dielman told Cincy Jungle in an interview this summer. “I want to be a good teammate and earn the trust of my teammates because that’s one of the most important things if you’re going to play offensive line.”

Now, Dielman will fight to earn playing time with the Rams and join former Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth in L.A.

The only other former Bengals player to be claimed on the waiver wire is safety Demetrious Cox. He’s set to join the Carolina Panthers’ 53-man roster.

Brandon Wilson and Jake Elliott are the two big names to make it through waivers. Both are likely to land on the Bengals’ practice squad.