Jay Tufele still has upside for the Bengals

Jay Tufele is one of the newest members of the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. He was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who went 3-14 last year.

So how does the worst team in the division not have room for a player but the best team in the division does?

For one thing, our John Sheeran tells us, the Bengals were interested in taking Tufele, who never reached his potential at USC, in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he went five picks earlier, and Cincinnati took Cam Sample, which has worked out nicely.

And we all know how strongly the Bengals’ scout team feels about their initial evaluations.

The other major factor, though, is that Tufele seems to have been the odd man out in Jacksonville. “Whether it was injuries or just not getting on the field because he was a fourth round pick on a stacked defensive line, Tufele looks like a guy the Bengals can develop,” Sheeran said.

So what does the future hold for Tufele, and how does he fit in? “He’s still only 23 years old, and I think he has some pop to his game,” Sheeran said. “Because the Bengals run so many odd fronts and have three defensive tackles on the field, they need depth there.” In other words, he fills a need and may have a bigger opportunity down the road if everything goes well.

You can listen to our full analysis of the new members of the roster below:

You can also listen on iTunes or using the player below: