Trio of Bengals earn elite grades in first preseason game

Cincinnati Bengals fans may not only want to make sure they know how to pronounce his name. They may want to make sure they know his name.

Undrafted free agent linebacker Maema Njongmeta (moo-muh-john-met-uh) earned the highest PFF grade for the Bengals' preseason opener Saturday with a 91.5. Njongmeta led the Bengals with 10 tackles on Saturday night, seven of them solo, and added two passes defended.

Njongmeta was one of three players to earn a PFF grade over 90 on Saturday. Rookie sixth-round cornerback Josh Newton earned a 90.5 grade, picking off a pass in the second quarter and adding two tackles.

In addition, cornerback Dax Hill graded out at 90.2. In his first game at cornerback, Hill had three passes defended and four tackles. Two of those three passes defended could have easily resulted in interceptions.

Tee Higgins and Cordell Volson each graded out at 80.2 to round out the top five. Higgins caught a touchdown on the Bengals' first possession, one of two catches he had on the drive.

The Bengals are in Chicago to play the Bears on Saturday in their second preseason game. Before that, though, the Bengals and Bears will take part in a joint practice on Thursday in Chicago.

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