{"id":42380,"date":"2026-01-25T14:39:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T14:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=42380"},"modified":"2026-01-25T14:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T14:39:59","slug":"bengals-rookie-grades-feel-incomplete-going-into-critical-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=42380","title":{"rendered":"Bengals rookie grades feel incomplete going into critical offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/0dsctNaZquvwNRa4h84sng--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTQyNztjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cincinnati_bengals_wire_usa_today_sports_articles_393\/d7e1a785234eb429f928d119150f81fe\" alt=\"Bengals rookie grades feel incomplete going into critical offseason - Yahoo  Sports\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In hindsight, the Cincinnati Bengals had a rollercoaster of a 2025 NFL draft class.<\/p>\n<p>Fans know about the struggles of first-round pick Shemar Stewart and linebackers Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter.<\/p>\n<p>But the Bengals also got a fantastic rookie debut from guard Dylan Fairchild, who played a key role in forming the best offensive line of the Joe Burrow era.<\/p>\n<p>Zooming out, here\u2019s a quick look at Bengals rookie grades from Pro Football Focus:<\/p>\n<h2>Bengals rookie grades<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\">Dylan Fairchild, G: 61.4<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\">Demetrius Knight Jr., LB: 41.4<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\">Barrett Carter, LB: 39.4<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\">Jalen Rivers, G: 30.8<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\">Shemar Stewart, DE: 41.0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\">Tahj Brooks, RB: 48.7<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fairchild\u2019s grade actually ranked fifth among all rookie guards. The Bengals are hoping that the effort to rebuild midseason with rookie linebackers pays off with much higher grades next year.<\/p>\n<p>And Stewart, the first-rounder, had multiple injury issues after the stunted offseason, so likewise, they\u2019re hoping the grade takes a big jump next year.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Of note on limited snaps, Howard Cross graded at a 48.3 on the defensive line and cornerback Bralyn Lux had a 73.7 on a small sample size, so they\u2019re pieces potentially sticking around for a while.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Bengals hope these rookie grades take a big jump in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1452,65,2595,1316,1956,73,1253,1629],"class_list":["post-42380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cincinnati-bengals","tag-barrett-carter","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-demetrius-knight","tag-dylan-fairchild","tag-jalen-rivers","tag-joe-burrow","tag-shemar-stewart","tag-tahj-brooks"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - 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