Any good NFL team is going to have a healthy mix of older, more experienced veteran players with plenty of promising young talents waiting in the wings for their chance to shine. While the Cincinnati Bengals aren’t exactly short on young players, the NFL world is not terribly impressed with them, which could become a problem.
Aaron Schatz, an NFL analyst for ESPN, ranked all 32 NFL teams based on their young, under-25 players and the Bengals checked in near the bottom at No. 25, an eight-slot drop from Schatz’s 2024 rankings. To be fair, though, much of that fall can be attributed to superstar receiver Ja’Marr Chase turning 25-years-old in March and thus no longer qualifying.
Only one of Cincinnati’s young talents made the cut as a blue-chip player, and that was second-year offensive tackle Amarius Mims, though Schatz did make mention of a few other young players with upside.
Justifying this ranking, Schatz writes, “Let's start the Bengals off with last year's first-round pick, Mims. He started 13 games in 2024 and turns 23 in mid-October. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. also has an October birthday, but he'll be 24. Second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. is already 25 years old, but first-round edge rusher Shemar Stewart is only 21 and third-round guard Dylan Fairchild is 22.”
It’s hard to argue with this ranking objectively. As aforementioned, Chase has aged out of these rankings, as has Tee Higgins. Joe Burrow, Trey Hendrickson, Orlando Brown Jr., and B.J. Hill left 25-years-old behind a long time ago. The overwhelming majority of Cincinnati’s talent lies in its older core of players.
There remains plenty of upside among the young fellas. Kris Jenkins Jr. and Demetrius Knight Jr. both have solid potential as key defenders. Rookie Shemar Stewart, who finally signed his rookie contract, has the potential to be a true game-wrecker and perennial All-Pro if coached up properly. But they’re going to need time. As for the 2025 season, the Bengals will have to lean on their veterans. Considering their veterans consist of a superstar receiver and one of the most dominant quarterbacks in football, that’s not such a bad thing.