Bengals rookie is on track to make the 53-man roster and the rest of the NFL forgot to draft him

Maema Njongmeta is ensuring that he won't be denied.

The NFL already overlooked him by not selecting him during the 2024 NFL Draft. Now after two preseason games with the Cincinnati Bengals, the rookie linebacker looks like a man on a mission.

If that mission is to make the initial 53-man roster, he should find himself to be successful.

Maema Njongmeta puts together another great preseason performance

Njongmeta has now led the Bengals' defense in tackles in back-to-back weeks. He posted 10 in his debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, and eight against the Chicago Bears Saturday afternoon. He entered the game much later against the Bucs' backups last week. He got a taste of the Bears' starters in the first half this time around.

More accurately, the Bears got a taste of him.

Cincinnati put him in on the defense's third series. After assisting in a coverage tackle to make it second-and-1, Njongmeta burst through his run fit to tackle Khalil Herbert for a loss of one. The tackle for loss helped the Bengals get off the field for their third-straight forced three-and-out against the Bears' starting offense.

Every moment wasn't perfect. Njongmeta took a bad angle on the first play of the next drive and fellow rookie Rome Odunze ran around him for 16 yards. Three plays later, he got out in space again, disregarded a block with haste, and stopped a screen right in its tracks for no gain.

Bouncing back quickly from bad moments matters just as much as making great plays in the first place. Coaches remember that when putting together the roster.

Njongmeta is playing significant snaps in the preseason because the starters aren't out there. In a perfect world, he doesn't see the defense while the players ahead of him stay healthy. His play on special teams is how he can make the most impact in the games that matter.

He had a moment for that, too. Flying down the field to cover the Bengals' fifth punt of the day, Njongmeta fought through blocking to make first contact on a tackle that stopped a 17-yard return from going longer.

There's not a box that isn't being checked.

Njongmeta is precisely the player the Bengals needed to step up as the fifth linebacker. Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt remain as the starters, and Akeem Davis-Gaither and Joe Bachie are fine reserves.

If five is indeed the final number, the fifth spot is Njongmeta's to lose.

Related: Cincinnati Bengals 53-man roster projection following first week of preseason