Cincinnati Bengals Writer Says Undrafted Rookie Has Locked Up Roster Spot

The Cincinnati Bengals are moving towards the regular season as cutdown day approaches and players put up their final efforts to try to make the roster.

With only 53 spots to go around, difficult decisions have to be made by general managers across the league in order to field the best possible rosters and keep the best players in the building while letting other talented players walk.

Generally, the path to making the roster for a player signed as an undrafted free agent is difficult, but not at all impossible. One Cincinnati Bengals undrafted rookie, linebacker Maema Njongmeta out of Wisconsin , has been a pleasant surprise during the preseason. Michael Kaskey-Blomain of StripeHype wrote in his ' Three Bengals who have locked up roster spots ' article that Njongmeta has done enough to prove that he belongs on the team.

"In the preseason opener Njongmeta led the Bengals with 10 total tackles and two passes defended. He ended up being the team's highest-graded player from the game -- a very impressive feat considering that it was his first ever professional performance," Kaskey-Blomain wrote . "In Cincinnati's second exhibition against the Bears in Chicago, Njongmeta again led the team in total tackles with eight, including one tackle for a loss. Some of his production in that game came against Chicago's starters, too. The Bengals could use some depth at linebacker, and considering how well he played in the first two exhibitions, it would be surprising if Njongmeta wasn't on the final roster."

With one more game for Cincinnati on Thursday night and exactly one week until cut day on August 27, Njongmeta will have one more shot to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that he has earned a spot.