Throughout the summer leading up to the regular season, we will go through the entire 2024 Cincinnati Bengals roster. Every single day until the season opener against the New England Patriots , we will break down a player on the roster including his background, contract status, and path towards making the team.
Today, we reacquaint ourselves with defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell. An undrafted free agent signing from 2023, Maxwell didn't get to play a preseason game for the Bengals as a rookie due to a season-ending injury. That should change next month as he's back to practicing with plenty to prove.
Devonnsha Maxwell
- Age: 25
- Year: 2nd
- Position: Defensive tackle
- College: Tennessee-Chattanooga
- Previous Teams: None
- Jersey Number: 69
Maxwell signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent all six years in college at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga , where he played five years from 2018-22. Every season Maxwell played was a productive season, starting with his freshman season in '18 when he posted the second-highest sack total for freshman in program history. The sacks kept coming the next two years when he was a First Team All-Southern Conference honoree.
2021 and 2022 were Maxwell's best years as he was a First Team All-America by multiple FCS outlets. His 12 sacks from '21 earned him Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Another eight sacks in '22 gave him a school and Southern Conference record 37.5 for his career.
Maxwell entered the 2023 offseason in Cincinnati with promise. He received a hefty signing bonus relative to the Bengals' standards for UDFAs, and the team needed an injection of pass-rushing talent up the middle. He made it to training camp, but unfortunately suffered a knee injury the first practice of August and was placed on the Reserve/Injured list a week later.
The positive from Maxwell's poor luck was the team could keep him in the building for the entire season, and didn't have to sign him back in the offseason. He remains on the same contract he signed last year, and is now healthy to compete for a roster spot over the next two months.
Contract details
Maxwell signed a three-year college free agent deal with the Bengals last year that will pay him the minimum salary for the 2024 season.
His salary will cost $795,000 for the entire season if he's kept on the team for the entire regular season, but with a $25,000 signing bonus prorated throughout the deal, his cap hit as of now is $803,333 for the year.
Roster chances
Much has changed at the defensive tackle position for the Bengals. No DJ Reader clogging the middle has created a need for new blood, which is where draft picks Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson come into play. The group usually goes either four or five deep, and with a committee expected to take on Reader's role, more depth is likely the answer.
The favorite to win that fifth spot is not Maxwell. Third-year player Zach Carter is the more likely candidate to fill out the room, but his lackluster first two years with the defense make him far from a lock. Maxwell's main goal should be to make the practice squad over or alongside the likes of Domenique Davis and Travis Bell. All three players have roughly the same chance at making the team behind another vet in Jay Tufele.
Maxwell lost plenty of development time due to injury, but it's not out of the question he shines in his first taste of preseason action.
Chances of making the roster: 10%
Previous player breakdowns
Related: Bengals Roster Breakdown: Austin McNamara can become Cincinnati's long-term answer at punter
Local Cincinnati, OH
Most Popular
Comments / 0