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 go over the inspiring journey of cornerback Josh Newton. The Bengals' fifth-round pick from this year's NFL Draft spent six years in college at two different programs, and played in a National Championship game. Now he's making an impression on his new team before he's even played a snap.
Josh Newton
- Age: 23
- Year: 1st
- Position: Cornerback
- College: TCU
- Previous Teams: None
- Jersey Number: 28
Newton was drafted by the Bengals with the 149th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent the previous two years starting at cornerback for TCU, but his college career began long before that.
As a two-way player and two-star recruit coming out of high school, Newton received only one FBS offer from his hometown school of Louisiana-Monroe, where he joined the team as a wide receiver. He eventually made the full transition to cornerback full time prior to his first year of playing in 2019, when he started all 12 games. In the shortened 2020 COVID season, he led the team in passes defensed and interceptions and did the same in 2021. He was also on the track team, as it was the first sport he loved. He won a 4X100 national championship all the way back in 2011.
Newton graduated after four years at Monroe and transferred to TCU in 2022. The Horned Frogs took college football by storm that season on its way to their first College Football Playoff berth, and Newton's dominant play at cornerback was significant in their success. He was named First Team All-Big 12 with 15 passes defensed and three interceptions.
Newton decided to return for one last season in 2023 and was even being talked about as a potential first-round pick in 2024. He was named a team captain and called the " least entitled player " head coach Sonny Dykes has ever coached. Despite all the hype from the previous season, Newton struggled oftentimes during a down year for TCU. He ended up at 139th on the Consensus Big Board , which wasn't far off from when Cincinnati finally drafted him.
Contract details
Newton signed a four-year, $4,357,276 deal with the Bengals in May 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 $337,276 signing bonus prorated throughout the deal, his cap hit will be $879,319 for the year.
Roster chances
In general, draft picks taken before the sixth round are virtual locks to make the roster as rookies. They are under contract for four years, and were good enough college prospects to be selected before draft boards start to thin out.
Newton not only qualifies in this regard, he plays a position that should guarantee him a roster spot.
The Bengals are a bit thin at cornerback even with Newton firmly in the second string. Dax Hill or DJ Turner II figure to be the top backup depending on how that battle unfolds , and Newton is likely the next man up in the group. The most likely competition he would have is last year's seventh-round DJ Ivey, who's still recovering from a torn ACL.
All the things that made him special at TCU started to show in his first practices in Cincinnati.
"He makes people uncomfortable, which I love," Cornerbacks coach Charles Burks said of Newton . "Because he's serious. He's got an edge. He's one of these guys who takes it to heart. He wakes up and wants to be the best. He's wired the right way and whenever you're wired that way, it does make people uncomfortable because he's separating himself mentally. Cam (Taylor-Britt) was the same way coming in."
It would make zero sense for the Bengals to cut Newton before he ever plays a regular season snap. He's a high character athlete who fits right in with the rest of the locker room, and he's already important depth at a critical position.He's as close to a lock as you'll find for a fifth-round pick.
Chances of making the roster: 99%
Previous player breakdowns
Related: Bengals Roster Breakdown: Tanner McLachlan's climb continues in deep tight end group
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