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 take a closer look at wide receiver Charlie Jones. The man Gus Johnson called "Chuck Sizzle" a couple years back started to heat up as a rookie last season before a midseason injury snuffed the flame. Now with added competition to the receivers room, 2024 looks like is an important year for one of the oldest-yet-young players on the team.
Charlie Jones
- Age: 25
- Year: 2nd
- Position: Wide receiver
- College: Purdue
- Previous Teams: None
- Jersey Number: 15
Jones was drafted by the Bengals with the 131st overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He finished his college career playing one season at Purdue after initially playing two years at Iowa and two years at Buffalo prior to that.
Following a 2018 redshirt freshman campaign at Buffalo featuring 18 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns, he wanted to get closer to his home of Deerfield, Illinois and transferred to Iowa as a walk-on. It was with the Hawkeyes that Jones started making a name for himself. He sat out all of 2019 due to transfer rules, but earned a scholarship following the 2020 season in which he was named Second Team All-Big Ten as a punt returner, leading the conference with an average of 10.1 yards per return. He would follow that year by earning Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year honors in 2021 as he led the conference with 635 kickoff return yards.
While Jones was getting it done in the return game, but Iowa's lack of a true passing game had him wanting to transfer again. He played his final year of eligibility at Purdue in 2022 with his childhood friend Aidan O'Connell as his quarterback, and the two connected more than any other QB-WR duo in the country. Jones led the entire FBS in receptions with 110 and posted 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns. That he only had three drops might be even more impressive.
Jones was 24 years old by the time he entered the 2023 draft, but with an impressive resume as a return specialist and a year's worth of tape in an actual passing offense, the Bengals took a swing on him in the fourth round. He exited his first training camp and preseason as the team's starting punt returner despite suffering a torn labrum early in camp, and it took him two weeks to make a real impact. His 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens was the first punt return touchdown the Bengals had in 11 years. The following week, Jones injured his thumb and missed the next six games. Such an extended absence really put him behind the likes of Trenton Irwin and Andrei Iosivas on the depth chart as a receiver, and Jones went on to post pedestrian return yardage in the final eight games.
Contract details
Jones is in the second year of his four-year, $4,518,776 rookie contract. He will earn a base salary of $915,000 for the 2024 season.
When adding on the $678,776 signing bonus that's been prorated throughout the entirety of his deal, Burton's cap hit for the season will be $1,084,694.
Roster chances
It's anyone's guess as to how receivers below Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins end up being ordered on the Bengals' Week 1 depth chart, but Jones has a greater chance being closer to sixth than third. Iosivas and Irwin have each earned more trust than him, and rookie Jermaine Burton's sheer talent will be too great to keep him outside the top four.
Only Irwin has the punt return experience Jones has, but that Jones should be able to keep that role for this season. That will guarantee he's active for game days even if his usage on offense doesn't see a bump.
Cutting a fourth-round pick before his second season begins is rather unlikely, but Jones' injury-filled rookie season didn't do him much favors. If he can make it through camp without too many bumps and bruises, he should begin showing signs of development as a receiver and safely make it through cuts.
Chances of making the roster: 95%
Previous player breakdowns
Related: Bengals Roster Breakdown: Jermaine Burton unlocks a new level for Cincinnati's offense to reach
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