Bengals Roster Breakdown: Allan George can seize opportunity at cornerback he's longed for

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, cornerback Allan George gets […]

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Allan George
© Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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, cornerback Allan George gets the spotlight. George has been a consistent presence on the Bengals' practice squad over the last two seasons, but hasn't played in a game since 2022. He's looking to change that this year. 

Allan George

  • Age: 24
  • Year: 3rd
  • Position: Cornerback
  • College: Vanderbilt
  • Previous Teams: None
  • Jersey Number: 42

George signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He brought an SEC pedigree with him to Cincinnati after playing four years at Vanderbilt, appearing in 45 games and starting 26 of them. His most active season was 2019 when he made 10 starts and posted 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, six passes defensed, and an interception. That was also the year he squared off against Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, whom scored one of four touchdowns against George in a 66-38 win for LSU.

All of that experience against high-level competition paid off for George as he survived final cuts as a rookie in 2022. Fellow rookie Cam Taylor-Britt's preseason injury helped George become one of the top six cornerbacks on the initial 53-man roster, but he was soon waived and brought back to the practice squad for Week 1. He spent the first eight weeks there until he was elevated for his first game in Week 9. He was elevated two more times later in the season and eventually signed onto the active roster right before the playoffs to play in his fourth and final game of the season.

Getting signed off the practice squad gave George a two-year minimum contract, so the Bengals didn't have to re-sign him in the 2023 offseason. He failed to make it through final cuts this time around, but was once again brought back onto the practice squad. He wasn't elevated to the active roster at any point during the season.

Contract details

George signed a one-year futures deal with the Bengals back in January that will pay him the minimum salary for a player with one accrued season this year. 

His salary will cost $915,00 for the entire season if he's kept on the team for the entire regular season, and his cap hit for the year is the same amount.

Roster chances

There are reasons why George has stuck around Cincinnati for going on three years now. He's a quality practice player who's become well versed in the system. He's also fairly young for a player entering his third season as his 25th birthday is later this month. There could be even more development he's yet to undergo with his game; keeping him around for three years has been wise from that perspective. 

Making it past the practice squad is how George will really be able to develop, and he has a decent shot at accomplishing that this year. 

The top five at cornerback are settled with Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, Dax Hill, DJ Turner, and rookie Josh Newton. The sixth will come down to Jalen Davis, DJ Ivey, who's recovering from a torn ACL and may not be healthy in time, rookie UDFA Lance Robinson, and George himself. 

If Ivey were healthy, the spot would likely be his to lose. Since he'll be rehabbing at the start of camp, it gives George a real chance to prove himself worthy over Davis. Considering he plays on the boundary, that should increase his value if it comes down to a tight decision. 

Chances of making the roster: 35%

Previous player breakdowns

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