Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati’s regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day’s highlighted player.

17 days remain until the Bengals’ first game of the 2025 season, giving us some time with No. 17 Cole Burgess.

Cole Burgess

Age: 25
Year: 2nd
Position: Wide receiver
College: SUNY Cortland
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 17

Burgess enters his second season in the NFL and with the Bengals after going undrafted during the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent six years at SUNY Cortland but only played in four seasons due to COVID-19 cancelling 2020 and a suspension knocking him out of 2021. He caught 178 passes for 3,133 yards and 35 TDs in 43 career games played. Cincinnati waived Burgess during final cuts last year but retained him on the practice squad. He spent the entire 2024 season on the practice squad and was brought back this offseason on a futures deal.

Contract Details

Burgess signed a one-year, $840,000 contract with the Bengals this offseason, which amounts to total potential cash earnings and salary cap hit for the season.

Roster Outlook

Burgess came in last year as a promising undrafted free agent from offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher’s alma mater, but he couldn’t quite crack the 53-man roster at such a stacked position group. The wide receiver room only became tougher this offseason and his fate is likely to be the same.

Only Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Jermaine Burton, who didn’t play in Monday night’s preseason victory over the Washington Commanders, have fewer snaps this preseason than Burgess for wideouts. That doesn’t bode well for him fending off others for a return trip to the practice squad, which is why he may also be looking for practice squad openings elsewhere.

Roster odds: 5%
Projected role: Reserve wide receiver

Previous Player Profiles

• No. 99: Myles Murphy
• No. 98: T.J. Slaton Jr.
• No. 97: Shemar Stewart
• No. 96: Cam Sample
• No. 95: Howard Cross III
• No. 94: Eric Gregory
• No. 93: McKinnley Jackson
• No. 92: B.J. Hill
• No. 91: Trey Hendrickson
• No. 90: Kris Jenkins Jr.
• No. 89: Drew Sample
• No. 88: Mike Gesicki
• No. 87: Tanner Hudson
• No. 86: Kole Taylor
• No. 85: Cam Grandy
• No. 84: Tanner McLachlan
• No. 83: Erick All Jr.
• No. 82: Mitchell Tinsley
• No. 81: Jermaine Burton
• No. 80: Andrei Iosivas
• No. 79: Andrew Coker
• No. 77: Caleb Etienne
• No. 76: Devin Cochran
• No. 75: Orlando Brown Jr.
• No. 74: Jalen Rivers
• No. 73: Andrew Stueber
• No. 71: Amarius Mims
• No. 69: Dante Barnett
• No. 68: Seth McLaughlin
• No. 67: Cordell Volson
• No. 66: Tashawn Manning
• No. 65: Matt Lee
• No. 64: Ted Karras
• No. 63: Dylan Fairchild
• No. 62: Lucas Patrick
• No. 61: Cody Ford
• No. 60: Jaxson Kirkland
• No. 59: Craig Young
• No. 58: Joseph Ossai
• No. 56: Raymond Johnson III
• No. 55: Logan Wilson
• No. 53: Joe Giles-Harris
• No. 52: Cedric Johnson
• No. 51: Isaiah Thomas
• No. 50: Shaka Heyward
• No. 49: Barrett Carter
• No. 48: Cal Adomitis
• No. 47: Shaquan Loyal
• No. 46: William Wagner
• No. 45: Maema Njongmeta
• No. 44: Demetrius Knight Jr.
• No. 43: Jaylen Key
• No. 42: Oren Burks
• No. 41: Nate Brooks
• No. 40: Quali Conley
• No. 39: Lance Robinson
• No. 38: DJ Ivey
• No. 37: PJ Jules
• No. 36: Kendall Milton
• No. 35: Jalen Davis
• No. 34: Samaje Perine
• No. 33: Daijahn Anthony
• No. 32: Gary Brightwell
• No. 30: Chase Brown
• No. 29: Cam Taylor-Britt
• No. 28: Josh Newton
• No. 27: Jordan Battle
• No. 26: Tycen Anderson
• No. 25: Tahj Brooks
• No. 24: Marco Wilson
• No. 23: Dax Hill
• No. 22: Geno Stone
• No. 21: Bralyn Lux
• No. 20: DJ Turner II
• No. 19: Kendric Pryor
• No. 18: Isaiah Williams