Bengals Roster Breakdown: Elijah Collins has speed on his side to separate from other running backs

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're sticking with the […]

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Elijah Collins
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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're sticking with the running backs and learning about Elijah Collins. His 500th and final career offensive snap in college came against the University of Cincinnati. As fate would have it, he's now playing for the professional squad in town. But will he be on the practice squad or the 53-man roster when September comes around? 

Elijah Collins

  • Age: 23
  • Year: 1st
  • Position: Running back
  • College: Oklahoma State
  • Previous Teams: None
  • Jersey Number: 34

Collins signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He played an entire four-year college career at Michigan State from 2018-22, and was on track to being a difference-maker for all four years following his redshirt season. He rushed for 994 yards and five touchdowns as a first-year starter in 2019, earning him third-team All-Big Ten honors. He carried the ball 221 times that season. He would only get 129 more for the rest of his time in East Lansing. He did finish his career as a team captain in 2022 and punched the ball into the end zone a career-high six times. 

Collins chose Oklahoma State as his super senior destination but only carried the ball 30 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns. 380 total attempts after five years of real playing time is hardly any, but he finished his total collegiate career with a yards per attempt of 4.3 with 13 touchdowns. He ran an impressive 4.51 40-yard dash and jumped 38" in the vertical at the Big 12 pro day, which is impressive considering he weighed in at 212 pounds.

Contract details

Collins signed a three-year college free agent 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 $8,000 signing bonus prorated throughout the deal, his cap hit as of now is $797,666 for the year.

Roster chances

Much like what was said about Noah Cain, Collins arrives in Cincinnati at a great time. The Bengals usually keep four running backs on the roster, and the fourth spot appears to be wide open with Chris Evans looking very expendable with one year remaining on his contract. Zack Moss and Chase Brown are safe, and Trayveon Williams was re-signed this offseason. Training camp and preseason games will help determine the fourth back that remains.

As a fellow UDFA, Collins will likely get the same workload as Cain out the gate. The player who impresses the most during the early part of camp will likely get the first opportunities in the preseason. From there, it's anyone's guess as to which one separates from the other. 

Does it mean much at all for Collins to receive a slightly larger signing bonus than Cain? Probably not. They should be viewed as equals until the pads start hitting. But watch out for Collins' speed when that time comes.

Chances of making the roster: 30%

Previous player breakdowns

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