Njongmeta impressed throughout training camp and proved to be a tenacious, gritty defender as he finished with a team-high 26 tackles, the second-most in the league during preseason. On Tuesday, he was rewarded with the good news he had made the Bengals’ 53-man roster.
“It was really God’s plan because, you know, I wouldn’t have written a story like this, but his plan is better than mine, so I think it is definitely living proof of self belief, also trust in the process, as corny as that sounds, you know, because there were some tough days,” Njongmeta said. “There were days where I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know what’s going to happen next.’ And I think if I just fall apart, or if I let the moment get too big at any moment in time when things are going really well or really poorly, I don’t think I would be here today.”
A native of Cameroon who moved to the United States at age 3, Njongmeta didn’t begin playing football until his freshman year at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill. As a late beginner, he didn’t find his best position until sophomore year on the JV team but earned a starting spot on the varsity team by the next season and was All-State by senior year.
As a three-star recruit, Njongmeta was the No. 33 outside linebacker in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 9 recruit in Illinois. He also had a 34 ACT score getting him offers from Ivy League schools but earned a scholarship offer middle of his senior year to play at Wisconsin and almost immediately committed.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
After redshirting as a freshman, COVID and a groin injury limited him to one game in 2020 and he played just six games off the bench the next season before becoming a starter in 2022 when he led the team with 95 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss. However, early in his final season, Njongmeta was benched and had to work his way back, appearing in all 13 games and finishing with 10 starts.
Njongmeta earned invitations to the 2024 Hula Bowl and the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl but again was overlooked in the NFL Draft. The Bengals gave him an opportunity, and he seized it.
“I’d say, for anyone going down this path, like, forget what the stats are and the odds,” Njongmeta said, noting he never blamed others when things weren’t going well and tried to stay humble when they were. “I’m not saying no plan B. I’m not saying, go all eggs in one basket. I am saying, like, people always tell you the stats. They always tell you the odds. It was something I never thought about. I’ve just been trying to go out there and do what I can with what I have and be the best at it, and it’s taken me this far, and it’s not something I’m taking lightly, and it’s not something I’ll lose sight of moving forward.”
Njongmeta said coming into camp, he was determined to show that despite the knocks on him for lack of speed, he could process the game fast enough to react and make plays. He gained confidence throughout camp, but knew he had to keep improving.
Teammates and friends kept telling him how well he was playing in the preseason and assuring him he would make the Bengals’ roster, but he never let that get to his head. Even when Njongmeta started getting text messages from friends on cutdown day saying they saw news on social media that he made it, he tried not to get his hopes up.
Then, he finally got a call from one of his coaches confirming he had earned the final of five linebacker spots on the roster, joining Akeem Davis-Gaither and Joe Bachie as the backups to Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson.
“To actually have it, you know, really being ink-printed, it was surreal,” Njongmeta said. “It was awesome. It was great, you know, just to be able to commemorate that moment. It was a journey that I feel like I started since the end of last season, and it felt like that was the end of one journey beginning of another. Now we’re on to the regular season, Now I’m here and I gotta stay here. Hard part isn’t always getting here, it’s staying here. So now, my mindset is shifting towards that, but it was really a beautiful thing to be able to celebrate.”
Now the work continues. Njongmeta is third-string on the depth chart right now and needs to be impactful on special teams to have a role on gamedays, at least until the day his number is called on defense. He plans to stay ready.
“Although they might not be turning to me to make plays right now, I know eventually that day will come, and I just need to stay ready so I don’t have to get ready,” Njongmeta said. “So, it’s awesome to be with the guys now, like really on the team, and it’s not something I’ll take for granted. It’s something I’m grateful for every day. I just got to keep getting better.”
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