Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Bralyn Lux takes familiar position with a number directly associated with it

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.

21 days (three weeks!) remain until the Bengals’ first game of the 2025 season, introducing us to Cincinnati's new No. 21 Bralyn Lux.

Bralyn Lux

Age: 24
Year: 1st
Position: Cornerback
College: Texas Tech
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 21

Lux enters his first season in the NFL and with the Bengals after going undrafted during the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent two years at Texas Tech after playing three years at Fresno State, close to his hometown of San Jose, California. where he played in 39 games (21 starts). He played in 27 games (22 starts) for the Bulldogs before transferring and starting 17 of 21 games for the Red Raiders.

Contract Details

Lux signed a three-year, $2.975 million college free agent deal in May. He's already earned a $10,000 signing bonus and can earn $840,000 as a base salary this year if he makes the team. His potential cash earnings for the season amount to $850,000 and his salary cap hit is $843,333.

Roster Outlook

Lux's preseason debut showed how the Bengals view him. He played 38 of 42 snaps in the slot, and wearing the number Mike Hilton used to sport makes it all the more fitting.

Is he going to make the roster? Highly doubtful. The top five spots at cornerback are pretty much locked in, and two of those names, Dax Hill and Josh Newton, both play the nickelback role well. Is there anything stopping the coaches from bringing back to the practice squad as an extra backup with Hill still not even a year removed from his torn ACL? Not at all. It may come down to how the waiver wire process goes, but Lux has two weeks to make his case.

Roster odds: 10%
Projected role: Reserve cornerback

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