Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Demetrius Knight Jr. needs to hit the ground running as Cincinnati's new starting linebacker

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.

44 days remain until the Bengals' first game of the 2025 season, putting No. 44 Demetrius Knight Jr. in the spotlight.

Demetrius Knight Jr.

Age: 25
Year: 1st
Position: Linebacker
College: South Carolina
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 44

Knight enters his first season in the NFL and with the Bengals after being drafted 49th overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent one year at South Carolina after one year at Charlotte and three full years at Georgia Tech. He never started a single game for GT, but he balled out for Charlotte, earning First Team All-AAC honors while oftentimes delivering DoorDash after games with his wife to support their family. South Carolina came calling in 2024 and he started his first and final year at Power 4 college program, a move that ultimately helped put him on the map to be drafted early in 2025 despite being older than almost everyone in his class.

Cincinnati knew linebacker was going to be a need in this year's draft with Germaine Pratt having one foot out the door. Knight ended up being their target once the second round began. New defensive coordinator Al Golden remarked following the pick he anticipated Knight being the pick if he was available in the middle of the second round.

"I was waiting for this pick for 17 picks right now," Golden said after Knight's name was called. "I was waiting for Demetrius. We are very fortunate to have him." 

The Bengals now have their direct replacement for Pratt in a defense under new direction, and they're fortunate he's actually able to participate in training camp right now.

Contract Details

Knight signed his four-year, $9,012,498 rookie contract on July 19, the same day Bengals rookies reported to training camp. Knight and Cincinnati waited until the last day to reach an agreement because most other second-round picks were hoping to sign fully guaranteed contracts. That hope died for most, including Knight, when San Francisco 49ers DT Alfred Collins signed for only 87% guaranteed.

Knight accepted a deal that's 79% guaranteed. He's already earning a signing bonus of $3,194,544 this year and his base salary of $840,000 this season is fully guaranteed. His cash earnings for this year amount to $4,034,544.

When adding on his signing bonus proration of $798,636, Knight's salary cap hit for the 2025 season is $1,638,636.