Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Josh Newton eyeing starting job after inspiring end to rookie season

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.

28 days remain until the Bengals’ first game of the 2025 season, bringing us back to the secondary with No. 28 Josh Newton.

Josh "Fig" Newton

Age: 25
Year: 2nd
Position: Cornerback
College: TCU
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 28

Newton enters his second season in the NFL and with the Bengals after being drafted 149th overall in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent two years at TCU and the previous four years at Louisiana-Monroe where he played in 31 games. He played and started 27 games for the Horned Frogs, recording 68 tackles, 24 PDs and four INTs. He was a team captain in just his second season in 2023.

Newton made Cincinnati's roster as a rookie fifth-rounder and played in all 17 games. He began seeing notable playing time in the heart of the year and wound up starting the final six games after DJ Turner II went down with a season-ending injury. He posted a couple pass breakups in the game he first came in for Turner and picked off his first pass a few weeks later.

Contract Details

Newton enters the second year of his four-year, $4,357,276 rookie contract he signed in 2024. He will make a base salary of $960,000 this year, which is also the total amount of cash he'll earn. When adding on his signing bonus proration of $84,319, his salary cap hit for the year is $1,044,319.

Roster Outlook

The Bengals invested virtually zero resources this offseason at cornerback because they believe Newton and others have more to offer. He flashed as a rookie being thrusted into starting action, and while his lack of long speed was exposed at times, he showcased good awareness and physicality at the catch point.

It's not out of the question for Newton to become a Week 1 starter next month. Dax Hill figures to start as the nickelback and Cam Taylor-Britt has an outside gig relatively secured, so Newton and Turner may be in a two-way battle for the last starting spot. Newton can also play in the slot, which gives them options with Hill as well. Whatever the coaches decide for the starting lineup, Newton is firmly positioned as a top-four corner on this defense.

Projected role: Spot-starting 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