Bengals Roster Breakdown: Kwamie Lassiter II looks to rise up in a stacked receiving corps

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, wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II kicks off our series. Lassiter has technically only accrued one season of NFL experience, but has been with the Bengals since the 2022 offseason. Now he's looking to make it three years in Cincinnati.

Kwamie Lassiter II

• Age: 26
• Year: 3rd
• Position: Wide receiver
• College: Kansas
• Previous Teams: None
• Jersey Number: 18

Cincinnati initially signed Lassiter as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He is the son of former NFL defensive back Kwamie Lassiter, whom for the Arizona Cardinals (1995-02), San Diego Chargers (2003), and St. Louis Rams (2004). Lassiter Sr. was college teammates with Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.

Lassiter spent his entire rookie season on the Bengals' practice squad. He stayed with the team throughout the 2023 offseason, but failed to make the initial roster that year as well. He finally activated to the roster in Week 5 and played against the Cardinals, his dad's first team, and caught a two-yard reception for his first-career catch.

Contract details

Lassiter signed a one-year futures deal with the Bengals back in January 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, which is more than his career earnings of $480,334 prior to this year. 

Roster chances

Like many of the players we're set to cover, Lassiter will have a hard road cracking the initial 53-man roster. The fact that he's been on the team in some capacity for the past two years may give him a slight edge over this year's undrafted rookies, but it's all a numbers game beyond that.

The Bengals are highly unlikely to keep more than seven receivers, and seven might be one too many as well. Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jermaine Burton, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones, and Trenton Irwin should all be considered locks or very safe to make it through final cuts. 

That's six right there. If Lassiter wants to be No. 7, he'll have to prove himself worthy on special teams more than anything. Lassiter has returned five kickoffs for 114 yards and four punts for six yards in five preseason games over the past two years. Getting more chances this August to prove himself in that role may increase his odds of making the cut.

Chances of making the roster: 15%