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The Cincinnati Bengals have some unfinished business heading into the 2025 NFL season. Cincinnati only won nine games in 2024, in part due to a terribly slow start to the season. That slow start ended up costing the team a playoff spot in the AFC.
Now the Bengals are more determined than ever to get back into the postseason and make some noise.
Cincinnati has put in a lot of hard work this offseason to make that a reality. The team's biggest move was signing both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to massive contract extensions. This guarantees that Joe Burrow will have plenty of weapons to throw to for the foreseeable future.
The Bengals also re-signed several other players and made a few additions during NFL free agency.
All of that said, Cincinnati's biggest improvements came during the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bengals made a handful of smart moves, highlighted by replacing the retired Sam Hubbard with edge rusher Shemar Stewart.
Cincinnati also brought in a number of players who could have roles one or two seasons from now.
Rookie minicamp was the team's first chance to get a look at these young rookies. Some of did not participate on the field (more on that in a minute), but the Bengals still got a good sense of where players stand ahead of OTAs and training camp.
But which Bengals rookies made the biggest impact?
Below we will explore one Bengals rookie who stood out during rookie minicamp earlier in May.
Shemar Stewart, Demetrius Knight absent from Bengals rookie minicamp
The answer to which rookie stood out in Bengals minicamp might be surprising. But there's a good reason for it.
Cincinnati was without both defensive end Shemar Stewart and linebacker Demetrius Knight at rookie minicamp. Both Stewart and Knight sat out minicamp because of contract disputes.
Stewart had a dispute with the team over training camp bonuses on his rookie contract. This is exactly what Bengals fans do not want to hear, especially after dealing with Trey Hendrickson trade rumors for the past several months.
In the grand scheme of things, the Bengals will survive these rookies missing minicamp. After all, OTAs and training camp are far more important, even for rookies.
However, I have to admit that this is another example in a concerning trend surrounding the Bengals. The organization is so cheap that it will quibble with players over something as insignificant as training camp bonuses.
This not only hurts the organization on the field (missing players who are holding out), but it also continues to build the narrative that Cincinnati is a cheap team. This does them no favors when attempting to sign free agents.
But that is beside the point.
With Stewart and Knight off the field, someone else had to step up and lead Cincinnati's rookies during rookie minicamp.
Barrett Carter was that rookie.
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Barrett Carter thrived in leadership opportunity with Demetrius Knight out
The Bengals drafted Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Carter was a three-year starter in college and earned various All-ACC honors throughout his collegiate career.
Carter projects as a three-down off-ball linebacker who could easily become an NFL starter if given the opportunity. Cincinnati will likely rely on Oren Burks and Demetrius Knight in 2025, but it is easy to imagine Carter starting next to Knight starting in 2026.
Carter stood out during Bengals rookie minicamp because of his leadership skills.
Jaron May of WLWT in Cincinnati reported that Carter was a vocal leader during walkthroughs at rookie minicamp on May 9th. Carter was also at the front of the line for every drill.
On one hand, this should not be a huge surprise. Zac Taylor has made it a priority to draft players with leadership experience during college, just like Carter.
Even so, it is good to see Carter stepping up to the plate and putting in the hard work while other rookies squabble over dollars and cents.
It is easy to understand why the Bengals liked Carter during the pre-draft process. Carter may not have any elite skills, but he can do everything an NFL team will ask him to do as a starting off-ball linebacker.
One AFC executive even praised Carter in comparison to Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson, who also graduated from Clemson.
“I think he’s a better football player than Trenton Simpson (third-round LB out of Clemson in 2023),” the executive said per NFL.com. “He may not run as fast, but [Carter] just has a lot better feel for the game.”
Carter has a lot of work to do if he wants to earn some snaps in 2025. But he will enter training camp with a leg up thanks to his strong performance in rookie minicamp.
