Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Shaka Heyward going for more than just a taste of regular season action

50 days remain until the Bengals' first game of the 2025 season, and No. 50 Shaka Heyward isn't technically the halfway point of our countdown, but let's treat him like he is anyways.

Shaka Heyward

Age: 25
Year: 3rd
Position: Linebacker
College: Duke
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 50

Heyward enters his third season with the Bengals after going undrafted during the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent five years at Duke, playing 51 games in all five years and starting 41 of them. He was also the 2021 recipient of Duke's Vincent Rey Award, which is presented to the team’s top linebacker. Rey was a former Bengals linebacker of  himself and is now the team chaplain. 

Cincinnati waived Heyward leading up to the 2023 regular season after signing him as a UDFA but retained him on the practice squad, where he spent the entirety of his rookie season. He was brought back on a futures deal in 2024 and seemed to be going down the same path until depth at his position was needed late in the year. He was elevated off the practice squad for one week and then fully signed to the active roster for the final five games.

Contract Details

Heyward signed a two-year, $1.755 million contract with Cincinnati when he was signed on to the active roster last season. His potential cash earnings and salary cap hit for the year is $960,000.

Roster Outlook

When the Bengals needed to call up reinforcements at linebacker with their 2024 season on the line, they turned to Heyward off the practice squad and gave him his regular season debut and then some. Much has changed ahead of him on the depth chart, but he should still be viewed as one of the six best options at the position. 

The question, as it typically is for linebackers, is if six is one too many to keep on the roster.

Heyward's main competition figures to be Maema Njongmeta, who won the final LB spot last offseason and sent Heyward back to the practice squad. Expect a similar battle to ensue in the next six weeks as well. 

Roster odds: 40%
Projected role: Reserve linebacker

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