Bengals Add Intriguing Offensive Line Prospect on Same Day They Sign Dalton Risner

CINCINNATI — The Bengals officially signed Dalton Risner on Thursday. It's a major move in their quest to protect Joe Burrow, but it wasn't the only significant development in the offensive line room.

Cincinnati also signed offensive tackle Javon Foster to the practice squad. Foster appeared in four games for the Jaguars as a rookie last season, but was part of their final training camp cuts.

Jacksonville selected Foster in the fourth round (114th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Missouri product is an intriguing developmental prospect for offensive line coach Scott Peters to work with.

The Jaguars received plenty of praise for taking Foster in the fourth round of last year's draft.

"Foster isn’t the elite-caliber athlete to garner a top-100 selection, but he started for three years in the SEC and consistently earned grades above 80.0 in all three campaigns," Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus wrote. "If the Jaguars ever have an injury to one of their starting offensive tackles, he is a great 'next man up' to throw into the lineup. That depth is key."

Things obviously didn't work out for Foster in Jacksonville, but he was a quality player at Missouri that spent time at right tackle (two starts) early in his career before settling in at left tackle (39 starts).

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com gave him a fourth round grade prior to the draft.

"Durable three-year starter whose arm length and strain can help make up for below-average athletic qualities as a tackle," Zierlein wrote. "Foster lacks fluidity in his pass sets and proper footwork with certain run blocks, but he gets his job done. He’s very capable as a zone blocker, maintaining his pacing and sustain, and he’s a thinker in pass sets with a nice approach to diversifying his punch to keep rushers guessing. Foster isn’t a natural knee-bender and that lack of leverage shows up as a drive blocker and when handling bull rushers. The question for Foster will be whether he can improve his footwork enough to become a more efficient blocker. He has the tape to project as a backup with starter potential."

Foster doesn't need to play this season, but he's a young, talented player that the Bengals had interest in before the draft. Cincinnati brought Foster in for a top 30 visit before the 2024 NFL Draft.

Now he joins an offensive line room that includes multiple young and promising players, including Dylan Fairchild, Jalen Rivers and Matt Lee.

Foster is one of 15 players on the Bengals' practice squad. The team parted released Devon Cochran to make room for Foster.

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