Bengals claim former Dolphins guard Deion 'Shaq' Calhoun

Bengals claim former Dolphins guard Deion 'Shaq' Calhoun

CINCINNATI — The Bengals claimed a former Dolphins player, but it wasn't the one that most people were talking about. 

Cincinnati claimed former Dolphins guard Deion 'Shaq' Calhoun. He made seven starts and appeared in 10 games for Miami last season. 

Calhoun signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi State in 2019. He had a good training camp and earned a spot on the Dolphins' 53-man roster. 

Alain Poupart of AllDolphins offered some insight on the second-year guard.

"He had some moments last year when he looked the part of a solid NFL offensive lineman, but when he got into the lineup he didn't exactly shine," Poupart said. "After the Dolphins spent three draft picks on O-linemen in the offseason, it didn't bode well for his chance of making the roster, though I would suspect the Dolphins would have brought him back to the practice squad had he cleared waivers. The bottom line is I think there's potential there, but he's not a finished product.

The Bengals waived guard Alex Redmond to make room on the 53-man roster. 

Calhoun had a rough rookie season according to Pro Football Focus. He posted a 44.2 overall grade, which includes a 44 pass blocking grade and 43.9 run blocking score. PFF charted all 471 of his offensive snaps. He allowed 18 pressures and two sacks on 332 pass plays.

The second-year guard did test well at the NFL Combine. He has good feet and athleticism. 

Calhoun was the only player that Cincinnati claimed. There were only 17 waiver claims, which is less than half of what it would be during a normal year. Not having preseason games forced teams to stick with their own guys. 

The Bengals will likely sign cornerback Torry McTyer or Winston Rose to the active roster once they place Trae Waynes on injured reserve.

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