57 Germaine Pratt LB

Pratt tallied 12 tackles to lead the team in Week 1 against the Chargers.

Pratt vacuumed up plenty of tackles from his linebacker role. While none were particularly explosive, he logged 54 snaps on defense in addition to 16 on special teams. He'll continue to play a key role in multiple facets of the game in Week 2 against Cleveland.

The Bengals drafted three linebackers (Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither, and Markus Bailey) in the 2020 NFL Draft, meaning that Pratt will face competition for playing time despite finishing strong at the end of 2019.

Pratt didn't start playing on every down until Week 11, but from that point on he notched 53 of his 76 tackles on the season. He's more likely to retain a starting spot than fellow holdovers Jordan Evans and Hardy Nickerson, but he's on notice to produce right away.

Pratt notched 76 tackles (50 solo) across 16 regular-season contests in 2019.

Pratt began the 2019 season in a depth role, but he began regularly handling 60-plus percent of defensive snaps following Cincinnati's Week 9 bye. Given his strong play down the stretch, the 2019 third-round pick stands a fair chance of opening the 2020 season with IDP value.

Pratt was credited with 11 tackles (nine solo) in Sunday's 38-35 loss to Miami.

Pratt has now logged double-digit stops in back-to-back games after not having done so prior to Week 15. He'll look to close out the season strong at home Week 17 against the Browns.

Pratt made nine tackles (seven solo) in Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Patriots.

Pratt led the team in stops while posting a career high in the process. The rookie third-round pick also logged 49 defensive snaps -- his highest mark of the season. Despite his limited workload this year, Pratt has accrued 58 tackles. He's worth keeping in mind for IDP formats in 2020.

Pratt notched a career-high eight tackles (six solo) in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Steelers.

Pratt, who has assumed starting middle linebacker duties, has racked up 14 total tackles over the past two weeks. The rookie will look to maintain his recent momentum in Week 13 against the Jets.

Pratt will draw the start at middle linebacker for Sunday's tilt against the Raiders, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

Pratt's opportunity to slot into the starting lineup comes following Cincinnati's decision to part ways with Preston Brown. The rookie third-round pick played 23 snaps on defense (50 percent) in Week 10's loss to the Ravens, during which he notched four tackles (three solo). The winless Bengals will likely opt to take the final seven games of the regular season to evaluate what they have in Pratt and weigh his potential as a starter for 2020 and beyond.

Pratt logged six tackles on 31 defensive snaps in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. Prior to Sunday, he had a combined 34 snaps in the first five games of the season.

Pratt, the Bengals' third-round pick this year, has been slowly worked in, partially because his pass coverage has been questionable. In fact, it still wasn't good Sunday - defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo responded "... not so good ..." when asked about Pratt's pass coverage against the Ravens, The Athletic's Jay Morrison reports.

The Bengals selected Pratt in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 72nd overall.

Pratt (6-foot-3, 240 pounds) offers standout speed (4.57 40 time) and is coming off a senior season at N.C. State where he totaled 104 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks. Cincinnati doesn't have much at linebacker aside from Preston Brown and Nick Vigil, so it's worth monitoring Pratt's standing on the depth chart in IDP leagues.