An undrafted Wisconsin linebacker whose breakout 2022 season landed him on watch lists for the Butkus and Bednarik Awards, Maema Njongmeta has bounced between three rosters to keep his NFL career alive.
Maema Njongmeta is a Cameroonian-American linebacker who signed with Cincinnati as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin before finding a home in Carolina. His path has run through two practice squads, but his instincts as a downhill run defender kept him in the league.
Path to the league
Njongmeta played for Wisconsin from 2019 to 2023, breaking out in 2022 with 95 tackles, including 11.5 for a loss, 3.5 sacks and an interception, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and watch-list nominations for the Bronko Nagurski, Bednarik and Butkus Awards. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in May 2024.
Career highlights
Njongmeta made Cincinnati's 53-man roster as a rookie in 2024 and recorded 23 total tackles and two fumble recoveries during his time with the Bengals, showing the same physical, sideline-to-sideline style that made him a productive college linebacker at Wisconsin.
2025 season recap
The Bengals waived Njongmeta on August 26, 2025, and he briefly returned to their practice squad before the Panthers signed him to their active roster on September 16, 2025. He has worked as a depth linebacker and special-teams contributor in Carolina since joining the team.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Maema Njongmeta
- ESPN: Maema Njongmeta
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
15 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | panthers | 15 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | bengals | 17 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Wisconsin
- Hometown
- Buffalo Grove, IL, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
