Last May, as wide receiver Trent Taylor was trying to stay in the NFL, his agent told him about an invitation to a rookie mini-camp in Cincinnati.For a four-year veteran with 79 career catches, this wasn’t exactly what Taylor hoped would be his best chance this offseason to impress NFL scouts. Taylor tried out next to undrafted wide receivers like Riley Lees, Jimmie Robinson and Trevion Thompson.More:Rams’ Jalen Ramsey talks matchup with Bengals’ Ja’Marr ChaseTaylor’s tryout turned into an invitation to training camp. An invitation to training camp turned into a spot on the practice squad. In November, when the Bengals needed a punt returner, Taylor finally broke through and earned a spot on the active game-day roster.Taylor will return punts for the Bengals in the Super Bowl, and he said he has been reflecting on that journey this week.“I’m finally getting some opportunities,” said Taylor, who made a two-point conversion catch for the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. “I feel like I’ve slowly earned more and more trust with the coaches. Enough trust for them to put me out there. I think that’s a pretty big deal. I was extremely thankful for that opportunity.”One of the most difficult parts of the season for the Bengals front office has been finding these contributors from out of nowhere. More:Games within games: Why Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase can't be stoppedIn 2019 and 2020, the Bengals tried to find injury replacements on the free agent market and the waiver wire during the season. Most of those players didn’t stick. But in 2021, as the Bengals built their Super Bowl roster and replaced the 10 players who went on the injured reserve list, the Bengals found contributors. In addition to Taylor, there’s offensive tackle Isaiah Prince. He opted out of the 2020 season for personal reasons and entered Bengals training camp this year with an outside shot to make the roster.The Miami Dolphins drafted Prince in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but they cut him before the end of the season. Prince then joined the Bengals in December but didn’t play a snap in 2019.More:Paul Daugherty: Kicker Evan McPherson, the Bengals not-so-secret weaponPrince opted out of the 2020 season due to personal reasons during the coronavirus pandemic, and he entered 2021 training camp battling to keep his career alive. Prince became the Bengals most consistent backup offensive lineman during the preseason.He earned a spot as the backup tackle at the start of the season. When starter Riley Reiff went down with a season-ending ankle injury, Prince received a long-awaited opportunity. Prince has been the Bengals starting right tackle for the last two months, and this week he’ll start in the Super Bowl.“I believe that being at home (having) opted out, just watching, I mean, I'm human,” Prince said. “There were times I was wondering how am I going to get back in (the NFL). I stayed faithful and kept believing in myself.”More:‘He’s a phenomenal talent’: Bengals’ safety Vonn Bell with high praise of Rams’ star wide receiver Cooper KuppThere’s running back Samaje Perine, who took a screen pass for a 41-yard touchdown in the AFC Championship Game. Perine had been a journeyman running back for his entire career and played a rotational role for the 2020 Bengals in the last month of the season. He showed the Bengals coaching staff enough to enter training camp as running back Joe Mixon’s primary backup. The Bengals cut running back Giovani Bernard and didn’t replace him with a veteran, so Perine took over as the third- down back. More:Film room: How Jessie Bates became the Bengals best defender in the playoffsIn 2021, Perine has been the Bengals best running back in pass protection and he finished the year with a career-high 196 receiving yards. “I just think it’s a top-down thing, starting with the coaches,” Perine said. “They treat you like a professional … There’s no hierarchy. Everyone acts like we’re peers. And I feel like that’s the biggest thing.”During this season, the Bengals used the waiver wire to find some of their most important role players. Cornerback Tre Flowers, linebacker Clay Johnston and safety Mike Thomas all have played meaningful snaps in the postseason. But the most surprising success stories have been defensive tackles Damion Square and Zach Kerr. They both joined the Bengals roster during the playoffs. Within days after joining the team, Square and Kerr each played double-digit snaps in a postseason game. More:Joe Burrow explains why he started playing quarterback at a young ageKerr has filled a role as a nose tackle on early downs, and his physicality has helped the Bengals stop the run over the last two weeks. Square joined the Bengals days before the AFC Championship Game and contributed as a pass rushing specialist for 15 snaps. More:Is rookie Jackson Carman the Bengals answer at right guard for the Super Bowl?In 2019 and 2020, opposing teams usually took advantage of their matchups against Bengals players who had limited experience with the Bengals. In 2021, the Bengals found a strength in turning practice squad players into key players on the bench.“Coach Taylor just created an environment for us that we can be ourselves and grow and learn,” Prince said. “I'm very grateful and appreciative of the environment that we have here.”
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