Shaka Heyward and Maema Njongmeta, battling for what could be the Bengals' last roster spot at linebacker on a margin as close as their adjacent lockers, had an eventful preseason finale Saturday at Paycor Stadium.
Njongmeta led all tacklers with 11 in the Colts' 41 -14 victory. Heyward had been named one of the game captains, along with quarterback Desmond Ridder and cornerback D.J. Ivey, for the best of his three NFL preseasons.
Heyward could only do what roster bubble players all through the NFL do now that the final cut is Tuesday and there is nothing left to be done.
He shrugged.
"I don't have any feel. That's not my thing to worry about. I just worry about doing my job," said Heyward as Njongmeta urged, 'Tell 'em."
"Controlling what I can control. It's like Maema said. My job is to play. I'm a player. Let the chips fall where they may."
Both players were here last year and Njongmeta got the job as a rookie in a close call. Heyward, who was here the year before that, was good enough to stay on the practice squad both years and to make his NFL debut late last season playing his first six NFL games in the Bengals' playoff push.
On Monday night in Washington, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor named another linebacker, Joe Giles-Harris, a captain to highlight a solid training camp by a veteran free agent they have added to the mix to make things even tighter.
"It's always an honor when the head coach sees something in you," said Heyward, who found out about five minutes before the coin toss that he was a captain for the first time since his days at Duke.
"It's already written. I have no control over it. I had a great time being with these guys in this room. I hope it continues. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't," Njongmeta said. "Either way, I'm grateful for my time with the Bengals, my time in this camp. Every day you get to come into this building. Every day your code works. It's a blessing."
Heyward came in leading the team in tackles this preseason and added three more Saturday. He seems to have dialed up a code that has brought him closer to the 53-man entry than ever before after last season's rock-ribbed performance on special teams down the stretch that included a huge forced fumble on a Steelers' punt in the must-win finale in Pittsburgh.
Heyward built on that success. He went into the offseason with the words of cousin and Steelers tight end Connor Heyward after the game:
"Good punch out."
Made even nicer that Connor had lined up over him at the start of the play.
"I knew it was a big year for me and my career. So I took a mental note in my head every offseason workout," Heyward said. "Every practice in OTAs, camp, just trying to get better. Just having that growth mindset through the whole camp. I would say (his regimen) was more consistent than I've been. Try to leave no stone unturned."
Now there is an off day Sunday, a meeting Monday, and maybe a call Tuesday.
"Either way," Heyward said, "it's going to motivate me to go forward harder. To get to where I want to get in this league."