Cincinnati Bengals CB Ceyair Wright will likely not make his NFL debut in the 2026-27 season after the rookie left training camp.
Wright spent three seasons with the USC Trojans before finishing his NCAA career with one year on the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Despite going undrafted, the CB was signed by the Bengals as an undrafted free agent. However, the former child actor Wright is going to try his hand at a Hollywood career despite being on an NFL team.
The Bengals revealed that Wright is stepping away from camp for a major acting opportunity on Saturday, with head coach Zac Taylor later discussing the situation and praising Wright.
"He called us last night and let us know. It was a difficult thing for him. I think the two things he's really passionate about were colliding, and he decided to pursue this opportunity. He was fun to be around, and he really competed hard for us. I think he was ascending as a player, but he chose to go on a different path."
Wright is expected to be available by October, with the Bengals reportedly expecting him to return to the franchise after this opportunity.
He'll have to perform at a very high level to join the team a month into a season as a rookie and still make a positive impact on the defense, if he chooses to return to the NFL.
A successful Hollywood career would protect Wright from the physical toll of a career in the NFL, but if his upcoming opportunity doesn't work out, he can still live out a dream career.
Wright should be familiar to sports fans, as he featured in a prominent role in 2021's 'Space Jam 2,' featuring LeBron James as the primary protagonist.
Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images
Wright played a character called Darius James, the canonical son of LeBron in that universe who pursues a basketball career.
Wright has also appeared on multiple TV shows as a kid, including Instant Mom, 2 Broke Girls, and Training Day.
He had a 14-episode arc on the teen comedy show Grown-ish's fifth season, and made a guest appearance in the sixth season, all while he was a student at USC.
He has maintained an interest in and a close relationship with being in front of the camera as an actor, and the 23-year-old is putting his NFL dreams on hold to see if he can find success in Hollywood right now without having to go through the physical grind of becoming a famous NFL cornerback.
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