Jake Dolegala has made the initial 53-man roster of the Cincinnati Bengals and has achieved his dream of making the NFL. He is one of only two quarterbacks that went undrafted who made the initial 53-man roster of their teams.

Dolegala did not play a single snap in the first two preseason games for the Bengals, which raised red flags for anyone monitoring his progress.

However, in the third preseason game when the Bengals hosted the New York Giants, Dolegala got his chance and made the most of it.

Teams often consider the third preseason game as the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season and Dolegala made his case as to why he should be around for the regular season.

Dolegala completed 10 of 12 passes for 94 yards (7.8 AVG) and two touchdowns in limited action. He also had a carry for three yards.

The former Blue Devil made multiple impressive plays, which landed him on NFL.com’s list of “Top Plays by Rookies in Week 3” multiple times.

In the final game of the preseason, Dolegala went full circle in his short NFL journey and was told he would start and play the entire game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Dolegala completed 27 of 41 passes (65.8%) for 253 yards (6.2 AVG) and rushed twice for nine yards.

“It was great, it was an opportunity for me to get more reps,” Dolegala said in a post-game interview via Bengals.com.

“I think I left it all out there on the field.”

He finished the preseason 37 of 53 (69.8%) for 347 yards (6.5 AVG) and two touchdowns.

Dolegala is no stranger to filling up the stat sheets. Currently, he is Central Connecticut’s all-time leader in passing yards (8129) and touchdowns (48).

Beyond his statistics on the field, Dolegala’s measurements are the reason he got a good look from NFL scouts, according to new CCSU head coach Ryan McCarthy.

“I mean it’s size, man. Jake is standing at 6-foot-7-inches, 240 pounds, of course, he’s going to get a look,” McCarthy said.

Dolegala’s size is what got him the initial looks, but he has impressed with his arm strength, smarts and playmaking ability. All could help lead his opportunity to stick around in the NFL for the foreseeable and long-term future.