Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: PJ Jules expecting another busy preseason with Cincinnati’s secondary

Jules spent all of last season on the practice squad.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer

Aug 1, 2025 9:23 AM EDT

Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati’s regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day’s highlighted player.

37 days remain until the Bengals’ first game of the 2025 season, reintroducing us to No. 37 PJ Jules.

PJ Jules

Age: 24
Year: 2nd
Position: Safety
College: Southern Illinois
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 37

Jules enters his second season in the NFL and with the Bengals after going undrafted during the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent five years at Southern Illinois and played in 56 games (30 starts), recording 282 tackles, 29 passes defensed and one interception. He was a first-team FCS All-American in 2023 and finished top-six in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to top defensive player in FCS.

Appearing in all three preseason games last year, Jules played 89 snaps, the third-most for safeties on the team. Cincinnati waived him during final cuts last year and retained him on the practice squad, where he stayed for the entire season.

Contract Details

Jules signed a one-year, $840 contract with the Bengals this offseason. $840,000 represents his total potential cash earnings and salary cap hit for the 2025 season.

Roster Outlook

Along with Shaquan Loyal and Jaylen Key, Jules makes up the bottom of Cincinnati’s safety depth chart. The top four is all but set, but Jules should still expect to see plenty of snaps this month in preseason action. When he goes into the game compared to Key will be telling in terms of determing the fifth player in the group. That player may have a shot in case injury happens to one of the roster locks.

Roster odds: 10%
Projected role: Reserve safety

Previous Player Profiles

• No. 99: Myles Murphy
• No. 98: T.J. Slaton Jr.
• No. 97: Shemar Stewart
• No. 96: Cam Sample
• No. 95: Howard Cross III
• No. 94: Eric Gregory
• No. 93: McKinnley Jackson
• No. 92: B.J. Hill
• No. 91: Trey Hendrickson
• No. 90: Kris Jenkins Jr.
• No. 89: Drew Sample
• No. 88: Mike Gesicki
• No. 87: Tanner Hudson
• No. 86: Kole Taylor
• No. 85: Cam Grandy
• No. 84: Tanner McLachlan
• No. 83: Erick All Jr.
• No. 82: Mitchell Tinsley
• No. 81: Jermaine Burton
• No. 80: Andrei Iosivas
• No. 79: Andrew Coker
• No. 77: Caleb Etienne
• No. 76: Devin Cochran
• No. 75: Orlando Brown Jr.
• No. 74: Jalen Rivers
• No. 73: Andrew Stueber
• No. 71: Amarius Mims
• No. 69: Dante Barnett
• No. 68: Seth McLaughlin
• No. 67: Cordell Volson
• No. 66: Tashawn Manning
• No. 65: Matt Lee
• No. 64: Ted Karras
• No. 63: Dylan Fairchild
• No. 62: Lucas Patrick
• No. 61: Cody Ford
• No. 60: Jaxson Kirkland
• No. 59: Craig Young
• No. 58: Joseph Ossai
• No. 56: Raymond Johnson III
• No. 55: Logan Wilson
• No. 53: Joe Giles-Harris
• No. 52: Cedric Johnson
• No. 51: Isaiah Thomas
• No. 50: Shaka Heyward
• No. 49: Barrett Carter
• No. 48: Cal Adomitis
• No. 47: Shaquan Loyal
• No. 46: William Wagner
• No. 45: Maema Njongmeta
• No. 44: Demetrius Knight Jr.
• No. 43: Jaylen Key
• No. 42: Oren Burks
• No. 41: Nate Brooks
• No. 40: Quali Conley
• No. 39: Lance Robinson
• No. 38: DJ Ivey

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John Sheeran