It’s the absolute dead period of the offseason, and the Cincinnati Bengals are resting up before training camp. We have one final area of the Bengals’ 90-man roster to cover in our position-by-position series. Check out previous position breakdowns here.

No football team is complete without special teams, and the group extends beyond just those who kick.

Bengals Special Teams Depth Chart

Starters: Evan McPherson (K), Ryan Rehkow (P, H), William Wagner (LS), Charlie Jones (KR, PR)
Backups: Ke’Shawn Williams (KR, PR), Mitchell Tinsley (PR)

The Starters

Evan McPherson is entering his sixth season on the job as Cincinnati’s placekicker. He was given a three-year extension in 2024 and proceeded to have the worst season of his career right afterwards. He bounced back in a big way in 2025, drilling 25 of 28 field goal attempts while going a perfect 10-10 between 40-49 yards with his highest conversion rate beyond 50 yards (63%) since 2022.

Ryan Rehkow enters his third year as McPherson’s holder and punter for the Bengals. He averaged 49.1 yards per punt (net average 42.9) in 2024, setting franchise single-season records and making the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. He upped his average to 50.5 in 2025 and maintained his net average of 42.9.

William Wagner returns for his second year long-snapping for Cincinnati. Wagner was an undrafted signing following the 2025 NFL Draft and beat out incumbent LS Cal Adomitis last offseason in one of the club’s only training camp battles. He posted a clean sheet as a rookie, and has no competition entering his sophomore campaign.

Charlie Jones is both the starting kickoff returner and punt returner. He’s been returning punts since his rookie season in 2023, and first emerged as the primary kickoff returner in 2024. He was one of six kickoff returners last year with a touchdown runback and averaged 25.8 yards per return. He’s also one of just two players with a kickoff return touchdown in each of the last two seasons, joining Kene Nwangwu.

The Backups

Ke’Shawn Williams and Mitchell Tinsley are the only real backups here as they would take reps returning for Jones in case of injury. Williams was claimed by the Bengals last year for this very reason after Jones suffered a late-season injury. He fared well in the role for three weeks, averaging 25.4 yards per return and 10.6 yards per punt return as well. Tinsley field punt during the game Jones suffered his injury. Williams will likely need to prove himself the better returner in order to make the roster. Tinsley is a safe bet to make it through as a receiver first.

Story to watch

McPherson’s great season last year was ultimately in vain as the Bengals won just six games. Can he do it again in 2026? That’s the expectation.

Cincinnati made it all the way to the Super Bowl in 2021 thanks in part to McPherson performing flawlessly under pressure. He was a perfect 14-14 during that postseason run, which was his first. Should the Bengals make another deep run, McPherson making the kicks that really count is imperative.

Projected Players on the 53-man roster

Starters: Evan McPherson (K), Ryan Rehkow (P, H), William Wagner (LS), Charlie Jones (KR, PR)
Backups: Mitchell Tinsley (KR, PR)