Bengals Free Agency Profile: Jalen Davis continues verifying his value and then some in Cincinnati’s defense
Jalen Davis is one of Cincinnati’s best players set to hit free agency.
UPDATE: Jalen Davis has revealed he’s signed an extension with the Bengals. Davis’ representation, The Familie, posted the news to their Instagram page.
The value and length of the deal has not been revealed, and Cincinnati has yet to confirm the signing, but Davis appears to be coming back according to his representation.
We’re getting closer and closer to NFL free agency, and the Cincinnati Bengals have 16 players with expiring contracts. Who will re-sign with the team, and who will leave when the 2026 league year begins? We’ll go through all impending free agents before the madness begins.
Take your best guess as to who’s the longest tenured player on the Bengals’ defense. It is not Trey Hendrickson, B.J. Hill, or anybody in the front seven. He wasn’t drafted by the team, nor was he an offseason free agent signing, but he’s become a player who should be a priority re-sign this offseason nonetheless.
Jalen Davis
Position: Cornerback
Age for 2027 Season: 30
Incoming NFL Year: 6th
Previous AAV: $1.17 million
2026 Snap %: 24.8%
Jalen Davis originally joined Cincinnati in the middle of the 2020 season as a member of the practice squad. He was a full-time member of the active roster on both playoff teams in 2021 and 2022, and stayed on the 53 in 2023 as well, signing a two-year contract that offseason. He ended up spending all of 2024 on the practice squad, and missed final cuts again in 2025.
It took 12 weeks for Davis to be called up from the practice squad last season, but he was very much needed after Cam Taylor-Britt suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 11. Davis was entrusted to start in the slot as Dax Hill was moved outside to replace Taylor-Britt. He was soon signed off the practice squad entirely and finished the year as a member of the active roster like three of the previous four years.
Contract History and Projection
Davis signed a minimum one-year deal off the practice squad on Dec. 1 of last year. His salary cap figure was $286,111, and he earned a total of $325,000 for the entire year.
Spotrac.com’s calculated market value for Davis is a one-year, $1,931,531 contract, which would rank 64th among all cornerbacks in terms of Average Annual Value (AAV).
Prediction
If Dalton Risner is the easiest re-sign decision for the Bengals’ offense, Davis is essentially the defensive version. The long-time reserve proved quite effective as a starting slot defender in defensive coordinator Al Golden’s scheme, and with Hill playing at his best on the outside along with fellow starter DJ Turner II, the slot is the real position of need in the position room.
Davis can be re-signed for very cheap and give Cincinnati a starter it can pencil in prior to the 2026 NFL Draft. He shouldn’t even hit the open market to be quite honest. This partnership should continue another year or two.
Bengals Free Agent Profiles
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Bengals Free Agent Profile: Trey Hendrickson will significantly shape how Cincinnati’s offseason can truly begin
Trey Hendrickson is finally set to be a free agent, unless Cincinnati has a unique plan in mind.
