We’re 74 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. By the time that game starts, we’ll have covered every player on the Bengals’ 90-man roster. Check out previous player profiles here.

Up next on the countdown is the lone rookie of a highly-maligned position from last year’s roster.

Isaiah Nwokobia Player Profile

Age: 23
Year: Rookie
Position: Safety
College: SMU
Jersey Number: 41

Isaiah Nwokobia was signed as a UDFA by the Bengals following the 2026 NFL Draft. Nwokobia spent five years in college, all at SMU. He came off the bench to play notable snaps as a freshman in 2021 and was a Week 1 starter in 2022. Injuries led him to be redshirted that year, but he came back to start his first full season in 2023 and was named the American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game MVP to end that year. He was named First-team All-ACC in 2024, and returned for his redshirt senior year in 2025. He ended up with 11 career interceptions, with nine coming in his final three years.

Contract details

Nwokobia signed a three-year, $3,120,000 deal with the Bengals. His base salary for 2026 is the minimum $885,000. He’s also getting $20,000 as a signing bonus. His cash figure for the year is $905,000, and his salary cap hit will be $891,666.

Roster outlook

Cincinnati signed two veteran safeties, Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger, to shore up its problem at the position last year. Jordan Battle is also starting again entering his contract season. Nwokobia can just hope to be one of, at most, two backups behind this trio.

The ball skills Nwokobia showed he has during his college days should come in handy. He can make some noise in the preseason, and with Tycen Anderson now with the Denver Broncos, there is a vacancy waiting to be filled in the room. The rookie will have to fight off Daijahn Anthony, PJ Jules, and Russ Yeast for potentially one spot if the standard number of four becomes the final number.

Roster odds: 10%