We’re 27 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. Every day until the preseason ends and final cuts arrive, we’re going to profile a player on the Bengals’ 90-man roster continues. Check out previous player profiles here.

The next player in the series has new company next to him of the most underrated players on the Bengals’ offense.

Kris Jenkins Jr. Player Profile

Age: 24
Year: 3rd
Position: Defensive tackle
College: Michigan
Jersey Number: 90

Kris Jenkins Jr., son of former two-time All-Pro DT Kris Jenkins, was selected No. 49 overall in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Bengals. Prior to the NFL, Jenkins played four years (2020-23) at Michigan, starting 33 of the 44 games he played. He was a team captain as a senior in 2023, earning second-team All-America and second-team All-Big Ten honors. He was a big factor in helping the Wolverines secure their first College Football Playoff National Championship since the playoff began.

Jenkins began his rookie season injured and missed the first two weeks of the 2024 season. He injured his thumb and made his NFL debut with a club covering his entire hand. He would not miss another game for the year and made nine starts, recording 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks. His second season was almost a perfect inverse as he played in 14 games, racking up 36 tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks before missing the final three games due to ankle injury. 

Contract details

Jenkins is entering the third year of his four-year, $7,860,464 rookie contract he signed last year. His base salary for the season is $1,509,588, which is also how much total cash he can make this year, and $996,328 of it is guaranteed. When adding on his signing bonus proration of $634,175, his salary cap hit for the year is $2,143,763.

Roster outlook

It didn’t matter what Jenkins did in the last two offseasons. A top-50 pick is not getting cut so early barring crazy circumstances. Now entering Year 3, the pressure on Jenkins has turned up.

Jonathan Allen, Dexter Lawrence, and Landon Robinson have all been added to the defensive tackle position. Jenkins needs to progress significantly this year to see the field anywhere near as much as he did over the last two seasons.

It’s more likely than not Jenkins stays on the team. Cutting him would hurt the Bengals’ cap space by cutting him. That doesn’t mean he’s locked in for a notable role. That all depends on how he performs over the next month.

Roster odds: 85%