We’re 57 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. Every single member of the Bengals’ 90-man roster will have a profile leading up to the conclusion of the preseason and final cuts to follow. Check out previous player profiles here.

The next player in the countdown was a Cincinnati high school football legend.

Sean Clifford Player Profile

Age: 27
Year: 2nd
Position: Quarterback
College: Penn State
Jersey Number: 4

Sean Clifford was originally drafted by the Green Bay in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Prior to the NFL, Clifford played college football at Penn State and started for four of his six years in Happy Valley. He appeared in two games for the Packers as a rookie, completing his lone passing attempt for 37 yards, mostly handing the ball off.

Green Bay released Clifford during final cuts in 2024 and retained him on the practice squad. The club elevated him twice early in the season. The Packers waived him for good during final cuts of 2025, and he stayed available for a few weeks until the Bengals signed him to their practice squad shortly after Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury. He was signed to the active roster and remained there for three weeks while Joe Flacco was playing through a shoulder injury, making him the emergency backup. He was waived and returned to the practice squad once Burrow was officially ready to start again.

Clifford was born in Barrington, IL but attended St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. He led the Bombers to a Division 1 State Championship as a senior in 2016.

Contract details

Clifford signed a futures deal with the Bengals at the start of the offseason. His contract is for one-year, $1,075,000. His base salary, cash figure, and salary cap hit for 2026 is the same $1,075,000 amount.

Roster outlook

I’ll be honest, Clifford should just be hoping to make the practice squad again. This is the deepest four-man QB room Cincinnati has maybe ever had. Burrow and Flacco are the top two, and there’s not going to be room for a third unless injuries demand for it.

The third spot is Josh Johnson’s to lose, and unless Clifford proves to be better in the preseason, it still may not be enough to change the order. he doesn’t have much experience playing in an NFL defense, Bozeman has cut his teeth on special teams for two different clubs. That’s going to be his best way of making the 53-man roster anyways.

Roster odds: 1%