We’re 62 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. We’re going to be profiling every single player on the Bengals’ 90-man roster leading up to that game. Check out previous player profiles here.

The next player in the countdown won a fierce competition last year, and should have no resistance this time around.

William Wagner Player Profile

Age: 25
Year: 2nd
Position: Long snapper
College: Michigan
Jersey Number: 46

William Wagner was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bengals following the 2025 NFL Draft. Wagner spent six years at Michigan and played in 53 games as the team’s long snapper. He stayed as a graduate student in 2024 and became a finalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, which is annually given to nation’s top long snapper.

The Bengals pitted Wagner against incumbent LS Cal Adomitis last offseason. The two squared off throughout training camp and the preseason, and Wagner only took nine snaps compared to Adomitis’ 14 in preseason action. Long-time special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons saw enough from the rookie and declared him the winner during final cuts.

Contract details

Wagner is entering the second year of a three-year, $2,975,000 contract with Cincinnati. His base salary of $1,005,000 is the amount of cash he will earn this year. When adding on the prorated $3,333 from his $10,000 signing bonus, his salary cap figure for 2026 is $1,008,333.

Roster outlook

The Bengals got everything they wanted out of Wagner last year. He experienced zero in-game struggles snapping for Ryan Rehkow as both punter and holder for kicker Evan McPherson. McPherson himself had a phenomenal 2025 campaign, and better and more timely snaps from Wagner is a reason why.

Wagner has no competition to make this year’s roster like he had last year. The only way he doesn’t make it is if he looks significantly worse and forces the club to bring in another option.

Roster odds: 99%