2 former Bengals players will be trying to beat each other in Super Bowl LX in very different roles
There are a couple Bengals connections to note when looking at Super Bowl LX’s matchup.
You won’t find any former Cincinnati Bengals players on the field when the New England Patriots are battling the Seattle Seahawks on offense or defense during Super Bowl LX. But if you look closely when New England is kicking a field goal, or along the Seattle sideline while its defense is cooking, you may find a familiar name or face.
Patriots backup offensive lineman Ben Brown has been with New England since 2024, and was also a Seahawk for most of 2023, but his first NFL stop was in Cincinnati. The Bengals signed him as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft.
Seattle Seahawks linebackers coach Josh Bynes is also in his second year of his current gig, which happens to be his first coaching opportunity. The former LB retired after a 12-year career with four different teams. One of those stops was with the Bengals for the entire 2020 season.
Though their time in Cincinnati was brief, they are the the only former Bengals making an impact on the biggest game of the year.
Ben Brown serves as key backup and special teams staple
In his second year with the Patriots, Brown has played both left and right guard as a starter and backup off the bench. All four of his starts from the regular season came at left guard, including the last two games of the year, and he filled in at left guard during New England’s week 12 victory in Cincinnati when rookie Jared Wilson was injured.
Brown has not been needed to protect quarterback and MVP hopeful Drake Maye in the postseason, but he is a part of the field goal unit that blocks for kicker Andy Borregales. You’ll be able to find him just right of long snapper Julian Ashby on Sunday when Borregales kicks extra points and/or field goals.
Brown never got to play with the Bengals beyond his first-ever preseason game as he suffered a biceps injury in his debut. He was lost in the roster shuffle a year later, but was signed to the Seahawks’ practice squad at the start of the 2023 season and played in one game. He had a very brief stints with the Arizona Cardinals at the end of the year and spent the 2024 offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Josh Bynes’s first coaching gig primes him for a Super Bowl ring
Bynes is wrapping up his second year as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach in Seattle. He’s been directly responsible getting quality play out of starters Ernest Jones, Tyrice Knight, and Drake Thomas. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori has also played a ton in and around the box, and his instant development is a testament to the Seahawks’ entire defensive coaching staff.
Before Bynes was hired by head coach Mike Macdonald, he played under Macdonald’s defense for the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. Six of his 12 years were spent in Baltimore, and two of them coincided with Macdonald’s time with the Ravens. He started 11 games in 2019 when Macdonald was the club’s LB coach.
A year later, Bynes was signed by the Bengals to help groom Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson as starters and leaders in the middle of Cincinnati’s embattled defense. Bynes started all 16 games that year and successfully served his purpose and Pratt and Wilson became a full-time tandem the following year when the Bengals went to the Super Bowl.
There’s one more Bengals connection to note
Patriots defensive tackle Eric Gregory was a Bengals UDFA signing in 2025 and made the initial 53-man roster. He was waived not long after as the team had hoped he would clear waivers and be signed to the practice squad. He was instead claimed off waivers by New England, and has been there all season.
Gregory appeared in six regular season games, including Week 12’s win in Cincy, and played 10 snaps in the Patriots’ Wild Card Round victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. He was placed on the Reserve/Injured list two weeks later, and he will not be able to play in Sunday’s game.
In total, two former Bengals UDFA signings who never played a regular season game are representing New England, though one of them will not play, and a former one-year starter for Cincinnati six years ago is now coaching for Seattle.
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