The door is wide open for Cincinnati Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony to become the No. 4 safety again, and it should be a fierce contest behind the starters.
We're 50 days away from the Cincinnati
Bengals' preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles
. We'll be going through every player on the Bengals' 90-man roster before the preseason ends and final cuts arrive. Check out previous player profiles here
.
With half the countdown in the books, our next player is looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled year.
Age: 25
Year: 3rd
Position: Safety
College: Mississippi
Jersey Number: 33
Daijahn Anthony was drafted No. 224 overall in the seventh round by the Bengals in the 2024 NFL Draft. Prior to the NFL, Anthony played five years in college (2019-2023). He spent two years at DII's Shepherd University (2019-2020) before playing two years at Liberty University (2021-22). He finished his collegiate career at Mississippi in 2023, starting 10 of the 13 games he played in and sharing the team-lead with three interceptions.
Anthony made the Bengals' 53-man roster as a rookie and carved out a notable role as a versatile defensive back, but his first big moment on the team was an infamous one. He was flagged for defensive pass interference at the end of a close Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs
. The penalty ultimately positioned K.C. in game-winning field goal range. He hardly played any defense after that week, but was still an active special teams player.
A hamstring injury took Anthony out of the first 11 weeks of the 2025 season. He would return to play in five of the last six games of the year, making two appearances on defense in Week 16 and Week 17.
Anthony is entering the third year of his four-year, $4,137,784 rookie contract. His base salary for 2026 is the minimum $1,075,000 for his level of experience. That is also his cash figure for the season. When adding on his signing bonus proration of $29,446, his salary cap hit for the year is $1,104,446.
When Anthony went down with his injury right before the 2025 season began, it opened the door for PJ Jules
as the No. 4 safety. Anthony's battle this training camp is to take it back from Jules.
The Bengals added two veterans and an undrafted free agent to the safety room this offseason after moving on from starter Geno Stone
, and special teams ace Tycen Anderson
. Bryan Cook
, Jordan Battle
, and Kyle Dugger
are going to be major factors in the group.
The door is wide open for Anthony to reclaim his spot, and it should be a fierce contest behind the starters.
Roster odds: 40%
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Bengals Player Profile: Daijahn Anthony has clear opportunity to reclaim his standing among Cincinnati's safeties
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