Cincinnati added Jalen Kimber to the practice squad late last season after Jalen Davis was promoted to the roster full-time. He's now in a deep competition for the starting nickelback job.
We're 87 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals
' preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles
. We're going through the entire Bengals 90-man roster leading up to the end of the preseason before final cuts. Check out previous player profiles here
.
Our next player is another who came on late last year, and plays a position that will be under the microscope this season.
Age: 25
Year: 1
Position: Cornerback
College: Penn State
Jersey Number: 40
Jalen Kimber was originally an undrafted free agent signing of the Tennessee Titans
following the 2025 NFL Draft. He played five years of college football at Georgia (2020-21), Florida (2022-23), and Penn State (2024).
Kimber was cut by Tennessee leading up to the 2025 regular season. He was signed to the Buffalo
Bills' practice squad days later and was on-and-off of it for the better part of two months before being released for a final time on Oct. 14. Cincinnati signed him to its practice squad on Dec. 2, where he stayed for the duration of the season.
Kimber signed a futures deal to remain with Cincinnati during the 2026 offseason. His contract, a one-year, $885,000 deal, is the minimum for a player with his level of experience. His cash figure and cap hit are both the $885,000 amount.
Cincinnati added Kimber to the practice squad late last season after Jalen Davis was promoted to the roster full-time. There's volume now at the nickelback position with Davis, Ja'Sir Taylor, and Brayln Lux being the top three ahead of Kimber.
Davis may be the favorite to win that starting battle, but there isn't another battle more open for competition heading into the season. Kimber may still need an injury or two to really make some noise, but there aren't many secondaries with this much uncertainty at his position.
Roster odds: 8%
