The Cincinnati Bengals continue to add to its offseason roster this week. A day after signing former Washington Commanders wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley to a futures contract, Cincinnati has done the same to veteran cornerback Jalen Davis.
Davis, a fifth-year player in 2025 who turned 29 this past Sunday, has been with the Bengals since the heart of the 2020 season. He spent 2024 on the practice squad but was elevated for two games during the regular season. His contract expired last month, giving him the chance to officially join another club following the Super Bowl. This move ensures the Bengals will control his rights for the offseason starting next week.
Before joining the Bengals five years ago, Davis signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted following the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent the first 12 games of his rookie season on Miami's practice squad before he was elevated for three of the team's final four games. The Dolphins cut him again in 2019, and the Cardinals added him to their practice squad to start the season. He played two games for Arizona that season. The Cards cut him in 2020 before adding him back to the practice squad, but then released him for good in the middle of the season.
The Bengals first added Davis to their practice squad in late October of 2020, and signed him to the active roster a month later. He played six games for Cincinnati that season, and the Bengals re-signed him as an exclusive rights free agent in 2021. He made it through final cuts for the first time in his career that year, playing in 16 games including Super Bowl LVI with most of his snaps coming on special teams.
Once more, the Bengals re-upped Davis as an ERFA in 2022 and kept him on the team as Mike Hilton’s main backup at nickel and as a special teamer. Before he became a restricted free agent in 2023 with three accrued years of experience under his belt, the Bengals extended his contract for two years.
Davis coming back gives the Bengals a total of nine cornerbacks on their roster for the offseason. Hilton and Marco Wilson are scheduled to hit free agency, and Dax Hill is still recovering from tearing his ACL back in October.
Cincinnati notably retained cornerbacks coach Charles Burks despite moving on from defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and replacing him with Al Golden. Davis' first two years in Cincy were also the two years Golden was the club's linebackers coach, so there is familiarity there.
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