Throughout the summer leading up to the regular season, we will go through the entire 2024 Cincinnati Bengals roster. Every single day until the season opener against the New England Patriots , we will break down a player on the roster including his background, contract status, and path towards making the team.
Today, we go back to the trenches with defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson. One of two defensive tackles the Bengals drafted this year, Jackson will be counted on throughout 2024 to make the position a strength once more.
McKinnley Jackson
- Age: 22
- Year: 1st
- Position: Defensive tackle
- College: Texas A&M
- Previous Teams: None
- Jersey Number: 68
Jackson was drafted by the Bengals with the 97th overall pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which was the compensatory pick Cincinnati was awarded upon further inspection by the league.
A four-star player out of high school, Jackson was the top recruit out of Mississippi in 2020 and enrolled early at Texas A&M. He played immediately as a freshman and earned SEC All-Freshman honors. After being suspended the first two games due to his offseason arrest for possession of a controlled substance, Jackson returned to the field for another solid season.
2022 was Jackson's first year as a full-time starter, and the production showed. He achieved career-highs in tackles (37) and tackles for loss (seven) to go with two sacks despite missing five games with an elbow injury. He was voted a team captain and won three separate team awards: Aggie Defense Leadership Award, Defense MVP Award, and Strength & Conditioning Defensive Award.
Jackson was voted a team captain again heading into his senior season, and was a projected top-40 talent according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler. He played in all 12 games, but his snaps per game and production dropped notably and so did his draft stock. He was viewed as an early Day 3 pick by the consensus, and the defensive tackle-needy Bengals ended up drafting him to end Day 2.
Contract details
Jackson signed a four-year, $5,596,312 deal this offseason that will pay him the minimum salary for a player with his level of experience for the 2024 season.
His salary will cost $795,000 for the entire season if he's kept on the team for the entire regular season, but with a signing bonus of $890,044 prorated throughout the deal, his cap for this season will be $1,017,511.
Roster chances
While there's an argument to be made about the Bengals drafting Jackson too early, being a third-round pick makes him a virtual lock for the initial roster. The first step towards living up to draft status is actually making the team and playing. Both are in store for the rookie this year.
What Jackson's role looks like is the main question to be answered. He was a shaded nose tackle and 3-technique in college. The Bengals lost their nose tackle, DJ Reader, in free agency and couldn't truly replace him. Asking Jackson to do all the things Reader excelled at out of the gate is foolish, but how much of the scheme is defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo willing to change to accommodate new personnel?
All of that will be figured out in time. For now, Jackson should be featured in the DT rotation immediately alongside fellow rookie Kris Jenkins and third-year player Zach Carter. It wouldn't be shocking to see him clear Carter completely on the depth chart by the end of training camp.
Chances of making the roster: 100%
Previous player breakdowns
Related: Bengals Roster Breakdown: Erick All must get past his injured present to live out a bright future
Most Popular
Comments / 0