Bengals Re-Sign Cornerback Jalen Davis

The veteran cornerback will remain with the team after a strong finish to the 2025 season.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed cornerback Jalen Davis, who emerged as a key contributor on the team's defense late in the 2025 season. Davis played the majority of the team's defensive snaps in six of the final seven games, performing well as the primary nickel back and earning a 65.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

Why it matters

The Bengals' defense struggled for much of the 2025 season, finishing 30th in the NFL in scoring. However, the unit showed improvement in the final seven weeks, allowing just 18 points per game during that stretch. Re-signing Davis provides the secondary with valuable depth and continuity as the team looks to build on that late-season progress.

The details

In the announcement, the Bengals noted that Davis delivered 270 plays of competence and had an impressive 120 coverage snaps in the slot. Targeted 13 times, he did not allow a touchdown, recorded his first NFL interception, and had a passer rating of 55.6 against him, the lowest among all slot corners with at least 120 coverage plays in the slot.

  • The Bengals announced the re-signing of Jalen Davis on February 18, 2026.
  • Davis is coming off a season in which he played nearly the same amount of snaps he had during his five previous seasons combined as a Bengal.

The players

Jalen Davis

A veteran cornerback who emerged as a key contributor on the Bengals' defense late in the 2025 season, playing the majority of the team's defensive snaps in six of the final seven games.

Trey Hendrickson

One of the NFL's most productive pass rushers, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent and is expected to leave the Bengals.

Caleb Downs

An Ohio State safety who has been projected as a potential first-round draft pick for the Bengals, as the team looks to improve its defense.

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What’s next

The Bengals will need to make additional defensive additions, either through free agency or the NFL Draft, in order to improve their unit and compete in the postseason.

The takeaway

Re-signing Jalen Davis provides the Bengals' secondary with valuable depth and continuity, but the team will need to make more significant moves to improve a defense that struggled for much of the 2025 season, despite showing late-season progress.