CINCINNATI (WXIX) – During the second half of last season, McKinnley Jackson showed some nice flashes on the field, was a useful role player on the Bengals’ defense and looked like he could grow into a solid third-round pick.
Now halfway through the 2025 season, he has only played six snaps all year. The second-year nose tackle has been inactive for all but one game, and he has been stuck on the depth chart behind a defensive tackle who the team just acquired on waivers a few weeks ago (Jordan Jefferson).
“I was raised to be resilient, never back down and never run from a challenge,” Jackson said. “In my mind, it’s fun to get to show up every day and do what I love to do. Keep going. Do what I need to do to get better and grow as a person and as a player. Build my brand on this field and maximize my opportunities.”
The Bengals have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. They drafted Jackson to be a standout run stopping defensive tackle. They drafted him to be a part of the solution when facing problems like the one the defense is in right now. Jackson had his moments as a rookie in 2024 where he looked like he was on that track. He even showed a bit as a pass rusher.
But Jackson’s 2025 season hasn’t gone according to plan.
Before Week 1, defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said that he wasn’t seeing enough consistency from Jackson.
“He has a lot of tools and traits,” Montgomery said. “We just need him to play at a high level all the time. It can’t show up one time and then disappear for four snaps. It’s just being consistent.”Last week, Al Golden was asked for his thoughts on Jackson.
“Guys develop at different times,” Golden said. “I’m hoping that he continues to develop. He has power. He has knee bend. He has strength. I’d love at some point for that to translate for us and get him going. He’s on that journey right now. He knows what he needs to do. It’s been identified for him by Jerry (Montgomery). Hopefully, we’ll just continue to improve, get better and we’ll see more action soon.”
Leading up to the 2024 season, the Bengals were looking for DJ Reader’s replacement. Prioritizing pass rush, the splurged for Sheldon Rankins in free agency in one of their worst moves in years. That left the Bengals without a nose tackle heading into the draft. In the third round, the Bengals reached for Jackson and expected him to be a plug-and-play contributor.
Jackson suffered a knee injury in training camp last year that eliminated any possible momentum that he could have generated heading into the year. Jackson went on to play about 30% of the snaps in games when he was healthy. His game wasn’t flashy, but his suddenness, hustle and anchor were building blocks.
Jackson looked like a guy who could hold down the fort in a role in 2025.
Clearly, things changed pretty quickly. The Bengals signed TJ Slaton to be their starting nose tackle. Then just a few weeks into training camp, Jackson was behind Howard Cross on the depth chart. The coaches evidently had their concerns with Jackson. Before Week 1, the Bengals signed veteran Mike Pennel and a few days later slotted him into the role that was supposed to be Jackson’s.
Jackson said that the message from the coaching staff heading into the start of the season was to “step up and make a big jump.”
Recently, Slaton has been giving Jackson the advice that he needs to be ready when his opportunity comes. Jackson has been working with Montgomery on “small details and scheme things that (Jackson) can be better at,” Jackson said.
On Tuesday, the Bengals cut Pennel (he went on to reunite with the Chiefs).
This Sunday against the Bears, the Bengals will need another defensive tackle to step into the four-man rotation along with BJ Hill, Slaton and Kris Jenkins. That fourth defensive tackle could be Jefferson, who the Bengals claimed off waivers on Oct. 3, has been active over Jackson a few times but hasn’t played a snap yet with the Bengals.
Ideally, the next man up on the depth chart at nose tackle would be the guy the Bengals invested a significant amount of draft capital in, a guy who showed the traits to be an impact role player last season. Ideally, Jackson would earn the role.
We’ll see what happens.
“We’ll see by the end of the week,” Jackson said. “I want to just continue to grow for this team and earn a role. I’m doing what I love. This is a dream job. I’d hate to be a poor sport and show up here and not enjoy these moments. I’ve never not gotten to play football, unless I was hurt. I’ve never doubted myself. I’ve always stayed grounded. I’m a team player, and I want to see my team do well. Whether that’s with me on the field or without me, I’m here for the team.”
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