Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson is signing with an NFC Super Bowl hopeful.
“The #49ers are signing defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson to their practice squad, sources tell @CBSSports,” CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported in a post on X on September 15. “The 24-year old was a 2024 third-round draft pick of the Bengals. In college, was an All-SEC performer at Texas A&M.”
The 24-year old was a 2024 third-round draft pick of the Bengals. In college, was an All-SEC performer at Texas A&M.
The Bengals selected Jackson 97th overall. The 6-foot-2, 330-pound defensive lineman has appeared in 22 games with 1 start over the past two seasons, including nine appearances off the bench during the 2025 regular season.
Now, he heads to the Bay Area.
The 49ers are coming off a resounding 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Australia in Week 1 as they hope to get back to the Super Bowl, where the Bengals hope to go this year.
‘Squatty’ Former Bengals DT McKinnley Jackson Signs With 49ers
The Begnals cut ties with Jackson during their roster trimdown at the deadline. It was not a wholly unexpected decision.
ESPN’s Ben Baby projected Jackson would be the odd-man out of a revamped group.
“This was a tough call on the deepest group on the roster,” Baby wrote in August, before the cutdown deadline. “Cedric Johnson, a sixth-round pick in 2024, had two sacks in nine games last season.
“With five new defensive linemen (three tackles, two edge rushers), Johnson and fellow 2024 pick McKinnley Jackson are most likely to get squeezed here.”
Johnson stuck, Jackson did not. If Jackson pans out, the Bengals could regret it cutting ties.
“Squatty interior defender who felt somewhat miscast as a 0-technique nose over the center. Jackson is explosive off the snap with the ability to get into blockers quickly or to attack their edges as a penetrator,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote before the 2024 draft.
“Tends to ride on blocks once they land squarely and needs to develop his hands for better counters as both a run defender and a rusher. Jackson plays with good strength, but he’s more gradual than twitchy in his battles. He might be more consistently effective at a lighter weight and as a rotational nose in a one-gapping even front.”
6-Foot-2, 330-Pound Former Bengals Defensive Tackle Lands With 49ers