Cincinnati Bengals Team | Bengals.com

Ben Jacobs is in his third season on the Bengals' coaching staff in 2026. A former NFL linebacker, he joined Cincinnati's staff as assistant special teams coach in 2024.

Ben Jacobs is in his third season on the Bengals' coaching staff in 2026. A former NFL linebacker, he joined Cincinnati's staff as assistant special teams coach in 2024.

In 2025, Jacobs helped guide the Bengals' specialists to several career milestones. K Evan McPherson made a career-high 89.3 percent of his FG attempts (25 of 28), highlighted by a 63-yarder in Week 12 against New England that marked the longest kick in team history. Second-year P Ryan Rehkow set a Bengals single-season record with 50.5 total yards per punt, which ranked second in the NFL, and also tied for seventh leaguewide with a career-best 28 punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

In 2024, Jacobs' first year with Cincinnati, he helped Rehkow compile a rookie-setting rookie season. Rehkow kicked off his career with an NFL single-game record 64.5 yards per punt in his pro debut against New England, and then went on to set a Bengals single-season record for net punting average (42.92 yards). He led all rookie punters and ranked top-10 in the NFL in both gross and net average. With Jacobs on staff, the Bengals also ranked second in the league in yards allowed per kickoff return (24.5), while on the other side they averaged the eighth-best yards per KOR (29.1).

Jacobs came to Cincinnati after spending four seasons (2020-23) as assistant special teams coach for the Washington Commanders. He helped Washington's special teams units rank near the top of the league in several categories during his tenure, including an average of 25.0 yards per kickoff return in 2023 (seventh-best in NFL). Leading the team's efforts in that department was RB Antonio Gibson, whose 826 total KOR yards from 2022-23 ranked seventh leaguewide in that span.

In 2022, the Commanders allowed just 6.4 yards per punt return, the fourth-best average leaguewide. Jacobs helped S Jeremy Reaves tie for second in the NFL with a career-high 16 special teams tackles.

In 2021, Jacobs assisted in a midseason transition at kicker, as veteran Dustin Hopkins — who had converted 12 of 14 FG attempts through six games — was released and third-year pro Joey Slye took over the team's placekicking duties. Slye made all 12 of his FG attempts to close out the season, after joining Washington as a free agent in early November. Jacobs that year also helped Washington rank third in the NFL in yards per KOR (25.1).

In his first season with Washington in 2020, Jacobs helped the punt coverage team allow just 5.8 yards per PR, the fifth-best average in the NFL. He also worked with P Tress Way, whose 44.3 net yards per punt ranked fourth leaguewide.

Jacobs broke into coaching as assistant special teams coach for the Carolina Panthers in 2019. That followed an eight-year playing career in the NFL from 2011-18, in which he saw action in 73 games as a linebacker and special teams contributor.

Jacobs entered the NFL as a college free agent of the Cleveland Browns in 2011 and played in five games as a rookie, before spending the following two seasons on multiple practice squads. That included a brief stint on the Bengals' practice squad in November of 2012. He earned a spot on Carolina's active roster heading into the 2014 season, and went on to play the next five seasons ('14-18) for the Panthers.

Jacobs totaled 11 defensive tackles and 25 special teams tackles in his career. He led the Panthers in special teams stops in 2018 (six) and tied for the team lead in that category in '14 (five). Following the 2015 season, he played in each of Carolina's three postseason contests, which included an NFC Championship victory and an appearance in Super Bowl 50.

Jacobs played collegiately at Fresno State from 2007-10 (redshirted in '06). He finished his career with the third-most tackles in school history (387), and earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in both his junior and senior season.

Jacobs was born April 17, 1988 in Farmington, Mo. He graduated from Fresno State in 2011.

Playing and coaching history: 2007-10—Played LB at Fresno State. 2011—Played LB with Cleveland Browns. 2014-18—Played LB with Carolina Panthers. 2019—Assistant coach (AC), Carolina Panthers. 2020-23— AC, Washington Commanders. 2024-present—AC Cincinnati Bengals.

Last Updated June 2026