Fredi Knighten is in his fourth season with the Bengals and second in the role of assistant quarterbacks coach. He joined the staff as an offensive assistant in 2022.
In 2024, Knighten helped fifth-year pro Joe Burrow to one of the top statistical seasons by a QB in NFL history. Burrow led the NFL and set Bengals single-season records in completions (460), passing yards (4918) and TD passes (43), while throwing just nine INTs. He became the fourth QB in league history to post over 4500 passing yards and 40 TDs with fewer than 10 picks. Burrow earned his second career Pro Bowl nod, was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year and finished fourth in voting for NFL MVP.
In 2023, Knighten worked with a Bengals offense that was without several key playmakers at different times due to injuries. With a healthy QB Joe Burrow behind center from Weeks 5-10, the team ranked fourth in the NFL in passing yards per game (275.6), seventh in scoring (26.6 points) and 11th in total yards (354.2). QB Jake Browning stepped into the starting role for the first time in his career after Burrow sustained a season-ending injury in Week 11, and went on to rank second in the league in passing yards (1868) and completion percentage (70.4) over the final seven weeks of the season. WR Ja'Marr Chase earned his third straight Pro Bowl selection with a then-career-high 100 catches (surpassed in '24) for 1216 yards.
In 2022, Knighten's first season in Cincinnati, the Bengals' offense ranked in the top 10 leaguewide in scoring (seventh, 26.1 points per game), total yards (eighth, 360.5), and passing yards (fifth, 265.0). Chase (1046) and WR Tee Higgins (1029) each surpassed 1000 receiving yards for a second straight year.
Knighten joined the Bengals' staff after spending the 2021 campaign as an offensive analyst at Utah State University. He helped the Aggies set program records for passing yards (4248), TD passes (41) and total 100-yard receiving games (13). With Knighten on staff, Utah State tied a program record for single-season wins (11) and won the Mountain West Conference for the first time in school history. The offense ranked 15th nationally in passing yards per game (303.4) and 23rd in total yards per game (445.6).
At Utah State, Knighten worked with WR Deven Thompkins, who earned AP third-team All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award. Thompkins ranked second in the NCAA and set a school record with 1,704 receiving yards.
Knighten spent two seasons (2019-20) at the University of Massachusetts, where he served as running backs coach for both years and also coached the quarterbacks in '20. During the 2020 season, none of the team's five RBs who fielded a handoff committed a fumble once over a combined 344 carries. The group rushed for a combined 1460 yards (4.2 per carry) and 11 TDs.
Knighten served as a graduate assistant at Florida State for the 2018 season. He helped the Seminoles' offense rank third in the ACC in passing yards per game (270.1). He was also a graduate assistant for two years (2016-17) at Maryland, helping the Terrapins rank in the top 20 nationally for fewest turnovers (14) in '17. That season, WR DJ Moore set a school record with 80 receptions and led the Big Ten with 1033 receiving yards.
In 2016, Maryland's offense rushed for 2594 yards, marking the first time the program had 2500-plus yards on the ground since 2003. In the passing game, QB Perry Hills led the Big Ten in completion percentage (61.9).
Knighten enjoyed a decorated playing career as a dual-threat QB at Arkansas State (2012-15), ranking fourth in program history with 6986 total yards. He graduated with the second-most total yards in a single season (4056 in 2014) and was a two-time All-Sun Belt selection. Knighten was named MVP of the 2013 GoDaddy Bowl after recording 212 yards of total offense and leading the Red Wolves on a 55-yard game-winning drive in the final 1:25 of regulation.
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Knighten earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Arkansas State in 2016. He has two sons, Malcolm and Chandler.
Playing and coaching history: 2012-15—Played QB at Arkansas State. 2016-17—Graduate assistant coach, Maryland. 2018—Graduate assistant coach, Florida State. 2019-20—Assistant Coach (AC), Massachusetts. 2021—AC, Utah State. 2022-present—AC, Cincinnati Bengals.
