Garrett Swanson is in his seventh season with the Bengals in 2025, and again serves as assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Since arriving in Cincinnati in 2019, Swanson and the strength and conditioning staff have led the physical development of an influx of new and young Bengals players. In 2024, he helped QB Joe Burrow return to form after missing the final seven games of the previous season due to a wrist injury. Burrow earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors after leading the NFL in passing yards (4918) and TD passes (43). Additionally, Swanson worked with WR Tee Higgins as he battled through multiple injuries to post a career-high 10 TD catches, which tied for sixth-most leaguewide.
In 2023, Swanson helped two Bengals offensive linemen — G Alex Cappa and OT Jonah Williams — start all 17 games after each missed time during the previous postseason due to injuries. Swanson also assisted in several notable starters returning to the field after sustaining in-season injuries, including Higgins and CB Cam Taylor-Britt.
In 2022, Swanson contributed to Burrow's return to action after he underwent an emergency surgery to remove his appendix on the first day of training camp. Burrow was back on the field three weeks later, and proceeded to earn his first Pro Bowl nod while ranking in the top five leaguewide in several passing categories.
In 2021, Swanson worked with multiple key players who returned from injuries to help lead Cincinnati to an AFC North Division title and a berth in Super Bowl LVI. Highlighting that crop was Burrow, who was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year after missing the final six weeks of his rookie season with a knee injury. TE C.J. Uzomah, coming back from an Achilles injury, recorded career highs in receptions (49) and receiving yards (493).
The strength staff's efforts during Swanson's time in Cincinnati were particularly evident in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited training at the team facility during the offseason. The staff adjusted and helped onboard a wave of new additions, including the team's seven-player draft class that went on to play 96 combined games as rookies.
In 2019, Swanson and the strength and conditioning staff helped Cincinnati to improvements on both sides of the ball in the second half of the year. Offensively, the Bengals averaged 70.6 more rushing yards per game in the second half of the season compared to the first, while defensively they totaled gave up 84.1 fewer yards per game.
Swanson came to Cincinnati from the University of Illinois, where from 2017-18 he served as assistant strength coach under current Bengals director of player performance/head strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese. In 2018, Swanson helped a powerful Illini offense rank second in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (244.2).
Swanson played four seasons (2012-15) as a punter at Fresno State University, where he was a four-time Mountain West All-Academic team selection. He finished his career with 201 punts for 8411 yards (41.8 average) and 58 downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He also served as the Bulldogs' kickoff specialist and holder on placekicks.
Each of Swanson's four seasons at Fresno State came under the tutelage of Boese, who was the team's head strength and conditioning coach at the time. Swanson and Boese helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference titles in 2012 and '13, a first for the program since 1992-93.
In 2016, Swanson signed as a college free agent with the Arizona Cardinals. He played in three preseason games for Arizona and punted six times for 254 yards (42.3), with two inside-20s, before being released.
Swanson was born June 24, 1994, in Riverside, Calif. He attended Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, where he was a team captain and all-state performer as a punter, and was named team MVP as a senior. He also handled his team's placekicking duties, and converted a league-record 60-yard FG.
Swanson graduated from Fresno State with a degree in kinesiology-exercise science, and he also holds a master's degree in kinesiology from California Baptist University. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Playing and coaching history: 2012-15—Played P at Fresno State. 2017-18—Assistant coach (AC), University of Illinois. 2019-present—AC, Cincinnati Bengals.
