Bengals waive defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson as trade chatter surfaces

The Cincinnati Bengals waived defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson on Sunday afternoon, a move reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport through Yahoo Sports. The decision follows Jackson’s first several seasons in the organization and reflects the reality of the NFL’s late-summer roster crunch, when teams must shape a depth chart for the start of the regular season.

According to the report, the Bengals made the move in part to clear space in a defensive line room described as crowded. For a team that values rotation and situational matchups on the interior, a waiver action can serve as both a roster reset and a way to reduce the number of players vying for snaps and practice-rep opportunities.

Rapoport also indicated that Jackson was drawing trade interest before the Bengals ultimately pulled the trigger on waiving him. In other words, the league-wide attention was real enough to generate conversations, but Cincinnati did not finalize a transaction with another club. That distinction matters because it suggests the Bengals weighed the possibility of a trade against the need to simplify their roster quickly.

Jackson entered the league as a third-round pick and, at the time of the waiver, was described as a third-year defensive tackle. That timeline typically describes a developmental window in which teams evaluate how a young interior player can contribute, not only as a run defender or pass rusher, but also as a piece in a bigger scheme that changes weekly depending on opponent tendencies.

For the Bengals, waiving a player who has trade interest is a sign of a tight internal evaluation, because a team that expects value elsewhere often tries harder to strike a deal. Still, waiver decisions in the preseason can also reveal how quickly roster priorities become fixed, especially when coaching staffs want a specific blend of size, quickness, and versatility for the front.

For other teams, the waiver opens a short path to adding Jackson without committing to the costs of a completed trade. If a claim materializes, the Bengals will move on and the league will see whether the interest reported before the waiver was about system fit, depth needs, or a specific role a contender believes it can develop immediately.