A former NFL linebacker who was in the league as recently as 2018, Ben Jacobs is in his first season on the Bengals' coaching staff and serves as special teams assistant. He spent the past four seasons (2020-23) as assistant special teams coach for the Washington Commanders.
During his tenure in Washington, Jacobs helped guide special teams units that ranked near the top of the league in several categories. In 2023, Washington averaged 25.0 yards per kickoff return, the seventh-best mark in the 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 in the NFL. Jacobs helped S Jeremy Reaves lead the team with a career-high 16 special teams tackles, which tied for second leaguewide and marked the most by a Washington player since 2012.
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 average yards per kickoff return (25.1).
In 2020, Jacobs' first season with Washington, he helped the team win five of its final seven regular-season games to clinch an NFC East Division title. Washington allowed just 5.8 yards per punt return, the fifth-fewest in the NFL, and P Tress Way's 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 and helped the team win the NFC and advance to Super Bowl 50.
Jacobs played collegiately at Fresno State from 2007-10 (redshirted in '06), where he finished his career with the third-most tackles in school history (387). He was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection in both his junior and senior seasons, and led the Bulldogs in tackles in each of his final three seasons.
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—AC Cincinnati Bengals.
