Kris Jenkins

Year-two leap underway: Bengals DT doubling his rookie production line.

Cincinnati's 2024 second-round pick is on a steady climb. Tackles doubled (9 → 18) in year two, while sustaining pass-rush impact (3 QB hits, 1 sack) and adding his first career pass defense.

3 sacks as a rookie interior DT — already on pace to add to that total in year 2.

Rookie interior linemen rarely register 3+ sacks in their first season, especially playing behind veterans on a defense built around DJ Reader's replacement. Jenkins' 3 sacks + 5 QB hits in 2024 placed him among the more productive rookie DTs in the league.

Through 2025 he has 1 sack and 3 QB hits — comparable per-game rate, but with more tackle volume.

Run-stopping growth: 18 tackles in 2025 already 2x his rookie total.

The clearest year-over-year change is tackle volume — 9 → 18. That's a function of snap count (more reps as a starter) but also of role: Cincinnati is using Jenkins as a true 1-tech/3-tech anchor, not just a sub-package pass rusher.

The TFL count (3 → 2) is steady, the QB hits stayed quality (5 → 3), and he picked up his first career PD — a sign he's getting his hands up at the line.

3 sacks in just 9 tackles as a rookie — one of the most efficient rookie DT lines in 2024.

Jenkins' rookie ratio — 3 sacks on just 9 tackles — is unusual. It means he wasn't asked to anchor the run; he was a sub-package interior rusher who got home when he was on the field.

The 2025 role expansion suggests Cincinnati liked what they saw and broadened the workload.

Bengals 2024 draft: Jenkins quietly outperforming his draft slot.

As a late second-round DT in 2024, Jenkins was a 'projection pick' — a developmental interior rusher behind veterans. The actual rookie production (3 sacks, 5 QB hits) and year-two volume growth (tackles doubled) trace the path of a player outperforming his draft slot for a defense badly in need of interior pressure.