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Former Bengals first-round pick has new life in the NFL with a familiar face
Another member of the Cincinnati Bengals 2016 NFL Draft class has found himself in Nashville, TN.
Per KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, former Bengals first-round pick William Jackson III is participating in the Tennessee Titans' rookie minicamp.
Jackson, who was the 24th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has bounced around the league since leaving the Bengals following the 2020 season. He played for the Washington Commanders in 2021 and the first half of 2022 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2022 trade deadline. Pittsburgh released Jackson during the 2023 offseason, and the cornerback didn't play for any team in the season that followed.
Should Jackson be a part of the Titans' regular season roster, he won't be alone as a former Bengal. Tennessee signed cornerback Chidobe Awuzie in free agency, and most recently signed wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
Boyd was the Bengals' second-round pick from that 2016 draft class, so he's known Jackson since his rookie season.
The Titans also hired former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their head coach, and former Bengals cornerbacks coach Steve Jackson to the same position. Jackson coach WJIII during the 2020 season.
Jackson didn't leave Cincinnati on the best of terms. After signing a three-year deal with Washington in 2021, he took some shots at the team and fanbase.
"Cincinnati, they got some crude fans, man. Misery loves company," Jackson told a local Washington radio station in March that year. "Them dudes, they wonder why they're not winning. I'm happy I'm out of that thing man. It's a blessing to get away and I wish them the best, but Washington let's go from here."
The Bengals went on to win the AFC Championship that season, and Jackson's team finished 7-10.
Cincinnati and Tennessee are slated to face one another this upcoming season, but Jackson will have to make the team first before we can call it a revenge game.
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