September 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Jack Kiser (54) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
September 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Jack Kiser (54) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars waived second-year linebacker Jack Kiser just before the regular season, they eventually signed him to the 53-man roster. However, his stay in Duval was short-lived, as the team waived him not long after the Week 4 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. This time, though, Kiser won't be back in Jacksonville.
The Bengals announced that they're claiming Kiser off waivers just a couple weeks after losing to the Jaguars. In a corresponding move, they're placing fellow linebacker Swayze Bozeman on the Injury Reserve list.
The move makes sense since the Bengals have been in need of linebacker help for a while. Then again, there's a reason Jacksonville let him walk.
Why the Jaguars moved on from Jack Kiser
The Jaguars waived Jack Kiser ahead of Week 5 to make room for Jalen McLeod on the 53-man roster. The move wasn't particularly surprising when you take into account that Kiser had been inactive every game this season, while McLeod had been elevated from the practice squad three times — the max a team can promote a player in a season.
Even last year, Kiser wasn't particularly impressive, logging 43 snaps on defense and 193 on special teams. Heck, Jacksonville signed the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the active roster after this season with the expectation that he could contribute on special teams, but he didn't.
The good news is that Kiser is going to get a fresh start with the Bengals, where he'll be reunited with Al Golden, who was his defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.
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The Jaguars had no use for Jack Kiser but maybe he can thrive with the Bengals
The truth is that Jack Kiser was the odd man out in Jacksonville. 2025 undrafted free agent Branson Combs and fellow sophomore Jalen McLeod had bigger roles than him, and both of them could also contribute on special teams.
It didn't help that Kiser isn't overly athletic. Then again, Al Golden was able to get the most out of him during his time with the Fighting Irish and could do it again in Cincinnati. And that's the thing, players' readiness is always variable coming out of the draft.
And sometimes, all a player needs is an opportunity to show that he can contribute. Kiser wasn't going to get it with the Jaguars because they're stacked at linebacker. They moved on from him, so he could latch onto a team that could give him that chance.
Things didn't work out for Jack Kiser in Jacksonville, but the Bengals liked him enough that they took a flyer on him. Perhaps he can flourish with them.
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