A Rimington Trophy finalist center who returned from a torn ACL in record time to help Arkansas State compete in the Sun Belt.
Jacob Bayer built his reputation as a two-time all-conference center, first at Lamar and then at Arkansas State, where he battled back from a torn ACL to finish the 2024 season as a Rimington Trophy finalist. Now with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texas native is working to prove he belongs on an NFL line after going undrafted in 2025.
Path to the league
Bayer started his college career at Lamar, where he started all 22 games over two seasons at center from 2021 to 2022. He transferred to Arkansas State for 2023 and 2024, went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, and signed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent.
Career highlights
Bayer earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2023, becoming the first Arkansas State offensive lineman to earn all-conference recognition since 2018. After tearing his ACL in spring practice in 2024, he returned by the team's second game, one of the fastest documented recoveries from that injury in college football, and finished the year with 12 starts, second-team All-Sun Belt honors and a Rimington Trophy finalist nod.
2025 season recap
Bayer played in three preseason games for the Buffalo Bills before being waived in final roster cuts. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad in November 2025 after center Matt Lee went on injured reserve, and he signed a one-year, $885,000 reserve/futures contract to remain with Cincinnati for 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jacob Bayer
- ESPN: Jacob Bayer
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Center
- Group
- offense
- College
- Arkansas State
- Hometown
- Grandview, TX, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
Team
