PJ Jules is an undrafted safety out of Southern Illinois who went from a practice-squad grind to a full-time roster spot on the Bengals' special teams unit.
PJ Jules turned an undrafted free-agent tryout into a legitimate NFL career through relentless work on special teams. After being waived by Cincinnati during his rookie training camp, he spent a full season on the practice squad before finally cracking the 53-man roster.
Path to the league
Jules played for Southern Illinois from 2019 to 2023, starting 30 of 56 games. As a senior in 2023 he was a consensus first-team FCS All-American, leading SIU with 111 tackles, including 13 for loss, and adding a team-high 11 pass breakups. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent shortly after the 2024 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Cincinnati waived Jules during final roster cuts as a rookie but retained him on the practice squad for the rest of the 2024 season. He spent the following offseason working to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, a goal he ultimately achieved.
2025 season recap
Jules made the Bengals' active roster and appeared in 14 games during the 2025 season, primarily as a core special-teams contributor. He also saw a small defensive role, playing six snaps at safety in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Sources
- Wikipedia: P. J. Jules
- ESPN: PJ Jules
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
14 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | bengals | 14 | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Southern Illinois
- Hometown
- Orlando, FL, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
