Bengals Ace Special Teamer Leaving in Free Agency, Opening Huge Hole in Forgotten Phase

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are officially saying goodbye to ace special teamer Tycen Anderson in free agency. After a weird back-and-forth with his signing timing over the last 24 hours, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed he is signing with the AFC contender.

"Former Bengals S Tycen Anderson is signing with the Broncos. Depth and special teams help," Rapoport posted on X Thursday morning.

It ends Anderson's run with the Bengals after they drafted him in 2022 out of the fifth round.

Bye, Bye Tycen

Oct 16, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals safety Tycen Anderson (26) reacts against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Anderson played in every game in each of the past two seasons and 41 games in his four years with the Bengals, racking up 46 career tackles in the process.

Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons would've loved to keep him.

"I'd love that," Simmons said last month when asked about the team possibly re-signing Anderson. "I think it's a huge, huge factor for us. He's obviously a good player. I think that he's an important cog for us, and he knows how I feel about him. We stay in touch a lot and have throughout his career. I've got a great affection for him. I have a great deal of trust and admiration for what he does, and it'll be great to get him back."

Anderson played 850 special teams snaps for Cincinnati over the past three seasons.

It's another free agency loss for the Bengals, who have made four additions so far in Josh Johnson, Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen, and Boye Mafe. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin is trying to ensure Cincinnati can take the best player available at Pick 10 next month.

"Are we going to let free agency affect our draft? If the best player available is what we've done, we'll probably still do it. If there's a sizable difference, you know, we're not going to turn down a good player," Tobin said about drafting the best player available next month.

Cincinnati will have to find a new strong special teamer to replace Anderson. He never earned lower than an 82.6 Pro Football Focus special teams grade with the Bengals.

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