Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Geno Stone can control where his career goes from here

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 10:13 AM ET

Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati’s regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day’s highlighted player.

22 days remain until the Bengals’ first game of the 2025 season, giving us another run with No. 22 Geno Stone.

Geno Stone

Age: 26
Year: 6th
Position: Safety
College: Iowa
Previous Teams: Baltimore Ravens (2020-23)
Jersey Number: 22

Stone enters his sixth season in the NFL and second with the Bengals after being drafted 219th overall in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent three years at Iowa where he played in 39 games (21 starts). He made the Ravens' roster as a rookie but was also cut and retained on the practice squad during his rookie season. He was waived and claimed by the Houston Texans, but never played a down with the team. He re-joined Baltimore in 2021 and played in 15 games that season, but his first full season came in 2022 when he also started seven games. He started 11 during his last season with the Ravens in 2023 and intercepted an AFC-high seven passes.

The Bengals signed Stone to a two-year, $14.1 million contract during the 2024 offseason to become the defense's new starting free safety. The former seventh-round pick struggled for most of his first season in Cincinnati but eventually found his footing and intercepted a team-high four passes, with three in the final five games.

Contract Details

Stone renegotiated the final year of his contract and is now on a one-year, $4.9 million deal. It includes a $1.5 million signing bonus, a $3 million base salary, $300,000 in per game roster bonuses, and $100,000 in workout bonuses.

When adding on his original signing bonus proration of $1.5 million, Stone's salary cap hit for the 2025 season is $6.4 million.

Roster Outlook

Agreeing to a pay cut of just over $1.5 million helped Stone stick around for another year with the Bengals. New defensive coordinator Al Golden could've targeted his immediate replacement in free agency or the draft. He instead has challenged Stone to help orchestrate his new scheme alongside Jordan Battle in the back of the secondary.

It's an opportunity Stone can't waste. He's still just 26 and is already entering another contract year. Bouncing back from a season that led to his pay being docked can go a long way in revitalizing his career, whether or not it continues in Cincinnati.

Projected role: Starting safety