Contrary to Report, Kirkland Was Healthy, In Uniform for his First NFL Game

The former Husky offensive guard went from undrafted to making the Cincinnati roster.

Jaxson Kirkland suited up for his first NFL game last weekend for the Cincinnati Bengals. / Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

To those in his newly adopted Ohio city, he is the new Jaxson Kirkland, the surprise of the Cincinnati Bengals training camp, an undrafted player who in inspiring fashion earned a franchise promotion from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

This past Sunday, the much-decorated University of Washington offensive lineman was in uniform for his first NFL game, contrary to a news report from Cincinnati that suggested Kirkland was headed to the injured reserve list with a wrist injury.

Kirkland, as his father Dean will verify, was very much healthy and ready to go, wearing an orange Bengals uniform No. 60, waiting to be called on if needed over the weekend.

For the former Husky, the last thing he needed was someone erroneously ruling him out of action when he's extra eager to launch a pro football career that hasn't made it easy. for him. Whereas people once were suggesting he might be a high-round NFL draft pick, he suffered an ankle injury that required surgery and knocked him off the draft boards, and he didn't hear his name called out among the 259 selections in 2023.

So the 6-foot-7, 328-pound offensive lineman did it the hard way He spent a season on the Bengals practice squad before his recent roster breakthrough in time to share in the opener against the New England Patriots, a game Cincinnati lost 16-10 at home.

The Bengals rescued him from his nomadic free agency by signing him last year and developing him off to the side. Now they're set to reap the benefits from a very motivated former Husky stalwart.

By manning four different positions in the preseason without hesitation -- everything except center --Kirkland made himself more valuable to Cincinnati, which let go of its 2021 second-round pick in Jackson Carman, a 6-foot-5, 322-pound offensive tackle from Clemson and an Ohio native, to keep the former Husky..

“The nice thing about it is there’s no time to think about it or freak out about it," Kirkland told Bengals.com of an instantaneous positions switches. "It’s just, ‘Let’s rock.’ ”

For the opening preseason game against the Chicago Bears, Bengals offensive-line coach Frank Pollack pulled Kirkland from the guard ranks, started him and he graded out as Cincinnati's top blocker, according to Pro Football Focus.

For the team's third and final exhibition outing against the Indianapolis Colts, Pollack shifted Kirkland to right tackle, where it was a bit of adjustment for the former Husky in coming out of a stance because he's left-handed. He made it work.

"I don't mind moving around, I pride myself on it," Kirkland said. "I'm a team player. Wherever they think I can help the team. That's what I told (Pollack)."

Noting Kirkland's camp versatility, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com wrote the following: "Kirkland not only threw around his physicality and mean streak at both guard spots, but he moved out to both tackles at a moment's notice in the last two games and held up well both times."

Jaxson Kirkland is shown wearing a boot in 2022 spring football practice. / Dan Raley

The Bengals gave Kirkland little notice before starting him at left tackle and giving him playing time at right tackle in different preseason games and obviously liked his response. When healthy, he's the team's third or fourth tackle, with the potential for more.

"What saved me (at left tackle) and what got me through is I played it in college," Kirkland said. "I feel at home at that position."

He'll feels very much at home on the Bengals' active roster. It's not hard to find him.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington