Bengals-Jaguars: Player, coach and team connections

You probably remember Sean Porter from his stint as an injured Bengals player. Originally drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Porter injured his shoulder in training camp during his rookie year. That was followed up by two knee injuries, keeping Porter nearly exclusively in the rehab room during his two and a half year career in stripes. The Bengals waived Porter once he got healthy last year, unable to find room for him on the roster, and the Jaguars signed him to their practice squad. Porter is now fighting for a spot on their roster, but, facing relatively long odds. He’s currently listed under the “other” designation on the Jaguars’ depth chart, indicating he’s not even a third stringer. Another former Bengal who is now a Jaguar had a more successful career in stripes after going undrafted in 2009. Skuta was a special teams ace and backup on defense for the Bengals during his four years in Cincinnati. Skuta is now the Jaguars' starting OLB and unlike Porter, his spot on the team is locked up.

Beyond the player and coaching connections, the Bengals and Jaguars were once in the same division in the NFL, the AFC Central. In 1995, the Jaguars joined the NFL and AFC Central division which also featured the Steelers, Houston Oilers, Bengals, Browns. From 1995-2001 before realignment, the teams played each other twice a year. The Jaguars lead the all-time series 11-9 with many of the wins on both sides coming in streaks. The Bengals have won the last four matchups but the Jaguars won the four prior to that. The two teams have never played in the preseason and will be doing so for the first time on Sunday in Jacksonville. Here are the player and coaching connections to know heading into Sunday’s preseason game.

Jaguars who were Bengals

• Jaguars linebacker Dan Skuta played four seasons (2009-2012) for the Bengals.
• Jaguars LB Sean Porter was with the Bengals from 2013-15.

College town and hometown connections

• Jaguars OL Jeff Linkenbach played at the University of Cincinnati from 2005-2009.
• Jaguars DT Michael Bennett played at Ohio State (2011-14) and is from Centerville, OH.
• Jaguars OL Patrick Omameh is from Columbus, OH.
• Jaguars S James Sample played at Louisville.
• Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap and G Trip Thurman played at Florida.
• Bengals RB Giovani Bernard is from Boca Raton, Florida.
• Bengals HB Jeff Luc played at Florida State before transferring to the University of Cincinnati.

Coaching connections

• Jaguars special teams coordinator Mike Mallory was the secondary coach at Louisville (2007), and is the son of former Miami University (Ohio) coach Bill Mallory.
• Jaguars WRs coach Jerry Sullivan was WRs coach at Ohio State in 1991.
• Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther coached at Jacksonville University (1997-2000).
• Bengals linebackers coach Jim Haslett was the head coach of the United Football League’s Florida Tuskers.

Former teammates

• Jaguars DE Josh Evans spent one year with Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap at Florida.
• Bengals safety Shawn Williams and Jaguars defensive tackle Abry Jones were teammates at Georgia.
• Bengals defensive tackle Marcus Hardison and Jaguars running back Cameron Marshall were teammates at Arizona State.
• Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah was teammates with Jaguars cornerback Nick Marshall and running back Corey Grant at Auburn.
• Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler and Jaguars punter Brad Nortman were teammates at Wisconsin.
• Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and quarterback AJ McCarron were teammates with Jaguars long snapper Carson Tinker and running back T.J. Yeldon at Alabama.