Joe Giles-Harris

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT
Career		32	57	1.0	—
2025		10	27	0.0	0
2024		5	4	0.0	0
2023		3

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Bengals' decision to pay Joe Giles-Harris $1.2M annually earns a D+ CVI, representing a slight overpay for what amounts to depth linebacker production. At 28 years old, Giles-Harris profiles as a replacement-level defender who's carved out a journeyman career without ever establishing himself as a consistent starter, making this contract questionable value even at the bottom tier of NFL salaries. While the financial commitment is minimal in absolute terms, Cincinnati is essentially paying starter-adjacent money for a player who projects as a special teams contributor and emergency depth piece. The short-term structure limits long-term risk, but there's little upside here beyond roster flexibility and veteran presence in the linebacker room. This feels like the kind of depth signing that sounds reasonable in February but gets cut by August when younger, cheaper alternatives emerge through the draft or camp competition.

Performance Analysis

Joe Giles-Harris grades as a rotational player among NFL linebackers — a below-average player at the position. His strongest area is passes defended at 0.20 (near the NFL average of 0.20), ranking as near league average for the position. Tackling, at 2.70 compared to an NFL average of 3.80, is where he falls short relative to the position.

Fan Sentiment

A low-risk depth move that barely moves the needle for Cincinnati's linebacker corps. Five headlines covered the signing, mostly routine roster transaction reporting with little excitement. The strongest signal is his reserve/future contract origin, suggesting a fringe roster candidate rather than a genuine contributor. Fans are largely indifferent, viewing Giles-Harris as a special teams body at best. He'll need a strong camp to survive final cuts and stick on the 53-man roster.