Shaka Heyward holds the MLB · Backup spot in Cincinnati Bengals’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Shaka Heyward played 12 games in 2025 with a 5% snap share.

Shaka Heyward is a linebacker who joined Cincinnati as a college free agent in 2023 following a five-year tenure at Duke, where he recorded 340 tackles and 32.5 TFLs across 51 games and earned two All-ACC selections. After spending his entire rookie season on the Bengals' practice squad, Heyward has appeared in 18 games over the past two seasons. In 2025, he played in 12 games and recorded four defensive tackles and 12 special teams stops, including a career-high four ST tackles on September 29 at Denver. Entering his fourth season with Cincinnati, Heyward carries a one-year contract signed in January 2026.

CollegeDukeHometownDacula, GA