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Chris Roling

40 days till Bengals season opener: Every player to wear No. 40 for Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bengals USA TODAY Sports Aaron Doster Brandon Wilson

Like the numbers surrounding it in franchise history, the list of players to wear the No. 40 for the Cincinnati Bengals isn’t littered with instantly familiar names.

Still, some memorable standouts are there.

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Take Charles Alexander, for example. The running back who joined the team in 1979 was in town through the 1985 season, rushing for 2,645 yards and 13 scores as he went.

And in the mid-2000s, Madieu Williams had some solid seasons while wearing the number, which most recently belonged to Brandon Wilson.

As we keep counting down the days until the season begins, here’s a look at every player to wear the number in franchise history, per Pro Football Reference.

Charles Alexander, 1979-1985

Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Myron Bell, 1998-1999

Jonathan Daniel /Allsport

John Busing, 2008

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

John Holifield, 1989

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Ron Lamb, 1968-1971

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Leonard, 2009-2012

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

David McCluskey, 1987

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Derron Smith, 2015

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Pete Watson, 1972

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Madieu Williams, 2004-2007

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2006 Jason Bridge

Shawn Williams, 2013

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Wilson, 2017-2023

Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

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