 | Parts of this article (those related to Cincinnati Bengals and NFL career statistics) need to beupdated. The reason given is:2025 has not been added. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2025) |
.jpg) Stone with theIowa Hawkeyes in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 – Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1999-04-19)April 19, 1999 (age 26) New Castle, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | New Castle Junior/Senior | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Iowa (2017–2019) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2020: 7th round, 219th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
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Geno Stone (born April 19, 1999) is an American professionalfootballsafety for theCincinnati Bengals of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theIowa Hawkeyes, and was selected by theBaltimore Ravens in the seventh round of the2020 NFL draft.
Stone grew up inNew Castle, Pennsylvania, and attendedNew Castle Junior/Senior High School, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, and defensive back on thefootball team and was also a member of the basketball and track & field teams. He was named first-team All-State as a senior after recording 97 tackles with 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, and 10 interceptions.[1] A 2-star recruit, Stone initially committed to playcollege football atKent State over offers fromBall State,Buffalo,Delaware, andMiami (OH), among others, but he flipped his commitment to Iowa after receiving a late offer from the school.[2][3]
Stone played in all 13 of Iowa's games as a true freshman, appearing mostly on special teams and finishing the season with 17 tackles and one interception.[4] He became a starter during his sophomore year, recording 39 tackles with a forced fumble, three passes broken up and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown and was named honorable mentionAll-Big Ten Conference.[5][6] As a junior, Stone recorded 70 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, four passes broken up, three forces fumbles, one interception, and one fumble recovery and was named second-team All-Big Ten.[7][8] Following the end of the season Stone declared to enter the2020 NFL draft, forgoing his final year ofNCAA eligibility.[9]
NFL analyst Matt Miller ofBleacher Report ranked Stone as the 12th best safety prospect in the draft.[10] NFL draft analysts projected him to be possibly drafted as early as the third round to as late as the fifth round.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+3⁄8 in (1.79 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 29+1⁄4 in (0.74 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.62 s | 1.59 s | 2.64 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) | 12 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Ravens draft Geno Smith No. 219 |
TheBaltimore Ravens selected Stone in the seventh round (219th overall) of the2020 NFL draft. He was the 19th safety drafted.[13]
"Geno might be the best seventh-round pick that we've ever had – playmaker, attitude, special teams, [He had] just an excellent season [in 2023]. He has been cut, been brought back. I love his cerebral nature, [and] I love his attitude on the field. He fancies himself an overachiever; I love that about him."[14]
On May 7, 2020, the Baltimore Ravens signed Stone to a four–year,$3.40 millioncontract that includes an initialsigning bonus of $107,155.[15]
Throughouttraining camp, Stone competed for a role as a backup safety againstAnthony Levine andJordan Richards. Head coachJohn Harbaugh named him a backup free safety to start the season, behind starting safetiesDeShon Elliott andChuck Clark.[16]
On October 8, 2020, the Baltimore Ravens waived Stone[17] and re-signed to the practice squad two days later.[18] On November 8, 2020, Stone made his professional regular season debut during a 24–10 victory at theIndianapolis Colts.[19][20] On November 17, 2020, he was promoted to the active roster.[21] On December 2, 2020, the Baltimore Ravens placed Stone on the reserve/COVID-19 list[22] and activated on December 21.[23] On December 28, 2020, the Baltimore Ravens waived Stone again.[24]
On December 29, 2020, theHouston Texans claimed Stone off waivers.[25] He only appeared in two games for the Baltimore Ravens during his rookie season in 2020 and was only limited to special teams.
On March 23, 2021, the Baltimore Ravens signed Stone to a one–year, $780,000 contract after the Texans did not extend him a qualifying offer.[26][27] During training camp, he competed for a roster spot as a backup safety against Anthony Levine,Tony Jefferson,Brandon Stephens, andAr'Darius Washington. Head coach John Harbaugh named Stone a backup safety to begin the season and he was listed fifth on the depth chart behind DeShon Elliott, Chuck Clark, Anthony Levine, and Brandon Stephens.[28]
On September 19, 2021, Stone made his first career tackle during a 36–35 victory against theKansas City Chiefs. Due to numerous injuries to the Ravens' defense, Stone saw increased playing time as the season progressed. On December 19, 2021, Stone earned his first career start and made a season-high seven combined tackles (three solo) during a 30–31 loss to theGreen Bay Packers.[29] On January 9, 2022, he recorded two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first career interception off a pass thrown byBen Roethlisberger to wide receiverRay-Ray McCloud as the Ravens lost 13–16 in overtime to thePittsburgh Steelers.[30][31] He finished the2021 NFL season with 21 combined tackles (15 solo), one pass deflection, and one interception in 15 games and one start.[32]
On March 9, 2022, the Baltimore Ravens placed anexclusive-rights free agent tender on Stone for a one–year, $895,000 contract.[33] Defensive coordinatorDon Martindale held a competition to name the starting safeties during training camp following the departures of DeShon Elliott and Anthony Levine and the transitions of Brandon Stephens and Ar'Darius Washington from safety to cornerback. He competed against Tony Jefferson, Chuck Clark,Marcus Williams, and 2022 rookie first-round pickKyle Hamilton. Head coach John Harbaugh named Stone the third strong safety in the depth chart to begin the season, behind starter Chuck Clark and primary backup Tony Jefferson. Marcus Williams was named the starting free safety with Kyle Hamilton as his backup.[34]
In Week 5, starting free safety Marcus Williams dislocated his wrist during a 19–17 win against theCincinnati Bengals. Head coach John Harbaugh named Stone the starting free safety heading into Week 6.[35] On October 28, 2022, Stone collected a season-high eight solo tackles as the Ravens defeated theCleveland Browns 23–20.[36] In Week 14, Stone was demoted back to a backup safety after Marcus Williams returned from injury to reclaim his starting role. He finished the 2022 NFL season with 38 total tackles (34 solo), one pass defended, and one forced fumble, which he recovered.[37]
On March 17, 2023, the Baltimore Ravens signed Stone to a one–year, $1.76 million contract that included an initial signing bonus of $750,000.[15] He entered training camp slated as a backup safety and competed for a roster spot againstDaryl Worley and Jaquan Amos. Head coach John Harbaugh named Stone a primary backup safety to begin the season, behind starters Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams.
In the Baltimore Ravens' home-opener against theHouston Texans, starting free safety Marcus Williams suffered a torn pectoral. Head coach John Harbaugh subsequently appointed Stone as his replacement at starting free safety. On September 17, 2023, he made his first start of the season and made a season-high nine combined tackles (seven solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass thrown byJoe Burrow to wide receiverTee Higgins during a 27–24 victory at theCincinnati Bengals. On October 15, 2023, he made three combined tackles (one solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byRyan Tannehill during a 24–16 victory at theTennessee Titans. The following week, he made three solo tackles, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byJared Goff as the Ravens routed theDetroit Lions 38–6. In Week 8, he recorded four combined tackles (three solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byJoshua Dobbs during a 31–24 win at theArizona Cardinals. On November 5, 2023, Stone recorded one solo tackle, a season-high two pass deflections, and had his fourth consecutive game with an interception on a pass thrown byGeno Smith to wide receiverTyler Lockett as the Ravens routed theSeattle Seahawks 37–3. In Week 17, he produced eight combined tackles (six solo), one pass deflection, and set a career-high with his seventh interception of the season on a pass byTua Tagovailoa as they defeated theMiami Dolphins 56–19. He finished the2023 NFL season with a total of 68 combined tackles (44 solo), nine pass deflections, and a career-high seven interceptions in 16 games and 11 starts. He had the second most interceptions in 2023, afterDallas Cowboys cornerbackDaRon Bland.[38]
On March 11, 2024, theCincinnati Bengals signed Stone to a two–year, $14 million contract that includes $6 million guaranteed upon signing and an initial signing bonus of $3 million.[39] He entered training camp slated as thede facto starting strong safety. Head coach Zac Taylor named Stone andVonn Bell the starting safeties to start the 2024 NFL season.
In Week 11, he racked up a season-high nine combined tackles (seven solo) and recovered a fumble in the Bengals' 27–34 loss at theLos Angeles Chargers. On December 9, 2024, Stone made five combined tackles (three solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byCooper Rush toCeeDee Lamb during a 27–20 win at theDallas Cowboys. On December 15, 2024, Stone made five combined tackles (one solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byWill Levis to tight endChigoziem Okonkwo and returned it 39–yards for his first career touchdown in a 37–27 win at theTennessee Titans.[40] On December 22, 2024, Stone made one solo tackle, a season-high two pass deflections, and had his third consecutive game with an interception after picking off a pass byDorian Thompson-Robinson as the Bengals routed theCleveland Browns 24–6. He started 17 games during the2024 NFL season and finished with 81 combined tackles (47 solo), six pass deflections, four interceptions, and one touchdown.[41] He received an overall grade of 53.1 fromPro Football Focus.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league (for safeties) | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2020 | BAL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | BAL | 15 | 1 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | BAL | 17 | 7 | 38 | 34 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | BAL | 17 | 11 | 68 | 44 | 24 | 0.0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 101 | 14.4 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | CIN | 17 | 17 | 81 | 47 | 34 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 88 | 29 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | CIN | 17 | 17 | 104 | 65 | 39 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 57 | 28.5 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 85 | 53 | 312 | 205 | 107 | 2.0 | 5 | 21 | 14 | 246 | 17.6 | 49 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2022 | BAL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BAL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
