Tycen Anderson

Tycen William Anderson (born June 13, 1999) is an American football safety for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Toledo.

Early life
Anderson grew up in Toledo, Ohio and attended St. John's Jesuit High School and Academy, where he competed in basketball, football, and track. Anderson committed to play college football at Toledo over offers from Air Force, Kentucky, Bowling Green, and Eastern Kentucky.

College career
Anderson played in all 14 of Toledo's games as a freshman and recorded 30 tackles with four passes broken up. He was named second-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) after playing in six games due to the MAC's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Anderson decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to Toledo for a fifth season. He recorded 44 tackles with one sack and two passes broken up in his final season.

Professional career
Anderson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 166th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2022.

Anderson began the 2023 season as the backup free safety behind Daxton Hill on the depth chart. He became a key special teams player for the Bengals, playing all his snaps on kick and punt returns. In Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, Anderson tore his ACL early in the game, but played through the injury. On November 3, 2023, Anderson was placed on injured reserve, ending his season prematurely. He finished the season with eight tackles, all on special teams.