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Taylor says adding a veteran linebacker and veteran cornerback are on the table. He referenced the deal for three-technique Jonathan Allen that popped a few days after the deals for Cook and Mafe only when the Vikings cut him.

He knows the scrutiny is on linebacker, but, he says, free agency never ends.

“It doesn’t mean that we don’t prioritize it. It just means, at the moment, the fit has been somewhere else, and so we’ve identified that and added to it,” Taylor said. “We are excited about our two young guys that played a lot of snaps for us last year, and the development they’re going to continue to see.”

Taylor put those rookie linebackers, Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, in the same bucket with safety Jordan Battle and edge rusher Myles Murphy. Players who began to bloom in the last eight games, when the defense allowed fewer than 18 points per game.

“We’re counting in a major way on those guys,” Taylor said. “I thought Myles Murphy took a huge jump at the end of the year, all around as a football player, just from a football IQ, from a physicality standpoint, from an understanding what we’re asking him do in the scheme, from being a playmaker for us.

“I think (Battle) paired with Bryan Cook, is going to pay dividends for us. And so all those guys tie together. They’ve all got experience together. They’re all tied together. And I’m really excited about the jump they can make as a unit.”

And, while the Bengals seek a veteran cornerback to back up Dax Hill and DJ Turner II on the outside, as well as nickel, Taylor doesn’t sense a lot of youth at that position. After all, Hill (2022) and Turner (2023) have played a lot of snaps since they were drafted, and nickel Jalen Davis, who made his first NFL starts impressively at the end of last season, has been here long enough to be the last link to the Super Bowl secondary.

“It doesn’t feel young anymore. Those guys have played a lot of football for us, and so I don’t look at it as a young room anymore,” Taylor said. “Jalen Davis, you know, he’s always been a part of that room, and I thought he played really well for us at nickel last year when he got his opportunity.

“I know that there’s veteran corners that have played a lot longer, that have played in the league, but I feel like with the experience those guys have gotten, they’ve had great moments, they’ve had tough moments, and they’ve learned from that, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in those guys.”

Asked if Hill would revert back to the nickel pending moves, Taylor said it’s too early to say.