As Joe Burrow’s praise this week for Bengals ownership following an aggressive offseason echoes around the building, second-year linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. quietly is carrying added confidence into the team’s on-field portion of the offseason program.Over the past two months as the Bengals retooled their defensive line and secondary, the team’s 2025 No. 49 overall pick immersed himself in a notebook comprised of a near-infinite number of scenarios in Al Golden’s defensive system.The advice to dedicate February, March and April—typically the lone time to get away from the X’s and O’s—to the Bengals playbook came from one of the NFL’s most durable and productive linebackers over the past 15 years: Demario Davis.Davis, earlier this winter considered a potential Bengals target in free agency, played a significant role in Knight Jr.’s offseason before eventually signing with the New York Jets.The 15-year vet who owns nine consecutive 100-tackle seasons essentially took Knight Jr. under his wing this winter, leaning on one theme throughout the process: make the playbook the center of your offseason.The connection with Bengals linebackers coach Mike Hodges helped, with Hodges spending five seasons coaching Davis in New Orleans as the linebacker grinded to earn his first Pro Bowl selection in year 11 in the league. This past season at age 36, Davis’ savviness was on full display, racking up a career-best 143 tackles, good for 10th in the NFL.For Knight Jr., who is looking to lead one of the league’s youngest linebacker rooms, seeking out an external mentor is another complement to a work ethic that has stood out since Day 1 on the job in Cincinnati.Come September, it will be time to show he is up to the task of putting it all together on Sundays, and picking up knowledge from an All-Pro with 13,423 NFL snaps can’t hurt.

CINCINNATI —

As Joe Burrow’s praise this week for Bengals ownership following an aggressive offseason echoes around the building, second-year linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. quietly is carrying added confidence into the team’s on-field portion of the offseason program.

Over the past two months as the Bengals retooled their defensive line and secondary, the team’s 2025 No. 49 overall pick immersed himself in a notebook comprised of a near-infinite number of scenarios in Al Golden’s defensive system.

The advice to dedicate February, March and April—typically the lone time to get away from the X’s and O’s—to the Bengals playbook came from one of the NFL’s most durable and productive linebackers over the past 15 years: Demario Davis.

Davis, earlier this winter considered a potential Bengals target in free agency, played a significant role in Knight Jr.’s offseason before eventually signing with the New York Jets.
The 15-year vet who owns nine consecutive 100-tackle seasons essentially took Knight Jr. under his wing this winter, leaning on one theme throughout the process: make the playbook the center of your offseason.

The connection with Bengals linebackers coach Mike Hodges helped, with Hodges spending five seasons coaching Davis in New Orleans as the linebacker grinded to earn his first Pro Bowl selection in year 11 in the league. This past season at age 36, Davis’ savviness was on full display, racking up a career-best 143 tackles, good for 10th in the NFL.

For Knight Jr., who is looking to lead one of the league’s youngest linebacker rooms, seeking out an external mentor is another complement to a work ethic that has stood out since Day 1 on the job in Cincinnati.

Come September, it will be time to show he is up to the task of putting it all together on Sundays, and picking up knowledge from an All-Pro with 13,423 NFL snaps can’t hurt.