Bengals counting on youthful ‘energy’ from secondary to carry defense this season

The Cincinnati Bengals held their first padded practice on Monday. Storms rolled in halfway through practice forcing the team to move to their indoor practice facility where they finished team drills.

With no fans in attendance in the indoor facility, it was easier to gauge the level of energy at practice. And the Bengals’ defense – specifically the secondary – was full of it.

“It’s a young group and if you’re going to be young, energy is something that you have to have,” cornerbacks coach Chuck Burks said following practice.

Cincinnati Bengals young secondary

The average age of Cincinnati’s secondary is 24.5 with Geno Stone as the oldest at just 26 years old. This is a unit full of young but hungry players with a lot to prove.

Cornerbacks DJ Turner, Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill and Josh Newton are all projected to be starters. Hill returned from a torn ACL last season and his timeline to be able to play in a game is uncertain at the moment. Until then, it’s the Turner, Taylor-Britt and Newton show at cornerback.

“We just try keep the energy alive,” Taylor-Britt said of the secondary.

All three players enter the season with a lot to prove, especially Taylor-Britt and Turner. Both players were selected in the second round of their respective drafts and when a team selects a player in rounds one or two, expectations are certainly higher.

Taylor-Britt and Turner have showed flashes of promise at times but neither player has put together a full season that leaves no doubt. Turner’s issue has been consistency and his health. For Taylor-Britt, he’s coming off his worst professional campaign that went so poorly he was benched several times.

They have the physical tools needed to be successful in their position. It’s just a matter of putting it all together on a more consistent basis.

Finding playmakers in Bengals secondary

The Bengals’ front office needs to come away from this upcoming season knowing whether Taylor-Britt, who is entering a contract year, is their No. 1 cornerback for the future. Same with Turner. It’s time for Turner to prove what he can be as an NFL starter.

The situation with Hill is a bit different because of his injury. It might be a few months until Hill looks like the player he was before getting injured. Hill is making good progress in his rehab and participating in practice with the team closely monitoring his snaps.

Prior to Hill’s injury last season, it looked like the Bengals had finally found his home at outside cornerback after three years of moving him around to different positions.

Newton takes over for Mike Hilton at nickel cornerback with big shoes to fill. Hilton was a valuable piece for the Bengals’ defense for the last three years. It’s too soon to tell what Newton can be in the Bengals’ defense, but by all accounts the coaching staff is excited about what they’ve seen so far from an energy standpoint and style of play.

Bengals safety position options

At safety, the Bengals opted not to sign a veteran in free agency or the draft signaling their belief in Jordan Battle and Stone. The team did force Stone to take a pay cut this year after a rough first season with the team.

The duo of Battle and Stone will return for a second year of starting together and the franchise is betting on new defensive coordinator Al Golden to get the most out of the group.

Time will tell if Stone and Battle are the answer the Bengals need at safety. Stone is already seeing the impact of Golden on his game personally, though.

“When he first got here we sat down and talked about what I needed to work on,” Stone said. “For me, (he’s) brought the joy back in the game for me in the way he’s letting me play and the way he’s letting me be out there. The way the defense is set up, it’s second nature to me.”

Battle was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft and needs to prove if he can be a reliable starter for 17 games. His first two seasons have been up and down, and the team is looking for him to take a step forward this year from a leadership and maturity standpoint.

There are plenty of questions about Cincinnati’s secondary after a year full of inconsistent play from several players. The Bengals spent a lot of draft capital on the defensive side of the ball recently and this is shaping up to be the year questions get answers.

After finishing No. 25 in points and yards allowed per game on defense last year, the Bengals need to be better for the team to return to the playoffs. And because of the uncertainty at several positions and a new coordinator in Golden, the Bengals will enter the season with a ton of questions on defense.

Stone said the unit is looking to surprise everyone and believes they have the group to do so.

“At the end of the day, it’s not like anyone is expecting us to do much so we just have to go do our job and surprise people,” Stone said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bengals position battles: Secondary in focus for defense

Bengals counting on youthful ‘energy’ from secondary to carry defense this season

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