CINCINNATI (WXIX) – There were only about five seconds to make a decision. Safety PJ Jules, filling in with the second-team defense, had just picked off a pass during some red zone work. As the second unit left the field, the first team ran on. Somewhere in those few seconds, Jules was instructed to stay on the field and line up at free safety with the starting group.
It was a bit of a scramble, but it was also a sign. A lot of jobs are wide open at Bengals training camp for players who have never had consistent NFL playing time or even made their debuts in the league. If anybody steps up, regardless of what your role has been in the past, you have a shot to be active on game days this year at a lot of different positions.
With Geno Stone now week-to-week with a soft tissue injury, free safety is now a blank slate. There’s not any more clarity at the right guard battle. It’s still a question of whether or not this team has a viable swing tackle or a backup defensive tackle who can rush the quarterback.
It’s an unheralded cast of candidates competing for some of these roles. We’ve already seen Jules, Daijahn Anthony and Tycen Anderson with the first-team defense at free safety in the place of Stone. The Bengals’ plan to build a deeper offensive line revolves around guys like Cody Ford, Lucas Patrick, Jalen Rivers, Devin Cochran, Matt Lee (rehabbing injury) and Seth McLaughlin (rehabbing injury). Defensive tackles Howard Cross and Taven Bryan have been staples on the second team.
It’s August 9. The Bengals’ depth is already in an unflattering spotlight.
This has been a conversation since March, when the dust settled after the first few waves of free agency and too many needs on the depth chart were left unfilled.
Back before free agency started, the Bengals had needs everywhere. Starting nose tackle TJ Slaton wound up being the only notable addition to the roster. The Bengals neglected glaring, obvious needs for reliable starters all over the depth chart.
Names like guards Patrick Mekari, Ben Bredeson and Kevin Zeitler, defensive tackles Poona Ford, Levi Onwuzurike, Jarran Reed and Adam Butler, safeties Tre’Von Meohrig, Cam Bynum, and Justin Simmons and linebackers Ernest Jones, Robert Spillane and Cody Barton were on a long list of free agents that made all of the sense in the world for Cincinnati.
By the time the Bengals finalized contracts with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the rest of the starting-tier free agent market was pretty much dried up.
So the Bengals turned their attention to the draft, which they spent desperately filling needs.
After drafting Shemar Stewart, they entered Day 2 absolutely needing a starting linebacker and a starting guard. They like the guys they have in Demetrius Knight Jr. and Dylan Fairchild, but they were both starters before they even walked into the building. They didn’t have a backup middle linebacker that they could count on until they used their fourth-round pick on Barrett Carter. They didn’t have a swing tackle, so they used their fifth-round pick on Rivers (who might not even be a tackle). They also still lacked a third running back, so Tahj Brooks rounded out the class in the sixth round.
Because of how many needs the Bengals had to fill, they didn’t get around to building out their offensive line depth, getting that pass rushing defensive tackle or adding a single new defensive back to the roster. Their plan at safety was bringing Stone back on a pay cut.
It’s August 9. The season hasn’t even started yet. Their lack of depth at those spots is already showing up on the field.
Offensive line
In the preseason opener, Patrick struggled at right guard. His tape included some very quick losses, including one where Joe Burrow nearly got crushed. Patrick struggled getting out into space as a run blocker, and he also essentially got bulldozed into an Eagles pass rusher in what resulted in a 15-yard penalty against Cincinnati that nearly killed a drive.
Patrick isn’t making starting guard money, and he has more experience recently at center. And yet, because the Bengals don’t have a swing tackle and needed Ford to work at that position on Saturday, Patrick was still the first-team guard at practice.
Ford clearly outplayed Patrick against the Eagles. It wasn’t flashy, but it was a Cody Ford performance that the Bengals have seen can sturdily get them through a game and keep Burrow healthy.
The moving pieces on the line at Saturday’s practice revolved around Rivers, who worked at guard for the first time and played with the second team along with center Andrew Raym, guard Cordell Volson and tackles Cochran and Ford.
The Bengals hoped that Rivers’ experience pass protecting in college for Cam Ward would translate into their scheme, but the transition to NFL tackle has been a more difficult one for Rivers. He’s big and holds the point well, but Eagles’ edges consistently ripped around him. Rivers’ ability against speed was a reason why he was available in the fifth-round.
The book is still out on if Rivers can play tackle well enough in the NFL. But just two weeks ago, when asked if Rivers could be an option at guard, offensive line coach Scott Peters said “the need is at tackle.”
The need still is at tackle, but Rivers is on the move.
Fairchild’s ability to hold his own so far really saves the day. The Bengals, who have struggled using mid-round picks on linemen for years, threw all of their chips in with this one. So far, so good.
Fairchild felt good about how he performed against the Eagles.
“I still have some technical stuff to clean up, but I felt like overall the communication was great,” Fairchild said. “The organization and operation was fluid. I trust my training and trust the guys next to me. I’ve put in the work, so there’s nothing I can do other than to trust that and play as hard as I can play. Be who I am. Play as hard as possible.”
A few lingering questions heading into this week are the statuses of Lee and McLaughlin, Lee’s ability to play guard (which he didn’t last season) and why Jaxson Kirkland hasn’t gotten much opportunity after he opened last season as a second-team lineman (before a season-ending injury). The elephant in the room is why the Bengals haven’t yet brought in a veteran like Brandon Scherff, Dalton Risner or another option at tackle.
Cochran and Raym have consistently been on the second team, but neither of them can be an answer.
Defensive tackle
Kris Jenkins Jr. flashed in a big way against the Eagles and built on what’s been a strong camp. But the depth behind him still hasn’t developed.
One adjacent bright spot is that the coaching staff has shown confidence in Shemar Stewart’s ability to rush the passer from the defensive tackle position. Stewart has the power to make an impact from that spot. The tape still shows that consistency is still an issue, especially after he makes a play in space. But the flashes and instincts are obvious.
On paper, McKinnley Jackson should slot in as the fourth defensive tackle on this roster. But the depth chart against the Eagles showed that he was behind Cross (a UDFA) and Bryan (signed right before training camp).
The 2024 Bengals in September showed all that you need to know about the impact that a lack of defensive tackle depth can have on an entire unit. Behind BJ Hill, Slaton and Jenkins, the Bengals are waiting for a defensive tackle to step up.
Because the Bengals didn’t round out this room with a true pass rushing option, they’ll be counting on defensive ends kicking inside more often.
Cross is undersized and admittedly lacks power. He posted four sacks in 13 games under Al Golden at Notre Dame last year.
“I got lucky with Al being here,” Cross said. “The plays are relatively the same. Same structure. Same technique. It’s a step up in competition. But I feel like I’m fitting in nicely. I’ve got to keep playing. The joke that everyone says is that I already have leverage. Natural leverage. A lot of guys, you have to teach to get low and stay down. Speed and power, that’s really my thing.”
Bryan collected a sack against the Eagles but had a quieter overall game and training camp. He played in all 17 games for the Colts last season and is built as a leaner three-tech. Due to some injuries at defensive end (Cedric Johnson, Isaiah Thomas), he even received some defensive end reps on Saturday.
Jackson said that the coaching staff has been challenging him to improve in some specific areas: Simplifying the game, identifying formations, recognizing block schemes, playing faster, keeping his pad level consistent, using his hands, not getting vertical and up the field on reps and keeping one foot in the ground to set down an anchor.
There’s a lot of uncertainty here for a Bengals team that didn’t land the free agent splash or the draft pick that most expected.
Safety
With Stone now out, Anderson, Anthony and Jules all received first-team reps on Saturday.
“I think that’s a group that we’re looking to make sure we’re deep enough there,” Zac Taylor said. “Those are guys that these next six practices will be really good for.”
Anderson is a Pro Bowl caliber special teamer who has made plays at safety in previous preseasons, but he has had a quiet camp and didn’t pop against the Eagles. On one deep ball to Higgins on Saturday in practice, Anderson struggled and allowed a deep reception.
Before Stone’s injury, Anthony had been player in the lead free safety role on the second-team defense.
“Safety is just slowing down for me now,” Anthony said. “Last year was really my first year playing full (time) free safety. Play calling is easier. Being able to run the show. What’s changed the most is that coach Al has given us our own freedom. He gives us the tools and played to run. Then, he gives us the opportunity to make those plays and run the show back there. That’s the biggest change for me. There’s not as much stress with this is exactly what we have to do.”
Anthony was a seventh-round pick, but the Bengals held him in higher regard than that leading up to the draft. Last year carried plenty of challenges for Anthony, who fell out of the defensive game plan after his penalty in Kansas City.
Jules, a UDFA from last year’s class, has some impressive physical traits and passes the pure eye test. He was known for his ability to break up passes in college, and he’s also a very aggressive player.
Still on the veteran free agent market is Justin Simmons, who would slot in perfectly as the confident center fielder that the Bengals have been missing since Jessie Bates.
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