Q: The Bengals have changed a bunch defensively since last season. What improvements have you seen with the new system they have in place on defense?
A: A big one is stopping the run. That was a huge point of emphasis in the offseason. They brought in T.J. Slaton to be the nose tackle and stuff the box. Shemar Stewart also getting in the mix a little bit there. He was pretty disruptive. He was the first-round draft pick for the Bengals in April. Seeing him on the edge creating a little disruption was definitely a good sign. The biggest area of improvement on the defensive side was the linebacker play. They brought in a handful of new guys. Oren Burks, a veteran who came over from Philadelphia, and then two rookies, Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter. Knight played really well in his NFL debut, starting opposite Logan Wilson. A key going into this season was could they get strong linebacker play? They did a nice job in Week 1. Then you even look at the secondary, where Dax Hill and DJ Turner missed a lot of time with injuries last season. So having them back in the mix has been absolutely huge. It has made a huge difference in secondary so far. I’m eager to see how that rotation continues to evolve over the course of the season. Cam Taylor-Britt is on the outside. Josh “Fig” Newton stepping into his second season, looking for him to fill some spots. Between the four of those corners, we’re expecting there to be much more consistent cornerback play.