The Cincinnati Bengals went all-in on a youth movement and search for better overall play at linebacker this offseason.
That search included drafting two rookies, signing a veteran and burning bridges with veterans Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson.
But the Bengals didn’t come close to doing the same thing at safety. Despite their poor play last year, new defensive coordinator Al Golden has gone with fifth-year veteran Geno Stone and former third-rounder Jordan Battle, now in his third year.
Despite the continued poor play, names like Daijahn Anthony and Tycen Anderson haven’t been able to see notable snaps in the base defense.
The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. provided some insight on both guys and their woes during the bye week. On Daijahn Anthony:
“Fell out of favor in camp, didn’t take advantage of opportunities, nor take those seriously enough in the eyes of the staff. He’s still on IR, but if needed, he could ramp up quickly.”
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And Anderson? The Bengals “feel like there is a significant drop in his level of awareness at safety,” per Dehner.
Simply put, the Bengals just don’t have better options. And what will frustrate fans, of course, is that this was pointed out as an issue all offseason. The Bengals were content to handwave it as a fixable thing with a few coaching changes.
This is an issue, too, that stems all the way back from the swing and miss to replace Jessie Bates with Dax Hill. The former first-rounder Hill continues to carve out a name for himself at cornerback now, but the Bengals’ nonchalant attitude about safety continues to perplex and hurt them on the field weekly.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Why aren’t Bengals trying lesser-known names at safety on bad defense?
