It's really hard to be a Cincinnati Bengals fan right now. Their lack of rhyme or reason for anything they do roster-wise continues to rear its ugly head amid the team's subpar performances.
That qualifying statement aside, Sunday's 26-20 home loss to the New England Patriots at least featured a major silver lining. You could say the defense as a whole played at a high level, and that'd be true, but an unheralded hero in particular really rose to the occasion.
The big question is, why didn't this happen sooner? And the suspected answer is one of the flaws that keep holding the Bengals' organization back.
Bengals DB Jalen Davis rises from practice squad to shine in Week 12
A seemingly innocuous roster move announcement from Saturday indicated that practice squad nickelback Jalen Davis would join the active roster. Nobody could've fathomed that Davis would be starting in the slot for the Bengals' defense.
Davis answered the bell with a sack of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye that held New England to a field goal to cap that possession. That was the highlight play, but Davis was sticky in coverage throughout the afternoon, adding two more tackles and a pass breakup to his reel.
What else does former Bengals linebacker Markus Bailey know? Put him in the personnel department! Duke Tobin could use all the help he can get!
Tough loss for the Bengals but I was glad to see my guy Jalen Davis out there making big plays with his opportunity. I've had countless reps with JD during my time there in preseason, practices, etc..he's always been a baller
— Markus Bailey (@mb_boiler21) November 23, 2025
Past first-round pick Dax Hill has lined up at that spot all season long. To his credit, defensive coordinator Al Golden must've noticed last week that Hill looked the best he has this year when he took a majority of his snaps on the outside. That's where Hill shined in 2024 before tearing his ACL to stymie his progress.
More out of necessity than anything else, Hill moved to the slot this year. Davis has been with the Bengals since 2020. He's been on the practice squad or on special teams duty for the most part.
Who knew Davis had this in him!? Instead of riding it out with oft-benched second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt until the wheels literally fell off, how on Earth did Zac Taylor and Golden not make this pivot sooner?
I've been a big believer since the preseason that undrafted rookie Bralyn Lux could be a fine slot corner. For all the years Davis has spent in Cincinnati, if he had something special to him, I assumed the coaching staff would've given him enough run by now. Turns out, it took Taylor-Britt's season-ending injury to trigger a sudden change that paid huge dividends.
The Bengals are stubborn about sticking to their higher draft picks to a fault. They've gotten burned by rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter often this season. Myles Murphy might finally be turning a corner in Year 3, but I'm not ready to proclaim that with any conviction just yet. Joseph Ossai keeps hanging around in the defensive end rotation.
For all the drama Taylor-Britt stirred up with his inconsistency and apparent antics, it's baffling that Davis didn't get more run long before Sunday's solid performance.