The Cincinnati Bengals are seeing a lot of players from their atrocious defense step up over the past few games to offer hope that this team can, in fact, get a stop or two when Trey Hendrickson isn't in the lineup.
Although no one should be convinced that this pass rush is fixed thanks to the recent upticks in play from Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy in particular, they're faring better. A big reason why, though? The play of the defensive backfield, headlined by an emerging superstar cornerback in DJ Turner. I'm sure he'll be extended early this offseason when he's eligible. Oh wait. No he won't be.
Let's keep things positive for now. The Bengals did, after all, just vibe out in Baltimore with a decisive 32-14 Thanksgiving triumph, wherein they forced five turnovers to ensure Joe Burrow's grand return was a success.
One bigger-picture takeaway is how impressive one non-household name from the defensive backfield continues to fare. Cincinnati needs to bet big on him going forward.
Jalen Davis must be Bengals' starting nickelback going forward until he proves he can't do it
For the second straight week, practice squad vet Jalen Davis got a call up to the active roster. He started in Cincinnati's 26-20 loss to the Patriots, which looked worse score-wise for the defense thanks to Joe Flacco's pick-six.
Davis balled out once again in Week 13. He registered a 77.5 PFF defensive grade to rank third on a unit full of exceptional performers.
Dear Zac Taylor: When it comes to this whole last-minute active roster elevation protocol for Jalen Davis, we need to be done with that. The results speak for themselves. Davis has been a stud in the slot for the Bengals' defense. A key figure in their resurgence.
Over the last two games, on 48 coverage snaps, Davis was targeted only four times, allowing three catches for 23 yards, or 5.75 yards per attempt.
For a bit of context on an admittedly small sample size, struggling Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has averaged 5.8 yards per attempt this season. Part of the reason Davis' sample size is small is because opposing QBs haven't bothered to throw his way often.
Not your typical last-minute practice squad promotion. Usually QBs would smell blood in the water and spam target a widely unknown player like Davis. Not the case!
When the Steelers forced Cincinnati to go bigger on personnel and deploy three linebackers on the field more often, typical nickel Dax Hill flexed out to the boundary. That was where he shined in 2024 before tearing his ACL. It's no coincidence that was easily his best game of the season to that point. Assuming Davis continues holding his own in the slot, Hill can play on the outside and really solidify the Bengals' cornerback corps.
The bottom line is, Jalen Davis deserves a permanent spot on the 53-man roster. He probably has for quite some time since joining the Bengals in 2020.
I just want to underscore my point about how Davis is pivotal to Cincinnati's secondary sparking the pass rush. Here are the time-to-throw rates from the Bengals' last three starting QBs, again via PFF:
- Aaron Rodgers - 3.69 seconds
- Drake Maye - 2.95 seconds
- Lamar Jackson - 3.16 seconds
Bit o' context, part deux: Arizona Cardinals starter Jacoby Brissett has the fifth-longest time to throw in the NFL this season at 2.96 seconds. McCarthy is at 3.16 seconds himself to rank second.
That shows how sticky Davis, Turner, and Hill are on the back end. Not to mention the positively trending play of oft-criticized safeties Jordan Battle and Geno Stone.
Davis waited in the wings for years behind Mike Hilton, only to be overlooked this year when his time should've come. Cincinnati stubbornly stuck with oft-benched Cam Taylor-Britt as a starter opposite Turner on the perimeter. CTB flopped his way off the team even before his season-ending injury.
I couldn't be more bullish on Jalen Davis' future. I gassed him up after Week 12, and felt compelled to do so again. Although he'll turn 30 in February, he doesn't have anywhere near the wear and tear of a player his age given his limited career snaps. In the meantime, he's accrued a ton of football knowledge and continued to grind away behind the scenes, waiting to pounce on his opportunity.
Davis deserves to be back on a one-year deal at minimum, and should get first crack at starting nickelback snaps during Bengals camp in 2026. Because while a huge component of the solution to Cincinnati's myriad defensive problems was Al Golden tweaking his scheme to dial up more blitzes, Davis has proven that misuse of personnel played a major part, too.