Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Jordan Battle gave the Miami Dolphins some major bulletin-board material ahead of their Week 5 matchup, as he revealed to the world that quarterback Malik Willis has a tell that can inform Cincy defenders when to jump his passes.
Battle said that Willis will slightly tap the ball right before he is about to let it loose, which could give Bengals defenders a key they could use to break for the ball. Battle's quote could have come back to bite him in the rear end, but he and the rest of his teammates in the secondary made sure Willis felt the pain in the first half.
Battle intercepted Willis twice in the first half of their game against Miami, in which Willis threw two interceptions before completing his second pass of the game. This Bengals defense is far from the unit that would give up 30 points with stunning regularity. Now they are a bold, confident unit that can openly belittle a QB's skills and still come out on top.
Cincinnati Bengals DB Jordan Battle intercepts Dolphins QB Malik Willis twice in Week 5
Willis finished the first half 5/12 passing for 60 yards with two picks. Most of those completions and yards came on a last-second drive at the end of the half that didn't result in any points. Willis and the Dolphins may have been at a talent disadvantage, but Battle and the defense seemingly had their offensive game plan completely pegged.
This is another step forward for a Bengals defense that came into this game ranked 13th in the NFL in points allowed despite games against the Steelers, Jaguars, and Baker Mayfield-led Buccaneers. It's also a far cry from the teams who ranked 30th and 25th in points allowed over the last two years, respectively.
Plain and simple, this is a much more talented unit than in past seasons. The Dexter Lawrence signing giving this defensive line a major difference-maker is the biggest reason for this improvement, but a young secondary starting to come into its own deserves praise as well.
The Cincinnati Bengals' 2026 starting secondary is vastly improved.
Battle, DJ Turner, and free agent signing Bryan Cook are all starting to gel. Turns out that when Duke Tobin uses years' worth of mid-round picks in the NFL Draft on secondary players, a few of them may end up turning into impact playmakers.
While Miami is far from a world-beater offensively, past Bengals defenses during the Joe Burrow era would get the snot beaten out of them by quarterbacks who were on the fringes of starting caliber. Battle hasn't been perfect this season, but this could be a sign that he is capable of turning it around.
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