Cam Taylor-Britt starting to create an interesting cornerback competition

Cam Taylor-Britt made his NFL debut last Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons after being on injured reserve to start the year. And Lou Anarumo instantly got him involved in the defense. He even started the second half on the field as one of the cornerbacks over Eli Apple.

The vision is for Taylor-Britt to eventually be the starter. He was drafted in the second round for a reason, and the Bengals see the talent in him. But the question is if he can produce at a higher level than what Apple is currently producing, which is not necessarily high.

Eli Apple often faces a lot of unnecessary scrutiny from the media, and he is not as bad as some may display, but this year, he has had some serious trouble. Especially in back-to-back weeks. He has been one of the sole reasons for Saints and Falcons scores on plays 40+ yards by misreading his assignment, not being on the same page with a teammate who would also share the blame, or just being beaten down the field and beat in his position to the football.

Now, Taylor-Britt is a rookie so he won't be perfect on the field immediately. He will have hiccups just like any other rookie, but if he can perform at a higher level due to his pure athleticism and skill set, should the question be raised if he should start seeing a higher snap count? Even if that means Apple sees much less.

Britt ended up with 12 more snaps on Sunday than Apple did. In just his first career NFL game mentioned above which is somewhat astonishing. You could say it was because the Bengals held a prominent lead, or Anarumo wanted to test new blood after Apple let up a late 60+ yard touchdown to end the half. But it is still worth noting.

Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer got an answer from Taylor on Britt's sudden urge to get him out there.

""We wanted to work Cam (Taylor-Britt) in there. It was time to start working him in. The plan was to get him in there.""

- Zac Taylor

So if the plan was to get him into right away, that could mean he continues to see increased snap counts that could eventually lead to him becoming the full-time starter alongside Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie if his performance can be stout and consistent.