Bengals Rookie Watch: Where the 2023 class stands at the bye week
Most of the Cincinnati Bengals' rookie class has found a role through six weeks of play, and look great doing it as well. Starting well only makes finishing strong easier, but never does it guarantee such a thing. A week off in the NFL is good for any player. It's especially appreciated by rookies. Their […]
Most of the Cincinnati Bengals' rookie class has found a role through six weeks of play, and look great doing it as well. Starting well only makes finishing strong easier, but never does it guarantee such a thing.
A week off in the NFL is good for any player. It's especially appreciated by rookies. Their calendar years have been a nonstop adventure from wrapping up college, the pre-draft process, getting drafted, and then getting thrown right into the league. Taking it all one week at a time is much easier when that week is filled with rest.
Here's where all eight rookies stand with six weeks of an NFL regular season under their belts.
Myles Murphy, first round pick
Current role: Reserve edge defender
Total snaps: 97 (66 on defense)
Murphy's usage has been low, which was to be expected once Joseph Ossai returned from injury in Week 3. The 28th overall pick has played more than seven snaps in just one game since Ossai's return. The on-field product has also been pretty pedestrian, which remains in expectation for the 21-year old. He does have a sack and three pressures with just 34 pass rushing snaps so far.
Murphy was never going to be an instant impact player, and this usage rate will likely continue throughout his rookie season.
DJ Turner II, second round pick
Current role: Pseudo-starting cornerback
Total snaps: 288 (235 on defense)
Instant impact is precisely what Turner has provided. While Chidobe Awuzie remains limited with both his recovered ACL and a back injury on top of it, the rookie out of Michigan has fit in as seamless as possible at cornerback. He's allowed just five receptions and 43 yards as the primary coverage responsibility for 15 targets. He's even out-snapped Awuzie by 24 reps through six games despite only starting two.
Turner is playing like one of the better rookie cornerbacks in the league right now, and has been very valuable to the Bengals' secondary.
Jordan Battle, third round pick
Current role: Rotational safety
Total snaps: 170 (60 on defense)
Two weeks have stood out for Battle. He came in for a concussed Nick Scott in Week 2 and logged 25 snaps in relief for him. He would then replace Scott for a good chunk of Week 5, and it had nothing to do with an injury. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo simply wanted to see Battle get some reps for a struggling Scott, which was incredibly notable considering how much Anarumo despises rotating players in the secondary.
It didn't carry over into Week 6, but if Battle continues to practice well and Scott's inconsistencies persist, he could be the starter before long.
Charlie Jones, fourth round pick
Current role: Punt returner & reserve slot receiver (ON I.R.)
Total snaps: 20 (three on offense)
It took two games for Jones to do something no Bengal had done for 11 years when he returned a punt for a touchdown in Week 2. The 24-year old further solidified his role on special teams with his first career touchdown, but he would injure his thumb a week later and has missed the past three games on Injured Reserve.
Jones is on track to return as soon as he's eligible, which will be soon after the bye.
Chase Brown, fifth round pick
Current role: Reserve running back
Total snaps: 64 (seven on offense)
Of all the rookies who haven't gotten much playing time, Brown has the best case for getting more exposure. The Bengals have a lackluster run game, and Brown has taken one snap in the backfield in each game he's been active. He clearly isn't trusted yet to carry the ball consistently, which is a shame considering he's their most athletic running back on paper.
If the Bengals want to put a spark in the backfield, Brown should get more looks in the meat of the season. Who knows if it'll actually happen.
Andrei Iosivas, sixth round pick
Current role: Reserve wide receiver
Total snaps: 156 (55 on offense)
Injury was the only way "Yoshi" was getting on the field early on, and Tee Higgins' rib fracture was the event that did it. Iosivas caught his first career reception and touchdown in back-to-back weeks while Higgins has either been out or on a snap count. The rookie has been rotated in semi-frequently with Trenton Irwin.
The sample size is obviously small with just three targets, two catches for 12 yards, and a touchdown, but Iosivas has only done good things with the opportunities he's earned. That's promising after an exciting training camp and preseason.
Brad Robbins, sixth round pick
Current role: Punter, holder
Total snaps: 54
Sometimes he's good, sometimes he's not. Robbins has been perfect as a holder but has just as many borderline shanks as he has booming punts so far. He boosted his average up to 44.2 yards per punt over the last three weeks with punts of 62, 59, and 55 yards each during that span. He still has some work to do getting his net average (39.4) back over 40.
It's too early to tell if the Bengals will be looking at punters again next year, but Robbins needs to continue building off his most recent games to make the start of the year a distant anomaly.
DJ Ivey, seventh round pick
Current role: Reserve cornerback
Total snaps: 20 (one on defense)
Opportunity has not been presented to Ivey yet. He's only seen the field in two games thus far, and 95% of the time he's been handling special teams duties. It's the life of a seventh round pick, unfortunately.
DJ Turner is the NEXT Mike Hilton for the Bengals secondary: Film Breakdown
In this film breakdown, we take a look at Cincinnati Bengals rookie CB DJ Turner, a 2nd round pick out of Michigan.
