Bengals Five on Film: Standout plays from preseason loss to Packers
You smell that? That's the smell of fresh tape of the Cincinnati Bengals. It really is that time of year again.Under head coach Zac Taylor, training camp has been the place for every player on the Bengals' roster to sharpen their skills and prove their worth, while the preseason has been usually reserved for the […]
You smell that? That's the smell of fresh tape of the Cincinnati Bengals. It really is that time of year again.
Under head coach Zac Taylor, training camp has been the place for every player on the Bengals' roster to sharpen their skills and prove their worth, while the preseason has been usually reserved for the bottom half of the depth chart. It's the unsung heroes who populate the film in August.
From a former USFL defensive tackle, to a rookie out of the Ivy League, roster hopefuls all over the depth chart made quality impressions in Paycor Stadium Friday evening. These five plays popped out in film review and deserve a second look.
Dax Hill, post safety speedster
The lone starter on either side of the ball to play any snaps against the Green Bay Packers was Dax Hill. Plays like these are why he's locked in his role. Starting as the post safety in this Cover 1 look, Hill covers a ridiculous amount of ground in such little time to get under Jordan Love's pass and knock it to the ground, saving what could've been the biggest play of the night.
"I think the safety just made an insane play," said intended receiver Christian Watson after the game. "Even when I saw it in the air, and I saw the safety in my peripheral vision, I didn't think there was any way he was making it there. He got there insanely quick."
Hill was predominantly an overhang and slot defender in college, but will now be asked to play deeper coverages as a full-time starter with the Bengals. Consider him ready to take it on.
Andrei Iosivas fitting right in
One thing you should know about Bengals receivers: they will be asked to catch back-shoulder passes. It's a staple in the Joe Burrow offense. Iosivas' second target of the game showed he's got the skills for it.
Quarterback Jake Browning actually went to Iosivas on another vertical route the play before this as well, but the timing was off and the Packers broke it up. This time, Iosivas generates legal separation at the catch point, turns back towards the ball, and makes a clean hands catch on the sideline. The more reps he gets, the clean his craft will become.
Domenique Davis' pressure creates production
Safety Tycen Anderson was the star of the night with his two interceptions, the first one being this pick-six, but Davis deserves equal amounts of credit for forcing the pass in the first place. In this rep, he sets up the Packers' guard to the inside before using a quick swim move to the outside shoulder and ripping through the off-balanced punch.
Davis got plenty of snaps with the second-string defensive line as the heads up nose tackle and, on plays like this, 3-technique. He'll be fascinating to observe over the next two weeks as the team decides if a fifth interior defender is worth keeping around.
DJ Turner II is not ordinary
The speed of Turner is so real, but it's only one aspect of his game that makes him special. The Packers needed five yards to convert on fourth down, and they decided to test the rookie Turner with fellow rookie receiver Malik Heath.
Turner does three things very well here. First, he uses the sideline to his advantage and squeezes Heath's route towards the white paint, giving him less room to work with. While Turner does this, he seamlessly inserts himself in Heath's hip pocket, eliminating any chance of separation. Last but certainly not least, he wastes little time turning his head to find the ball and locates it.
It can't be understated how impressive this play is. Turner staying in Heath's hip pocket allowed him to contest the pass whether it was leading of behind Heath. Since it was the latter, Turner's quick location of the ball set him up to make a pass breakup not many young cornerbacks can accomplish. The second-round pick looks like the real deal.
Andrei Iosivas' near highlight grab
Going back to Iosivas, six of his 10 targets unfortunately fell to the turf, but this was the most exciting and inspiring of the six. Another back-shoulder pass! This time from Trevor Siemian.
One of Iosivas' strengths as a prospect was his high-pointing ability, and that entails more than just jumping high. Correctly high-pointing the ball means giving the cornerback zero chance. Timing the leap while also exhibiting pristine body control to contort towards the ball, and then coming down with it with as little movement as possible.
Iosivas did all of this and missed out on a touchdown by about one inch. In the preseason, we'll count it all the same.
Bengals starter’s ‘insane play’ gets a shout out from Packers player
An encouraging sign of what’s to come for him.
Featured image via © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
