Bengals Training Camp Battle: Backup Cornerback
Of all the things Lou Anarumo does well as the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator, developing cornerbacks is near the top of the list. Coaching defensive backs and putting them in optimal spots to succeed is the foundation of his coaching background. This has helped the Bengals in more ways than people realize in recent years. […]
Of all the things Lou Anarumo does well as the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator, developing cornerbacks is near the top of the list. Coaching defensive backs and putting them in optimal spots to succeed is the foundation of his coaching background.
This has helped the Bengals in more ways than people realize in recent years. Injuries to starting cornerbacks have been a common occurrence for Anarumo's unit, putting key depth pieces in the forefront of secondary. Very rarely has it become a notable hindrance for the defense as a whole.
Anarumo has earned what's essentially unlimited trust when it comes to maximizing the defensive backs he has, specifically at cornerback. Now without Eli Apple to come off the bench to start, he'll have new players to sort through behind his top four of Chidobe Awuzie, Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, and DJ Turner.
Bengals Backup CB Competitors
Sidney Jones
The signing of Jones is very reminiscent of Apple being brought in two years ago. A high draft pick whose career hasn’t unfolded exactly how it was supposed to. The differences being Jones has proven to be productive in a scheme outside of Anarumo’s, and he hasn’t burned every bridge it took to arrive in the Queen City.
Jones is an ideal player to have in a zone-heavy scheme. He's explosive when breaking down on routes towards the ball, and he's a reliable tackler in space. His Pro Football Focus grades are also much higher in off coverage compared to man-to-man.
Still just 27 years young, Jones has a chance to find a long-term home like Apple nearly did.
Allan George
The only undrafted rookie to make last year’s Week 1 roster, George balled out in training camp and during preseason action to make the Bengals go heavy at the cornerback position. A similar August will need to be repeated for him to stick around once more.
Perhaps that's George's advantage in this battle; he's at least been here before compared to a newly signed free agent, and a rookie drafted in the seventh round. He also appeared in four regular season contests, and took defensive snaps in two of them.
George will continue to get second-team reps to prove that he's only grown as a cornerback.
DJ Ivey
The newest addition to the room nearly went undrafted, but Ivey is here in all his physical prowess. The former Miami Hurricane boasts imposing length at the position at 6-1 with nearly 33″ arms. He also leaped 39″ on the vertical jump and clocked a 4.46 40-yard dash at Miami’s pro day.
Ivey also turned heads during OTAs and minicamp as practically every cornerback on the roster received reps against the starting receivers. Ivey looked like he belonged in shorts and shirts. Now he'll have to keep it up in pads and helmets.
The most likely scenario here involves two of the three to make it through final cuts, with the odd man out receiving an offer to join the practice squad. Jones is the clear veteran of the group, but he's on a one-year deal like George is. It wouldn't be shocking to see Ivey do enough to stay on considering the team has roster control over him for four years.
Cornerback depth is invaluable in today's NFL, and the Bengals have heavily relied on it during their back-to-back AFC North title runs. 2023 will be no different.
Featured image via © John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
