The Cincinnati Bengals are doing everything they can to make their defense Super Bowl-caliber like it was five years ago.

Defensive coordinator Al Golden was here for it as the linebackers coach. He witnessed a collection of new players coming together and executing specialized roles to nearly produce a championship.

One of those players is not too dissimilar to Cincinnati’s latest draft pick.

Tacario Davis has Al Golden thinking about Tre Flowers

The Bengals made Washington cornerback Tacario Davis their third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. At 6-4 and 194 pounds, Davis is about to be, by far, the largest defensive back on the roster.

Those dimensions are not far off from former Bengals DB Tre Flowers.

Cincinnati added Flowers to its roster in the middle of the 2021 season. At 6-3, 200, Flowers gave the Bengals a lanky-yet-physical cornerback who could line up over tight ends and cover them in one-on-one situations. His niche role was vital in their defense’s operation.

Flowers had the length to match up with traditional X receivers on the boundary, but his true value was found in matchups against TEs and big-bodied receivers closer to the formation.

Golden can see Davis fulfilling a similar role thanks to his measureables.

“When you get these sized guys on the perimeter, they also give you matchups,” Golden said. “So if you’re playing a [DK] Metcalf, or you’re playing some of the more athletic tight ends in the league, he can match up inside too on third down. So it gives you a lot of diversity. We did with Tre Flowers last time I was here for some more athletic tight ends. But he just gives us great, versatility, excellent press-jam player, lateral quickness and the long speed to match.”

Covering tight ends gives Davis an instant role to handle

The Bengals are good on starting cornerbacks with DJ Turner and Dax Hill set on the outside and a plethora of bodies to compete for slot snaps. Jalen Davis and Ja’Sir Taylor, both of whom are 5-10 and about 185, have the traditional size at the position. Kyle Dugger brings more length and strength at 6-2, 216.

Davis can bring his size into the mix as well, and both him and Dugger can be used in specific matchups against whichever TE is on the schedule in a given week.

Depth behind Turner and Hill will be needed throughout the season, and Davis will provide that as a top-100 pick at the position. If he wants to see the field as soon as possible, he should have that opportunity against players that veterans Davis and Taylor can’t match up with.

Cincinnati drafted a potential future starter at CB in Davis, but in the present, he may be its next-gen version of an unsung hero from the ’21 Super Bowl squad.