Sean McVay speaks on his high hopes for Bengals safety Nick Scott
New Cincinnati Bengals safety Nick Scott is a coaches player, there’s no doubt about it. A seventh-round pick who turned a career filled with special teams duties into a starter's role? That garners respect any way you slice it. In his four years with the Los Angeles Rams, Scott worked his way up the depth […]
New Cincinnati Bengals safety Nick Scott is a coaches player, there’s no doubt about it.
A seventh-round pick who turned a career filled with special teams duties into a starter's role? That garners respect any way you slice it.
In his four years with the Los Angeles Rams, Scott worked his way up the depth chart and put on enough good film to create himself a market for his very first run through free agency.
But the film is just a small part of why Scott found a home in Cincinnati. According to his former head coach, Sean McVay, it's the intangibles that will translate to success for Scott's new venture.
"The thing I appreciate the most about Nick is he was obviously a great player who started out as a key special teams contributor and he's continued to earn every single opportunity that he got," McVay told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "But his play demeanor, his toughness and his consistency I think are things that really separate him. He'll be a great factor for you guys in Cincinnati."
McVay and the Rams have been accepting the reality that comes after going all-in to win a Super Bowl. Scott is just one of several players the team has let walk or dealt away in order to rebuild the roster under the salary cap.
Los Angeles, of course, beat Cincinnati to earn their Lombardi Trophy, and McVay knows Scott landed in a great situation.
"We hate to lose him, but I'm so happy to see him go to a great place with Zac. He's earned the right to be able to get rewarded. I know he's excited about being closer to home and playing with a lot of great players. It will be fun to watch him go shine."
Millions of variables entering free agency around the league make it tough to predict who goes where. The Bengals didn't expect to be scouring the safety market like they did, but plans change and so do courses of action.
Landing on not just a player, but a person like Scott should do wonders for an already strong locker room.
