The Bengals may have a little more on their plate to figure out at the nickel cornerback spot heading into Week 4.
Veteran defensive back Jalen Davis left Sunday’s 30-27 loss to the Steelers with a hamstring injury, and while the Bengals initially listed him as questionable to return, the injury could have an impact beyond the remainder of the game.
That could mean an opportunity for rookie cornerback Tacario Davis.
Jalen’s injury occurred early in the third quarter. He’s been the primary backup behind
Dax Hill at the nickel spot, while Tacario has seen limited defensive action through the first three games.
During his Monday press conference following Sunday’s loss, head coach Zac Taylor did not give a definitive update on Jalen, saying only that he will be monitored this week.
As for Tacario, Taylor offered this:
“He’s got room for improvement, but he’s got a good attitude about it.”
The immediate indication is that Tacario will see more snaps for as long as Jalen is sidelined. And frankly, this is exactly the kind of opportunity the Bengals were hoping their young defensive backs would eventually get. However, it’s not the scenario (injury) that they would have hoped for.
Tacario showed enough during the preseason to earn his way onto the roster, including a strong showing in the preseason finale against Philadelphia. Now, with a veteran potentially out, the rookie could be asked to take on a much larger role than he has had to this point.
The Bengals already have Dax Hill, DJ Turner II, and others available in the secondary, but losing Jalen would remove another experienced option from Al Golden’s defensive puzzle. Josh Newton was a healthy scratch on Sunday, so expect him to be active if Jalen misses time.
We’ll have to see how serious the hamstring issue is before knowing just how much this changes the rotation. But if Jalen misses time, Tacario should get a chance to show that his preseason promise can translate when the games actually count.
And that’s a pretty important opportunity for the rookie.
