At practice on Tuesday, cornerback DJ Turner was beaten deep by Ja’Marr Chase on what ended up being an incomplete pass. Turner didn’t have time to get down on himself because free-agent safety acquisition Bryan Cook was quickly by his side to give him a word of encouragement.
Then, on the very next play, Boye Mafe, another free agent acquisition, beat Orlando Brown Jr. around the edge and forced Joe Burrow to throw an errant pass earlier than he wanted. Cook stepped in front of the pass, picked it off,
and took it back for what would have been a touchdown had it been a real game.
Later in the locker room, Cook reflected on the moment, showcasing his leadership, not only verbally, but with action.
“For the most part, it’s just being aggressive, attention to detail, flying around, playing as one, and also being my brother’s keeper,” he said in the locker room after practice. “I know we’re all tired, but make a play. Any given moment, it could happen. I can be tired and have a great break at the post, and then Dexter Lawrence can get a sack. Things like that, it boosts the whole morale of a defense.”
The Bengals’ defense has largely been to blame for the team missing the playoffs over the last two seasons. Sure, if they bounced their way one or two times in either season, they could have backed their way into the playoffs, but a team can win if they allow opposing teams to score 30 or more points as often as they did.
This offseason, though, the Bengals’ front office took the big swing generations of fans have been asking for. They not only traded the No. 10 pick to the Giants for Lawrence, but they signed Cook, Mafe, Jonathan Allen and Kyle Dugger. Combined with this year’s draft class, the entire defense, except for linebacker, has been reshaped.
With Cook’s leadership in the secondary and with the monster that is Lawrence soaking up blockers meant to get to linebackers, the defense will hopefully transform from a liability to a strength.
