It’s no secret the Cincinnati Bengals have been among the worst tackling defenses in all of football over the last few seasons. On Thursday, the team began working on drills to try to improve their tackling issues.
Zac Taylor said the Bengals would not be doing live tackling in practice, so the reps will come in drills over the next few practices to get ready for the Thursday preseason game against Detroit.
This comes after defensive coordinator Al Golden said Tuesday that the Bengals would hold multiple
live tackling drills in each of the next three practices starting Thursday morning.
The improvement starts with the second-year linebackers. Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter each finished in the top 15 of missed tackles on the season in 2025. Knight had a 15.0% missed tackle rate, with Carter closely behind that with a 14.8% missed tackle rate.
Those numbers will have to improve for this Bengals defense to finish as a top half of the league unit in 2026. The additions of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen should free the young linebackers up to be in position to make plays this year. Now it is up to them to go out there and get the job done.
Another position that will need improved tackling is at the safety position. Going from Geno Stone to Bryan Cook should immediately help at one of those spots. Stone finished the season with an abysmal 18,7% missed tackle rate, often looking like he didn’t want to get physical against the run or after a catch in the open field.
Meanwhile, Bryan Cook was one of the better tacklers for a safety in the NFL, finishing the season with just a 5,7% missed tackle rate. The best in the NFL at the position was 4,1% for a player that played in at least 50% of the snaps on the season.
At the other safety spot is the returning Jordan Battle. Battle will need to improve on his 13.7% missed tackle rate from 2025. Entering a contract season, it is a make-or-break year for Battle. He has flashed physicality at times against the run, but also has left people scratching their heads with pursuit angles and letting up after a catch near him at times in 2025.
