We have seen a bit of fight from the defense early in training camp from the Cincinnati Bengals defense. The team certainly did quite a bit to improve that side of the ball in the offseason, and we have seen that show up in Boye Mafe making some early pressures. However, we have also seen players like Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter make plays at linebacker.
Is it time to panic about the offense? Definitely not. Quarterback Joe Burrow has still had moments of absolute brilliant ball placement,
and there were days like this even last offseason when the defense got the better of them. This is the time to experiment with some things, and Burrow and company are doing plenty of that.
Let us know in the comments your feeling on this year’s squad after a few days of training camp to digest.
Bengals News
Training Camp Report | Boye Mafe Finds A Home; Erick All Jr.’s Wait Ends Monday
“One thing about me, I’m out there working trying to crack my craft,” Mafe said. “Camp is where you fine-tune your craft. You work all summer on different moves, different ways to elevate your game. See what works, see what doesn’t work, see what you can take into the season.”
Mafe is carrying plenty of expectations to see his production expand with a bigger role. His current approach suggests it is a good bet for the team to make. The entire defense improving obviously involves more than him stepping up, but him becoming an EDGE who can consistently pressure the quarterback is a fairly large piece of that.
Quick Hits | Jalen Davis Strikes Again; Connor Lew Debut; 2 Cincy Kids At Camp
“You get the happy nerves. I haven’t had contact since the end of October,” said Lew, alluding to the torn ACL he suffered against Missouri. “We’re at the stage where we’re not ahead of schedule or behind schedule. It’s just day-to-day, and they told me I could go out there and get full-speed contact. It felt really good.”
Davis certainly keeps having his name pop up. The first was the scuffle he and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had on Day 1 of training camp. This time he made an opportune turnover. He has never made it easy on this coaching staff to cut him, but now he is making it hard for them to keep him off the field.
Why Bengals keep dropping Boye Mafe, Cashius Howell in pass coverage
“That’s something I am trying to work on to get more comfortable with,” Howell told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “My primary thing is rushing the passer and playing on the line of scrimmage, but that is something I am trying to actively work on and actively make sure I’m getting better at day by day.”
It does make sense that Mafe and Howell are not as prolific in coverage as they are rushing the passer. It also feels like offenses have caught up to this tactic. Namely players like Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen… ect., all have seen this for years now.
It is nice to sprinkle in, but the key is you need to be able to rush the passer into making a mistake when you drop a defensive lineman into coverage. If you can’t then the quarterback just has to wait for a receiver to find the hole in whatever zone that lineman is covering. Mafe and Howell are never going to be good enough in coverage to make a play defensively if the quarterback has all day to throw. To try and make the point a bit clearer. If Mafe and Howell are considered to have a D in coverage, they are good enough as a surprise defensive lineman if the quarterback has to act quickly because of pass rush. Them becoming a D+ or even C graded in coverage is not enough of an increase for them to be good enough if the quarterback has even a decent amount of time in the pocket.
Bengals’ Early-Season Test Just Got Tougher After Texans’ Latest Move
Clowney gives Houston another proven weapon to unleash against Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s offensive line. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. combined for 27 sacks last season, leaving Houston with two defenders capable of taking over a game from opposite sides of the defensive front.
While it is unfortunate an already good defense gets better in the AFC. There were reports that Clowney was also talking with the Cleveland Browns about a return. Even without Myles Garrett, that defensive line is still fairly scary with Jared Verse taking his spot. So they will only have to see him once on a loaded defensive line instead of twice.
