Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor acknowledged Jordan Battle’s costly missed tackle against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he pushed back on the idea that the play tells the whole story of the safety’s performance.
“I think there’s a lot of great examples of Jordan Battle tackling,” Taylor said in comments shared by CLNS Media's Mike Petraglia
. “The one coming out of the post is the one we got to get on the ground.”
Asked Zac Taylor about Jordan Battle and his tackling ability:
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) October 5, 2026
“I think there’s a lot of great examples of Jordan Battle tackling. The one coming out of the post is the one we got to get on the ground. There are a bunch of other examples where he does come out of the post and get… pic.twitter.com/P4B8Qvm4CA
Taylor added that Battle
made other difficult tackles coming from the middle of the field. His assessment followed a call for a change at safety after Cincinnati’s 22-17 loss Sunday. That criticism focused in part on a third-and-18 conversion when Battle failed to bring down the ball carrier.
Taylor had also identified the third-and-18 play after the game, saying Cincinnati had to “get that ball on the ground.”
Battle recorded four tackles against Jacksonville. He started all four of Cincinnati’s games this season after leading NFL defensive backs with 125 tackles in 2025.
The Bengals now have to weigh his body of work against the missed opportunities that have drawn scrutiny during their two-game skid.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Zac Taylor responds to criticism of Bengals safety Jordan Battle
