NFL: Breaking down the 2015 Cincinnati Bengals
By Andrew Garda
Secondary
Starters: Leon Hall, Adam Jones, Reggie Nelson, George Iloka
Backups: Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard, Chris Lewis-Harris, Shawn Williams, Josh Shaw [R], Derron Smith [R], Shiloh Keo, Erick Dargan [R], Raven Floyd [R], Troy Hill [R], Onterrio McCalebb, Brandon Ghee
Leon Hall remains the starter on the right side, but who will be the starter in the vacancy on the left? Terence Newman is gone, and our bet is either Dre Kirkpatrick or Adam Jones wins that job. We give the edge to Jones, who graded out well in Pro Football Focus’ ranking of cornerbacks (subscription required). Kirkpatrick has been a bit of a disappointment since he was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft and he barely played last season.
Both Reggie Nelson and George IIoka are both very good safeties, with Iloka one of the better cover-safeties in the NFL. He’s missed most of OTAs due to what ESPN’s Coley Harvey termed a ‘mystery ailment’ but should be in camp.
Regardless of who wins the left cornerback job, it seems as if this starting quartet is going to be very good this season.
They also have some solid backups. Darqueze Dennard enters his sophomore season as a guy who will probably be the first off the bench and on the field in moments when the Bengals need a third corner. He will be a starter one day—it could happen this season, but for now all we are sure of is his backup role.
Safety Shawn Williams is another player on the verge of becoming a starter. If IIoka hadn’t been lights out the last year or so, he’d have a shot this year. He has struggled with injuries and a long learning curve but this could be the year he puts it all together.
There are a ton of rookies crowding the bottom of the depth chart here, but ultimately only two to really pay attention to. Fourth round pick Josh Shaw could slide in as the fourth or fifth corner off the bench, but is more expected to have an impact as a special teams guy. He has playmaking ability and hits hard. With experience at both corner and safety, he could do whatever he Bengals need.
Derron Smith was grabbed in the sixth round, and like Shaw he’s versatile. He can play either safety positions as well as slot-corner. He was a ballhawk at Fresno State but isn’t athletic enough to hang with receivers at the corner position, but should be an opportunistic safety. Like Shaw, we expect him to be at the safety position.
Potentially one of the deeper units on the defense, the secondary is a strength for this team and in the AFC North, that’s vital.