CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals are preparing for a critical AFC showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 4, and they will likely have to do it without several key pieces of their secondary.
Cincinnati placed starting slot cornerback Jalen Davis on injured reserve on Monday. His backup, Ja’Sir Taylor, is also on injured reserve, leaving the Bengals without their top two slot cornerbacks for a game that could shape their season.
The Bengals plan to move Dax Hill from outside cornerback to the slot, where he has experience. That shift opens a hole at outside corner opposite DJ Turner II, where the team will look to DJ Ivey and rookie Tacario Davis to step in. Ivey, a seventh-round draft pick in 2023, is likely to start based on his experience with the club.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden has pushed the rookie Davis to mature quickly. Davis has been flagged for three costly penalties in three games, and Golden said cutting down on the grabbing and trusting his speed are the priorities.
“We’re really pushing him to really take that big step,” Golden said this week. “Play hard, play with confidence, eliminate any of the clutching and then trust his speed. We need him to grow up fast; everybody knows that.”
The injuries continue a rough stretch for the Bengals’ defense, which is also dealing with receiver depth issues on offense. Andrei Iosivas was injured September 20 and rookie Colbie Young was lost on the first offensive play of the September 27 loss to Pittsburgh, prompting the team to re-sign Mitchell Tinsley this week.
How the patched-together secondary holds up against Jacksonville’s passing attack on Sunday could make or break the Bengals’ push in the AFC.