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It was easy to feel down about the prospects of a continued strong performance from the Cincinnati Bengals defense once No. 1 cornerback Chidobe Awuzie went down with a season-ending injury.
But here comes second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt.
Tossed into action once Awuzie went down despite missing time over the summer during his key developmental stretch. Taylor-Britt has improved by the week.
That unexpected ascent culminated in his getting tested multiple times by the Browns at the goal line in Week 14, where he manned up and had sticky coverage on multiple targets.
“It was crunchtime, man,” Taylor-Britt said, according to Jay Morrison of The Athletic. “They comin’ to the rookie. And I’m ready for them. I love it. Keep throwing at me. That was my very first start when we played them the first time, and I know they looked at film and thought I was the same Cam. But I was just getting my feet wet. Now I’m better than ever.”
It’s not just coverage, either. Flip on the film and Taylor-Britt is flying around the field almost like a linebacker. When the defense held Nick Chubb to 34 rushing yards all game, two of his six tackles came when he brought down Chubb on his lonesome.
The overall showing earned the rookie a game ball:
By any means necessary.
Locker Room Celly | @KetteringHealth pic.twitter.com/XO0WT4uJKb
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 11, 2022
Defenses aren’t going to stop challenging a rookie because of a few good games, especially if it means avoiding veterans like Eli Apple on the other boundary and Mike Hilton in the slot.
But what Taylor-Britt has done against the likes of Amari Cooper already is very encouraging, as his rise continues to unfold faster than expected. That puts the Bengals in a better spot than anticipated as they hope to surge to the playoffs over the next month, never mind the long-term implications.
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