Tag: Daijahn Anthony

Bengals’ Daijahn Anthony on how he’s using Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce as bulletin-board material

Daijahn Anthony set his phone’s lock screen to feature the pair of Chiefs stars as a reminder for the next matchup.

The budding rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs is becoming one of the best in the AFC.

The two franchises have faced six times since the 2021 season, splitting those contests, and that includes a pair of AFC Championships, which were also split.

They played once again in Week 2 on Sunday, and this time, the defending Super Bowl champions got the better of Cincinnati to win their third in a row in the series with a walk-off field goal set up by a costly pass interference penalty.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Bengals rookie seventh-round safety Daijahn Anthony revealed the novel way he’s forcing himself to remember the loss: putting Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on his phone’s lock screen.

“I honestly can’t wait to see them,” Anthony explained. “I’ve got them as one of my lock screens right now so I can see it every day. Both of them. Because I can’t wait to see them again.

“I’ve got a slideshow that I can click through, like, family members. And they’re on there, too. They’re not family, but I can’t wait to see them again.”

https://twitter.com/BBQChiefs/status/1837172622548721923?t=OnE5Z52JVNLPKCtsRdovkg&s=19

Anthony said it’s not the first time he’s implemented such a motivational strategy. Ahead of Ole Miss’ Peach Bowl win over Penn State last season, he also set examples of internet trash talk from Nittany Lions players as his lock screen.

We’ll have to see if this tactic helps Anthony and Cincinnati fare better whenever it faces the Chiefs again, which could potentially come in another AFC playoff showdown.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1371]

Cowboys All-Pro linebacker criticizes the referees for Chiefs’ Week 2 victory over Bengals

Dallas #Cowboys All-Pro linebacker criticizes the referees for Kansas City #Chiefs’ Week 2 victory over Cincinnati #Bengals | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ victory on Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals created much controversy amongst fans and players around the league.

The infamous 4th and 16 when Patrick Mahomes threw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Rashee Rice, but referees called pass interference on Bengals rookie Daijahn Anthony. The penalty allowed the setup for Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal.

The result of this play didn’t sit well with Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who vented on a recent episode of his podcast, ‘The Edge with Micah Parsons.’

“It was very shaky. That game was pretty crazy; a lot of calls went both ways, and I’m going to be honest, I feel like the refs did favor the Chiefs a little bit more,” said Parsons. “But at the end of the day, you can’t put the game in the refs’ hands.”

Parsons’ comments on a game he didn’t participate in are raising eyebrows since, on that same day, his Cowboys were dominated by the New Orleans Saints. The 44-19 loss was one of the more shocking results of Week 2.

Bengals rookie won’t let gnarly injury stop his training camp breakout

A certain breakout Bengals rookie will play through an injury this week.

Cincinnati Bengals breakout rookie Daijahn Anthony suffered an injury in his preseason debut that would hold most people off the field.

But not Anthony, apparently.

Anthony left the field during the preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the help of trainers. Not much later, the team confirmed he had a fractured nose.

But as onlookers could see on Monday, Anthony was playing through the injury anyway.

“You saw the blood gushing out, so I’m sure it was quite painful, but it appears that it’ll be able to practice and get through it with a visor and facemask.,” head coach Zac Taylor said, according to Bengals radio broadcaster Dan Hoard.

A seventh-round pick who might already have secured his spot on the final roster, Anthony has recorded at least three interceptions this summer.

Notably, Anthony had the first interception of training camp overall. Then, he was the first to pick off Joe Burrow during camp before eventually adding yet another.

That ball-hawking ability should keep Anthony on the 53, provided he can perform the way the team needs on special teams. It provides an unexpected boon to safety depth behind the starting three combo of Geno Stone, Vonn Bell and Jordan Battle and puts pressure on guys like Tycen Anderson.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Bengals rookie intercepts Joe Burrow to keep strong training camp going

A longshot rookie trying to make the Bengals roster just keeps making plays.

The Cincinnati Bengals might have something special with seventh-round rookie Daijahn Anthony.

Anthony was the first defender to intercept a pass at training camp this year, picking off Jake Browning early in the process.

Not a huge deal, but a nice proverbial feather in the cap for a guy trying to make an NFL roster.

Then he picked off Joe Burrow.

Anthony accomplished that feat late this week as the pads went on, making him also the first defender to pick off Burrow.

Yet when asked, Anthony was more than happy to deflect and praise his team’s quarterback.

“That’s crazy. For real?” Anthony said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s a great quarterback so that doesn’t surprise me.”

Anthony just keeps making plays, which opens up some interesting conversations about the final roster as he and guys like Tycen Anderson hope to round out a safety depth chart infused with new talent after the free-agent arrivals of Geno Stone and Vonn Bell.

If Anthony keeps this pace and shows well on special teams, though, he gives himself a great shot at that 53.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Good luck figuring out which Bengals player grabbed the first INT of training camp

Bengals fans won’t have an easy time guessing this one.

When one thinks about interceptions on the Cincinnati Bengals, names like Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner and even Dax Hill might come to mind these days. 

But a certain rookie has something to say on the topic.

On the first day of training camp, it was actually seventh-round rookie Daijahn Anthony picking off the first pass of the summer on a pass by Jake Browning.

If that’s a sign of things to come, the battle for roster spots at safety could be more interesting than anticipated.

Former first-rounder Dax Hill has already moved out of the spot for the Geno Stone-Vonn Bell-Jordan Battle trio. But now Anthony has some interesting upside while competing with the likes of Tycen Anderson.

Special teams will come into the conversation for the final 53, too. But Anthony just gave himself a nice little headstart — not bad for a guy who started at the Divison II level, then went from Liberty to Ole Miss, then the Bengals.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Instant analysis of Bengals picking Daijahn Anthony in the seventh round

Instant analysis after the Bengals make a pick in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals finally hit on the lacking safety depth in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft, scooping up Ole Miss safety Daijahn Anthony.

The first of two picks for the Bengals in the draft’s final round, Anthony’s resume is typical Zac Taylor era Bengals.

In short, the senior had a knack for the football last season, recording eight pass breakups with three picks. And at Liberty the two seasons before that, he actually lined up at corner.

This is the type of production and versatility the Bengals love. The fact Anthony can stand tall in man coverage at either corner or safety will be a boon for Lou Anarumo.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein really liked the man-coverage aspect of Johnson’s outlook:

Hard-hitting safety with man cover tools but potential limitations if asked to play on the back end. Anthony is high-cut but with good size and an aggressive field demeanor. He aligned as both a big nickel and a split safety. He’s fairly comfortable handling man coverage duties over the slot and does a nice job of staying connected with routes and disrupting catch tries with timing. He’s fast enough to play over the top from center field, but the instincts are average, and he can be clunky swiveling hips with the changing gaze of the quarterback. He needs to take more consistent angles and do a better job of wrapping up, but Anthony has the talent to become a versatile backup.

Who knows where and how Anthony plays a few years from now considering the Bengals still have former first-rounder Dax Hill floating around at different spots on the depth chart, too.

But adding a versatile defender with enough skills to make the final roster as a rookie is a solid win outside of the top 200. If Johnson can model his game after a veteran like Mike Hilton, he could easily be a massive success story in a few years.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Bengals select Ole Miss S Daijahn Anthony in seventh round, 224th overall

The Bengals have made a pick in the final round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals used their first pick in the seventh round on Ole Miss safety Daijahn Anthony at No. 224 overall.

Cincinnati entered the draft with a serious need to upgrade safety depth, especially if Dax Hill truly moves to corner.

Anthony is an attempt at that. He’s a 6’0″, 195-pound senior who led his team with eight pass breakups last season and had three interceptions with 60-plus tackles.

He’ll arrive in Cincinnati and compete with the likes of Tycen Anderson for those limited backup safety spots.

The Bengals previously used one sixth-round pick on Arizona tight end Tanner McLachlan, then followed that up later in the same round with Ole Miss edge rusher Cedric Johnson.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

2024 NFL draft: Giants load up in 7-round post-Combine mock

In a 7-round post-NFL Combine mock draft, the New York Giants luck out over their first three picks and load up over seven rounds.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana concluded on Sunday, and the fate of many prospects was changed.

With the on-field testing now out of the way, Giants Wire decided to take a second shot at a full 7-round mock draft for the New York Giants.

Because our initial Round 1 mock draft was so controversial, we eliminated all trades in this one just as we had in our first 7-round mock. That’s obviously not how the actual draft will play out but allowing only a single trade the first time was justifiably unrealistic as well.

For this mock draft, we once again used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator and left all settings on default. We chose only for the Giants.

Here’s a look at the Giants’ seven-round haul.