Bengals safety Jordan Battle makes an All-Rookie team

A big honor for a rising Bengals rookie.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie safety Jordan Battle caps off his stellar debut season with an honor.

The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) just issued its annual honors and All-Rookie team, where Battle gets the nod as the first safety listed.

It’s a nice highlight for Battle, who emerged as a player earning more snaps by the week while overtaking veteran Nick Scott. He finished the year fifth on the team in total tackles with 71, recording two sacks, five passes defended and one interception in the process.

The honor is a result of the performance that suggests Battle has a bright future as a key cog in the secondary alongside former first-rounder Dax Hill.

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Former Alabama safety Jordan Battle shining in rookie season with Bengals

Jordan Battle is having an excellent rookie season in Cincy

The number of former Alabama football players that are now in the NFL is so large that it has become increasingly more difficult to keep up with them all and their success.

While it shouldn’t shock any of us, one particular Alabama rookie is standing out in a big way with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jordan Battle, a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft is having a stellar season Cincy. In fact, according to PFF College, Battle is the highest-graded rookie run defender in the NFL this season.

Battle has an 85.5 grade in run defense this season and has totaled 52 tackles for the Bengals.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for more coverage on Battle and all of the other former Alabama football standouts who are now stars in the NFL.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Troy Aikman stating he didn’t see much on controversial Calvin Ridley non-interference was a bit on the nose

Calvin Ridley couldn’t see anything either. How convenient!

There are assuredly bigger fish to fry for the Jacksonville Jaguars as they contend with Trevor Lawrence’s ankle injury. But a non-interference call from Monday night’s 34-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals still can’t be forgotten.

Late in the first quarter, Lawrence launched a downfield pass to Calvin Ridley. Cincinnati cornerback Jordan Battle went to contest the pass but did so while draping himself all over the receiver and literally covering Ridley’s eyes. I suppose that technically blocking a pass-catcher’s eyes is a bit of a grey area, but in this case — it definitely seemed like surefire interference.

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, no penalty would be called.

When Troy Aikman assessed the call on replay, he ironically said he didn’t “see a whole lot there.” Hmm, how convenient, because Ridley couldn’t see anything either!

I know this wasn’t Aikman’s intent, but I would’ve probably found a different way to assess a call by the refs, knowing the receiver had his eyesight blocked.

Bengals rookie Jordan Battle had a mini-breakout vs. Steelers

Rookie Jordan Battle just put on a show for the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie Jordan Battle was one of the team’s lone bright points during the Week 12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Receiving the most playing time of his young career, the third-round pick finished as the highest-graded Bengals defender at Pro Football Focus with a 76.8 mark.

Battle had eight tackles on the day and finished graded higher than other proven Bengals like DJ Reader and Trey Hendrickson, to name a few.

Even so, he was focused on ways to improve after the game.

“We’ve got to be better on third down,” Battle said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “When Coach calls ‘Man,’ we have to play that. We want to be a man defense. You have to lock up on third down and get off the field.”

With the Bengals essentially in development and evaluation mode the rest of the season (not that they’ll ever call it that), Battle has a chance to keep improving and lock down the long-term starting spot next to Dax Hill over the next six games.

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Bengals news: Jordan Battle on the rise, Tee Higgins in free agency and more

The latest Bengals news items and notes to know.

The Cincinnati Bengals had a typically quiet Tuesday ahead of the team’s Week 12 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Before practice really begins in earnest for that affair, though, we have minor updates on things like jersey combo plans and the reveal that a certain rookie continues to make headway for himself and has probably taken over a starting role from a veteran.

Also notable was the NFL announcing its scheduling changes for Week 13, which many suspected might include the Bengals moving out of primetime in the wake of Joe Burrow’s injury.

Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for November 22.

Bengals rookie Jordan Battle impressing, likely earns starting role

Here comes Bengals rookie Jordan Battle.

The Cincinnati Bengals.might have a new starter on defense in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, too.

While Jake Browning replacing the injured Joe Burrow understandably commands the attention, a rookie has started to take over a role on the defensive side of the ball.

Said rookie is third-rounder Jordan Battle, who impressed last week at safety after taking over for veteran Nick Scott.

So said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor this week.

“I thought he made the most of his opportunities. So we’re going to continue to rely on everybody moving forward. But Jordan did a great job. You saw him play a lot of the snaps in this game. That’s going to continue as we go forward,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It’s all about grabbing the opportunity that’s in front of you and I think Jordan’s done a good job of that. He has to continue to be consistent going forward.”

Battle came in for Scott after a mistake from the veteran and never really came back off the field against the Ravens, ultimately recording a game-high 11 tackles.

The Alabama product has been very open in the days since the game when talking about where he could have improved.

“I felt like it was an OK game for me. I had small mental errors on two plays where I could have communicated better,” Battle said. “The more you play, the more settled you get. It felt great to be out there talking to the guys, trying to know what play is coming and what can I do to make a play on this play.”

At this point, it’s hard to see the Bengals going back to Scott, who arrived this offseason via free agency. Not only has Battle looked more impressive, with the team’s playoff hopes fading, letting a rookie get seven games of run as a starter could be key for his development and the long-term outlook of the defense.

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Bengals rookie Jordan Battle making safety battle interesting

Bengals coaches confirm rookie Jordan Battle is going to keep seeing more snaps.

Cincinnati Bengals fans might have noticed a slight shakeup to the defense during the team’s Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

There, rookie safety Jordan Battle notably took some snaps from veteran Nick Scott, who arrived this offseason via free agency. After the game, official snap counts had the split at 67-39 in favor of Scott.

But that split might change more in the rookie’s favor soon.

Asked about the topic on Wednesday, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo confirmed that they’re still trying to find what works best on the back end of the defense.

Anarumo said the following, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic: “Keep rotating those guys. See how it plays out. I could see them both playing going forward.”

One thing that won’t change is the other safety spot largely belonging to Dax Hill, who plays all over the field. Scott and Battle can still take the field together in certain packages, but it’s clear the door is open for the rookie to make a name for himself and really earn more playing time in the coming weeks.

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Bengals teammates impressed with rookie Jordan Battle

Bengals rookie Jordan Battle continues to get high praise.

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It has been tough to ignore the simmering Jordan Batlte hype coming out of Cincinnati Bengals practices this week.

The third-round rookie picked up some notable first-team reps during practices as veteran safety Nick Scott continues to work his way back from injury.

None of the hype is too surprising, though, given how the Bengals talked about Battle after they drafted him, fully suggesting he could see more of the field than expected as a rookie despite his selection coming as a surprise to onlookers.

In the aftermath of those practices, plenty of veteran teammates have had encouraging things to say, too. Scott, for example, pointed out how quickly Battle continues to pick things up.

“J.B. is going to be fine,” Scott said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s going to be a guy that can contribute right away. It’s pretty evident he’s there mentally. He understands concepts and everything like that and he’s physical enough … I can’t stress enough how good of an understanding he has of the things going on.”

Safety and special teams captain Michael Thomas, who would know better than most, hit on similar points.

“You can tell he’s definitely polished. He was, what, a four-year starter at Alabama?” Thomas said. “He looks good out there. We’re all trying to learn from each other. He’s not shying away from opportunities. You like to see confidence out of the young guys.”

Even veteran cornerback Mike Hilton got in on the praise: “The coaches are showing trust in him keeping up with the ones. He’s being vocal and he’s showing us he’s able to communicate.”

This time of year, it’s easy to wave off praise for players who are in the best shape of their life and other cliches. But the hype around Battle feels real, given his experience, what he was drafted to do and the chances given to him by coaches already.

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Bengals rookie Jordan Battle got first-team reps at OTAs

The Bengals rookie got some notable reps this week.

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When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted safety Jordan Battle in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, we wrote that he could be a quiet contender for immediate playing time.

Based on a first look at Bengals OTAs, it sure appears that’s at least an outside possibility.

Reports from the practice sessions open to reporters said that Battle took reps with the first-team defense alongside last year’s first-round pick, Dax Hill.

Some of this undoubtedly had to do with a minor injury new arrival Nick Scott continues to work through. But it was apparent Bengals coaches were using these lighter-based OTA sessions to let rookies get some quality experience alongside veterans.

In addition to these details, CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia caught some of the interview with Battle:

This doesn’t cement anything in the defensive backfield one way or another, outside of the idea Battle could be more involved than a typical third-round pick — if not more so if he performs well enough during training camp all summer.

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New Bengals safety Nick Scott has big praise for rookie Jordan Battle

Bengals safety Nick Scott has taken notice of rookie Jordan Battle already.

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New Cincinnati Bengals safety Nick Scott had some interesting comments about his first impressions of Joe Burrow.

Now he’s done the same when talking about a guy drafted to help out his spot on the depth chart — third-round pick Jordan Battle out of Alabama.

Scott ran down the list of positive things he sees about his new fellow safety recently.

“He’s big. He’s got a big frame for a safety,” Nick Scott said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “But he can still move. Athletic. And he’s smart. He’s picking things up so far. We’re excited. I think he’s a guy that can contribute all the way. He can help us whether it be on teams or defense. He’s a smart player. Everybody has seen his tape at Alabama. He’s playing against the best in college football. He seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

It’s always interesting to hear what a guy like Scott has to say. He is, after all, a guy who just arrived in a program that intends to contend for Super Bowls. He also happens to have a ring himself after his time with the Los Angeles Rams.

As for Battle himself, he’s already said he thinks his time with Nick Saban at Alabama will help him quite a bit with the complexity of the scheme run by Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

If true, Battle will live up to Scott’s evaluation pretty quickly.

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