Tag: josh newton

Bengals rookie trending toward breakout after praise from coaches

A Bengals rookie is being asked to take on a bigger role.

The Cincinnati Bengals continue to search for answers in the defensive secondary as the overall unit holds back an elite season from Joe Burrow.

Many of the problems have occurred in the secondary. Cam Taylor-Britt has been shockingly erratic, younger players like Jordan Battle couldn’t get on the field and injuries to names like Dax Hill have hurt rotations.

Now, fifth-round rookie Josh Newton could be headed for more playing time as the Bengals simply seek a spark from anyone at this point.

“Josh has been a hard worker,” head coach Zac Taylor said, accoridng to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “I like his energy. I like his approach as a young player, so we’ll just continue to work with him and see how it plays out.”

Newton was a hyped mid-round pick for the way bits of his game echoed the likes of Mike Hilton — the veteran who moved to safety semi-often in packages last season, but hasn’t done so this year.

Upping Newton’s snaps, seeing the unit improve and unearthing a key piece of the defense for years to come would be the best-case scenario in getting Newton more snaps. He certainly has the upside to make that happen.

But the Bengals would settle for merely improving a unit that can’t really bottom out further. Learning on the fly and hoping somebody like CTB can turn it around is all they really have left at this point.

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Bengals training camp: Rookie gets some unexpected first-team reps

Yet another Bengals rookie getting a big chance at training camp.

Of the Cincinnati Bengals rookies making plays or getting big chances at training camp right now, defender Josh Newton doesn’t have his name come up all that often.

Part of that is because his hype already erupted over the spring when onlookers really got to dive into his impressive film — and hear that he’s working hard to learn as much as he can from savvy veteran Mike Hilton.

But the hype train might just be gearing up again anyway.

Friday, Newton got some reps with the first-team defense, playing both on the boundary and in a nickel role, per WLWT’s Charlie Clifford.

The Bengals giving a rookie tries at multiple spots isn’t all that unusual. They’ll also be careful with veterans like Hilton this early in camp. Plus, No. 1 cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has been slowly on his way back to full-go.

Still, that’s not to undersell Newton, who looks like a guy who is very much in the long-term plans as a starter if his development goes well.

And here’s another reason for hype — he is and was one heck of an interview after his big day, as captured by CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia:

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Mike Hilton offers thoughts on hyped Bengals rookie Josh Newton

More praise for Josh Newton — from a key name.

Much has been written about Mike Hilton mentoring rookie Josh Newton already for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ditto for how high the expectations in the building are for Newton.

With May nearing an end and almost all players working in voluntaries though, we’ve got some updated thoughts on the hyped rookie from Hilton himself.

“He’s picking up both positions. He’s communicating well already. We’ll see how he does when someone is across from him,” Hilton said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He can move his feet and he catches it well.”

Hilton expanded, too: “He has to balance between inside and outside. I don’t want to do too much because he’s got to get one thing down first and then go from there. There’s so much more to inside than outside. You have run fits, blitz patterns, and probably the better route runners are inside. I feel like being inside you need a complete overall game.”

This inside-out versatility is a big part of the reason the Bengals drafted Newton in the first place.

And what’s interesting is that while he figures to stick inside, there’s always a chance things go a different direction depending on how former first-round pick Dax Hill does at cornerback after his position change.

It’s a good problem to have right now and the Bengals are lucky there’s a veteran like Hilton there to help oversee it.

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Cincinnati Bengals’ best sleeper pick: Josh Newton, CB, TCU

TCU rookie cornerback Josh Newton has everything it takes to become a big part of the Cincinnati Bengals’ secondary.

After three seasons at Louisiana-Monroe, Newton transferred to TCU in time for the 2022 season. All he did for the Horned Frogs over the next two season was to make All-Big-12 twice, so the jump to a higher level was no issue whatsoever. Perhaps he dropped in the draft as a smaller cornerback who didn’t test well at the combine, but defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo knew exactly what his team was getting with the 149th overall pick in the fifth round.

“He was real good. [Secondary/cornerbacks coach Charles] Burks did a great job with him communicating. I sat in on a Zoom, and again, he can really talk the game. Smart football guy, good football awareness. As I mentioned, that kind of comes through when you talk to the guy. He’s just an overall good human being, which is always good to add.”

If Uncle Lou likes him, we’re in. Not that we already weren’t. The 5′ 10⅝”, 190-pound Newton can play inside and outside (which is how the Bengals envision his deployment), and last season, he allowed 25 catches on 52 targets for 303 yards, 120 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 64.8.

Bengals rookie Josh Newton studied Mike Hilton tape

Josh Newton has been learning from one of the best.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie cornerback Josh Newton has already been highly hyped by the team as a possible steal who can make an immediate impact.

As if seeking to prove that narrative right, Newton recently mentioned that he has studied plenty of film on current ballhawk Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton.

In fact, Newton even recently hinted that he’s studied that blitz from the slot that resulted in a tipped pass and an interception by Hilton in Cincinnati’s divisional round playoff win over the Titans in 2021.

“First of all, he’s a very good and high IQ player,” Newton said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s got a great feel for the game. Great instincts. You can tell he’s watched a lot of film. Playing fast is understanding. I feel like he plays fast, he understands.”

Newton could end up as that long-term successor behind Hilton, too, though that’s a long ways out for a rookie just getting to spring activities.

There’s also the Dax Hill factor, as the former first-rounder undergoes a position change and could end up at either the slot or boundary spots as soon as next season.

Still, there are few better outright players to model one’s game after than the versatile Hilton, so Newton appears to have the right approach early in his pro career.

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Bengals rookie tabbed as sleeper pick from 2024 draft

More praise for the Bengals draft class.

The Cincinnati Bengals have seen a number of their 2024 NFL draft selections pop up described as “sleepers” so far in the aftermath of the event.

One of those, though, is a guy coaches have been adamant carries big expectations to the pros right away — cornerback Josh Newton.

And now the fifth-rounder has popped back up again in headlines. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar says Newton is Cincinnati’s biggest steal this offseason:

If Uncle Lou likes him, we’re in. Not that we already weren’t. The 5′ 10⅝”, 190-pound Newton can play inside and outside (which is how the Bengals envision his deployment), and last season, he allowed 25 catches on 52 targets for 303 yards, 120 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 64.8.

Newton’s appeal to coordinator Lou Anarumo and the team was pretty obvious even before they made the selection.

What’s interesting now, though is the long-term projection. Newton could be the Mike Hilton successor in the slot, sure — but former first-rounder Dax Hill is officially moving to corner and might be best there, too.

Then again, maybe it’s not all that confusing — there’s no such thing as too many good cornerbacks in the QB-happy AFC right now.

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Bengals think they got a steal with CB Josh Newton, expect big things

They Bengals had a higher grade on Josh Newton than where they took him.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted just one cornerback in the 2024 NFL draft, waiting until the fifth round to grab TCU’s Josh Newton.

Even then, it sounds like the pick was a case of the Bengals finding fantaisstc value on their board at the pick, given some new details that have come to light.

According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, the team had Newton higher than the fifth round on their board:

While the Bengals had a higher grade than the fifth on TCU cornerback Josh Newton and have visions of him staking his claim as possibly the fourth cornerback, that gives Hill room to mix it up with Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner II on the outside and Mike Hilton in the slot while Ravens free agent Geno Stone and his AFC-leading seven picks take over free safety.

“Hill” there is former first-rounder Dax Hill, who will undergo a position change this summer and move to cornerback, either competing at the slot or out on the boundary.

As for Newton, one look at a breakdown explains why the team liked him so much at that value. He’ll get a chance to compete this summer too and, barring a stunner, should play into their long-term plans.

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Instant analysis of Bengals picking Josh Newton in the fifth round

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

The Cincinnati Bengals finally addressed the secondary in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft, adding TCU cornerback Josh Newton at No. 149.

Newton, a 5’11”, 190-pound defender, had Bengals pick written all over him. He had a First-team All-Big 12 Conference selection on his resume, played five seasons at a high level and has some positional versatility, too.

As NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein pointed out, Newton is the type of physical defender Lou Anarumo likes in his secondary:

A well-built cornerback with inside/outside versatility, Newton’s 2022 tape was slightly better than his 2023 film. He’s capable in press and is made for old-fashioned Cover 2 looks where he can redirect the release and sink into zone coverage. Newton plays tall in space, creating inconsistencies in transitioning to match routes and he will lose downfield to speedsters. He’s competitive and physical at the catch point and is willing to do his part in run support. He has good football makeup, but it seems like he’s more likely to be around an NFL receiver rather than actively making plays on the ball.

Newton is a fantastic value in the fifth round and arrives as an instant competition for that fourth cornerback slot against the likes of DJ Ivey.

What’s interesting is where Newton ends up over the long-term. He can play inside, but former first-rounder Dax Hill might end up as the replacement for Mike Hilton.

But boundary corner depth is interesting, too, because the team needed insurance behind Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner.

Realistically, no team is making it through a season without leaning notably on fourth and fifth corners. The fact Newton is more of a veteran college players vs. a guy with high upside says a lot about the team’s intent with the pick.

Also making this a quality pick is the fact the Bengals still have — as of this writing — four picks over the final two rounds, where they can address less-premier positions such as running back.

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Bengals select TCU CB Josh Newton in fifth round, 149th overall

The Bengals have made their pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected TCU cornerback Josh Newton in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The 149th overall pick, Newton is a 5’11” defender with positional versatility who hits on a big need on the depth chart.

While Dax Hill might make the shift to corner, the team needed further depth behind Mike Hilton, DJ Turner and Cam Taylor-Britt. Newton presents the pro-ready ability to help right away, if necessary.

To start Day 3 of the draft, the Bengals used a fourth-round pick on Iowa’s Erick All, a long-term selection for Joe Burrow’s offense at the critical tight end position.

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2024 NFL draft: Bowl season cornerback big board

2024 NFL draft: Bowl season cornerback big board from Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon

Bowl season is starting to ramp up around the college football landscape. There have even been some interesting prospects for the 2024 NFL draft who have already played out their exhibition finales.

Up next in the positional rankings are the cornerbacks. This tends to be one of the most volatile positions over the course of a draft process, in part because athletic testing plays such a big role in how the NFL views these players as prospects.

Offensive tackles

Wide receivers (via Brennen Rupp)