Tag: Tycen Anderson

Cincinnati Bengals safety Tycen Anderson is ready to move into a bigger role on special teams after coming back from an injury.

Namely, he’s ready to stay healthy and run up the stats while covering kicks and punts.

Anderson is on his way back from a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 of last season and Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com recently chronicled his comeback bid:

Anderson is confident he’s on the verge of playing his first full season since the Bengals targeted him in the 2022 fifth round and traded up to get him. He knows this upcoming Monday marks the fifth-month anniversary of his surgery and that the usual timeline is six-to-nine months. After talking to his patients Joe Burrow and Joe Bachie, Anderson opted for famed knee surgeon Neal ElAttrache and he’s extremely confident about being ready for late July after only the ACL and not the MCL or PCL had to be worked on.

A fifth-round pick by the Bengals in 2022, injury prevented Anderson from playing as a rookie and cut his sophomore season short.

But the stunning athleticism that made him a sleeper pick by the Bengals in the draft flashed in a big way last season before the injury.

Now, with even more dramatic turnover at safety after the arrivals of Geno Stone and Vonn Bell, the Bengals need Anderson to serve as critical base-defense depth while assuming a Michael Thomas-like role on special teams.

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One last bit of hype for Cincinnati Bengals safety Tycen Anderson — he’s won a preseason award as his team starts prepping for the regular season.

That shouldn’t come as too much of a shocker to Bengals fans considering Anderson was a breakout player this preseason, starting with his two-intercpetion preseason Week 1 debut.

Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness named Anderson while going over preseason and player awards:

Anderson finished the preseason with a 91.7 PFF coverage grade, primarily driven by his performance in the Bengals’ opener. He recorded two interceptions against the Packers in that first contest — one of which he returned for a touchdown.

The great showing from Anderson doesn’t impact the outlook that is Nick Scott and Dax Hill taking most of the snaps at safety.

But it certainly showed coaches that Anderson is coming along nicely in his development and can help when needed in certain packages or if an injury were to occur.

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The Cincinnati Bengals appear to have really found something with safety Tycen Anderson.

Anderson, a fifth-rounder in 2022 who lost his rookie season to injury, popped off in the preseason opener with two interceptions, taking one back for a touchdown. He followed that up in the second exhibition by tying for the team lead in tackles.

And now Anderson has earned a spot as one of the preseason’s bigger breakouts in the mind of Bleacher Reort’s Alex Kay:

If Anderson can continue to show his awareness and coverage skills have caught up to the elite athleticism that made him an intriguing pick in last year’s draft—the Bengals liked him enough to trade up to make the pick—the Toledo product should get a shot to make an impact in 2023. Cincy may not lean on Anderson to start just yet, but as a third safety and backup there’s potential for him to be a contributor.

As we penned after the first preseason game, Anderson made the competition at safety more interesting than it should be.

After all, if he’s making a leap like this and pairing it with his elite size and speed, he could push for snaps. The Bengals have Dax Hill and veteran Nick Scott as projected starters, with rookie Jordan Battle in the mix, too.

But as a preseason breakout, Anderson has given the Bengals something to think about, especially if he keeps ascending.

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The safety battle for the Cincinnati Bengals this summer seemed like a foregone conclusion.

When the proverbial dust settled, it would be Dax Hill in one spot with Nick Scott or even rookie Jordan Battle taking reps at the other and/or starring in three-safety packages.

But Tycen Anderson had something to say about all that.

During Friday night’s preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers, Anderson jumped in front of one pass, intercepted it and took it back for a touchdown. He added another interception later in the contest.

It was a dramatic reminder that Anderson, a fifth-rounder in 2022, boasted massive upside of his own out of Toledo.

Unfortunately, Anderson just couldn’t overcome injuries as a rookie.

“Last year was just crazy,” said Anderson said after the game, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I didn’t want to be behind because I didn’t take advantage of those times I wasn’t playing or practicing. I wanted to take advantage of every moment in the building. Studying plays, meeting with the DBs, trying to make myself better.”

Anderson always had the physical tools. He was a big hitter with 4.36 speed. So to know he spent his rookie season from the sidelines soaking up everything he could is nice. Even better is seeing him making the right reads to put himself in position to make big plays.

Maybe Anderson doesn’t ultimately win a starting spot, but this is exactly the type of start that puts him well on that path.

Picked and going the other way! 🔥 @MrToledo01

📺: #GBvsCIN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/5CDIIYtof2

— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023

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The Cincinnati Bengals liked Toledo safety Tycen Anderson so much in the 2022 NFL draft that they traded up in the fifth round to get him.

And it turns out they might have drafted him much earlier based on their grade for him.

According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, the team had a third-round grade on Anderson, who will spotlight on special teams right away after putting great film in that area up for all to see.

“Special teams has been my bread and butter since I was a little kid,” Anderson said, per Hobson. “I was blocking kicks in high school. I just wanted to play. In pee wees I played right guard. I just wanted to play.”

Anderson was already asked to play a critical role — personal protector — on the first day of rookie minicamp, too.

“We didn’t really have one (in college). We had a guard on the inside who was the shield,” Anderson said. “We were studying it on the tape and there’s a lot (of responsibility). Protection calls. Making sure everyone is lined up. Counting how many people in the box.”

Based on the film and his status as a three-time captain, it’s not hard to see why the Bengals loved Anderson. The fact he’s 6’2″ and 209 pounds with a 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash doesn’t hurt either.

While Anderson might not see the field much in the base defense, he’s set for a notable role on special teams and has upside to grow into a bigger role.

As a capper, he had one of the best draft reactions of the year when he got the call from the Bengals.

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