Tag: Vonn Bell

Bengals urged to bench starter to save season

One analyst wants to see a Bengals starter take a seat.

It’s no secret the Cincinnati Bengals still have an issue at the safety position years after losing Jessie Bates.

So far this season, one of the biggest talking points around the team has been the refusal to let Jordan Battle be on the field in more in place of either Geno Stone or Vonn Bell.

In fact, it’s hit a point where articles suggesting win-now moves teams could make via free agency actually instead opt to list this big change, such as a recent effort from Bleacher Report:

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is infamously against rotating his defensive backs, but his job security could be called into question if Cincinnati continues to be this bad at defending the pass. That means giving the younger Jordan Battle a chance to play over free-agent acquisition Geno Stone.

From a scheme and ability standpoint, Battle would probably need to take more snaps from Bell than Stone.

But the overarching point about poor safety play is a sound one — Stone has struggled since his arrival and so far has a 46.6 PFF grade. Bell, meanwhile, has clearly lost a step.

Poor corner play from the likes of Cam Taylor-Britt hasn’t helped. But the Bengals will probably be looking for upgrades at both safety spots next offseason.

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

Vonn Bell injury updates ahead of Week 3 vs. Commanders

The Bengals have a key defender battling a sudden injury before Week 3.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Cincinnati Bengals safety Vonn Bell has a back injury that now clouds his availability for the Week 3 game against the Washington Commanders.

Bell left practice on Thursday with what the team described as a back injury, according to Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network.

Friday, Bell was the only player downgraded on the injury report to a DNP as he didn’t make an appearance.

Since returning after one season away, Bell has been a key part of the defense. Over the first two games, he played 99 percent of the possible snaps.

If Bell is out, those looks will most likely go to Jordan Battle, who has had a hard time breaking onto the field in pretty much any capacity this season.

Given that Bell’s major strength, as explained by coordinator Lou Anarumo, is to fix the communication issues that hurt the unit last year, it will be interesting to see if the remade group can function well without him against a Commanders team that will want to run the ball early and often.

Update: Bell is listed as questionable on the final injury report.

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

Bengals free-agency signings boast stunning impact on win-share projections

A few specific Bengals signings swung the win projections in a big way.

With the NFL season officially beginning, there is still a lot of uncertainty about what lies ahead for the Cincinnati Bengals, but Cynthia Frelund, an analytics expert at NFL.com used data from the past 12 NFL seasons to try to make that picture a little more clear.

Using a model that went through 1,000,000 simulations of every single regular season game, Frelund projected win totals for every AFC team in the 2024 season, while also vetting those totals with “real football people” like coaches and front office members.

Here’s what Frelund had to say about the Bengals, noting that their free agency efforts this offseason seem to have been a very big success.

I told you earlier that Cincinnati’s fourth-place schedule drove value in what I calculate to be the most challenging division in the NFL. Ahead of the preseason, the Bengals were my model’s pick to win the division. This tells you how much Ja’Marr Chase’s hold-in impacts this team.

One of my favorite notes on the Bengals is that adding DT Sheldon Rankins and safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone this offseason drove the win-share projection for the whole defense up three games.

The average win total for Cincinnati over all of those projections was 10.4 wins, which wouldn’t be a bad record in what should be a strong AFC North yet again. She also included the ceiling for the Bengals (12.6 wins) and the floor (7.5 wins).

Their ceiling was higher than every other team in the division, although the Baltimore Ravens average total (10.5) and floor (8.5) were slightly higher. However, if everything goes right for Cincinnati, the model seems to think they can get back on top of the division after a disappointing fourth-place finish last year.

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

Cincinnati Bengals name former Ohio State stars as team captains

A well deserved honor #GoBucks

The NFL season is set to kick off this week. As teams have made their final roster selections to open the season, team captains are being named as well. The Cincinnati Bengals have named two former Ohio State stars as captains for the 2024 campaign. Possibly three depending on how you look at it.

Vonn Bell and Sam Hubbard will serve as two of the team’s eight captains on the field this year. Joe Burrow will also be a captain again this season, so technically that makes three former Buckeyes that will wear the capital C on their chest.

According to the Bengals, Hubbard has played more games for Cincinnati than any other current player. This is the fourth year in a row that Hubbard has served as a defensive captain.

Bell is in his second stint with the Bengals. This will also be his fourth time being a captain after serving in the role for three years before leaving for the Carolina Panthers for one year. Cincinnati brought Bell back specifically for his leadership in the secondary so it’s no surprise that he was named captain once again.

Burrow has been a captain all five years he’s been in the Queen City.

https://twitter.com/Bengals/status/1830667175297982516

The Bengals kick off their season this Sunday, September 8 at 1 p.m. ET in Cincinnati against the New England Patriots.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. 

Bengals excited for Jordan Battle to learn from Vonn Bell

Bengals coaches love how Vonn Bell will impact Jordan Battle.

Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle is already one of the team’s breakout candidates.

That idea only got a bigger boost when the team went out in free agency and brought back Vonn Bell to help fix the unit’s communication issues.

Bengals coaches aren’t shy about this, either. Bengals Safeties Coach Jordan Kovacs recently told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com how Bell can help Battle:

I think competition brings out the best in everybody. We’re so early into this thing, I don’t know how it’s all going to shake out. But I think having a guy like Vonn in the room is only going to help a guy like Jordan, right? He’s the consummate professional. He has maxed out his ability because of the stuff he’s done off the field. I can’t learn enough from him as a coach. The rookies can’t learn enough from a guy like him, and Jordan Battle can’t learn enough from a guy like him. And I see them off the field talking ball. In individual, talking ball. Stuff like that is going to be invaluable to Jordan in his second year.

We’ve already seen some proof of Bell helping Battle. Heck, we’ve also heard from new arrival Geno Stone that Bell has been helpful, too.

Given this and simple projections, with Dax Hill off to cornerback, it feels safe to presume Battle sees a huge chunk of the snaps alongside Stone next year while greatly benefiting from Bell’s presence.

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

Salary cap detail a big reason Bengals getting Vonn Bell back is top move

Hard to argue with the logic on this one.

It’s hard to get a bigger guaranteed win than the Cincinnati Bengals did when they brought back safety Vonn Bell in free agency.

After all, it’s not often that a team gets back a player who was productive in their system with plenty to offer.

And it’s almost never the case that the player’s last team is paying a huge chunk of this year’s cash.

But that’s part of the reason the Bengals getting Bell back was one of The Athletic’s Mike Sando‘s favorite moves from the offseason:

Bringing back Vonn Bell at safety seemed like the surest way the Bengals could restore stability in their secondary. The price was ideal (only $1.21 million, with the Panthers paying the rest of the $6 million Bell was guaranteed for 2024 when they released him), and the fit is assured to be right.

Given the communication issues that plagued the defense last year, it’s a no-brainer of a move for the Bengals, even if Bell doesn’t see the field all that often thanks to the upstart Jordan Battle.

Case in point? Bell has already made a point to mentor Battle — and he’s helping new arrival Geno Stone learn the defense, too.

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

Bengals safety Geno Stone learning quickly from Vonn Bell

Geno Stone is getting some key help while learning the Bengals defense.

Cincinnati Bengals veteran safety Vonn Bell isn’t just mentoring upstart second-year player Jordan Battle.

Bell, after one year away from the team, is also helping along new free-agent arrival Geno Stone.

In fact, Stone says he’s learning as much as he can from Bell already, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com: “I hang around Vonn all the time. He’ll tell me, ‘Do this,’ or I tell him what I see. We’re having the conversations already. We’ve both been in different systems. We’re trying to put how we see everything all together into one.”

Whether it’s golfing or actual in-house work, it sounds like the two safeties who will play a critical role in the defense next season have gotten quite the head start.

“It’s good because I can get in here early and then watch film and get up to speed on everything,” Stone said. “Since then, we ran into each other a few times in Miami. It’s pretty cool ending up on the same team with him. Knowing how smart he is and what he means to this organization.”

Stone does admit his game is quite a bit different than Jessie Bates — the man he’s technically replacing a few years later as Dax Hill moves to cornerback.

But based on the work put in so far and the comments made, there’s certainly reason for fans to hope that a Stone-Battle-Bell rotation can get Lou Anarumo’s preferred defense back on track after last year’s struggles.

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

Vonn Bell understudy Jordan Battle is Bengals breakout candidate

Jordan Battle is a breakout player to watch.

There aren’t many secrets when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals defense coming into 2024.

By now, most know what B.J. Hill is worth in the middle, that Cam Taylor-Britt is a rising star at corner and just how good the linebacker duo is.

There’s also the matter of second-year safety Jordan Battle.

That’s who Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus named as Cincinnati’s likely breakout candidate:

Battle was one of the highest-graded college safeties heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, and while he fell to the third round and didn’t get a starting job until Week 11 of his rookie season, all of those strong metrics remained. Battle earned top-10 marks at his position, both overall (82.5) and in run defense (81.3), while also adding a 76.4 PFF coverage grade (17th). He should be locked in as a full-time starter to kick off 2024 and continue his impressive play for the Bengals.

It’s not an uncommon thought around the Bengals this offseason even in the wake of the team adding back veteran safety Vonn Bell and bringing over Geno Stone from Baltimore.

In fact, Bell has had plenty of praise for Battle, too.

Given the team’s affinity for two-plus-safety sets, Battle shouldn’t have a problem seeing the field plenty in his defined role as a sophomore. And those additions to the secondary should help his “breakout” status come to light, not hinder it.

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

Vonn Bell already mentoring upstart Bengals safety Jordan Battle

Vonn Bell is already helping along Jordan Battle.

The Cincinnati Bengals brought back veteran safety Vonn Bell for a few main reasons this offseason.

Chief among those? Mentorship.

Communication issues plagued a young transitional defense last year that coughed up more explosives than most of the league. So what better way to help fix those than to bring back a guy who already knows the system and leads by example?

Case in point, how some have talked about Bell’s return already.

“Vonn is going to be a great veteran for the room. Great for a guy like Jordan who didn’t necessarily have that at times last year,” secondary coach Jordan Kovacs said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “We love Vonn for not only what he does on the field, but the tone that he sets in the meeting room and off the field. The culture that he sets. Having a guy like that around a guy like Jordan Battle is going to be very beneficial. We were missing that last year.”

And while many minds might go to former first-rounder Dax Hill’s position change, much of this has to do with the development of former third-round safety Jordan Battle.

Battle says the presence of Bell has had an impact already.

“Great conversations,” Battle said, per Hobson. “Just his aura when he walks in the locker room. Everybody sees it and everybody welcomes Vonn. Whatever I can learn to elevate my game and reach the next level. He’ll be a great help to the team.”

Battle’s promising climb up the depth chart last year might be the thing that prevents Bell from seeing a high snap count next season, with the other safety spot going to Geno Stone. Hill will compete at the corner spots, but could also function in a third-safety role, too.

And so far, everyone seems to be on the same page about this — Bell is back to help by any means necessary.

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

B/R found the perfect destination for former Saints starter in free agency

Andrus Peat remains unsigned in free agency, but Bleacher Report believes he’d be a perfect fit for this AFC Super Bowl contender:

There are still plenty of New Orleans Saints free agents searching for their new team, and the most notable of them might be Andrus Peat. New Orleans declined to re-sign Peat and in turn suffered a $13 million dead cap hit. Saints head coach Dennis Allen has left the door open to Peat returning to New Orleans this offseason, but the team signed Oli Udoh to fill a similar role on the depth chart.

So where could Peat end up? Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay thinks the former Saint would be a perfect fit with the Cincinnati Bengals, writing:

The Cincinnati Bengals would be a great fit for Peat, especially after they let incumbent tackle Jonah Williams walk in free agency and brought in Trent Brown as his replacement on the right side of the line. Brown has a history of inconsistent play and could struggle to live up to the $4.8 million deal he inked this offseason.

The great part of Peat’s skill set is he has the versatility to play guard or tackle. Peat has been viewed as a tackle in the offseason by publications ignoring his more expansive history as a guard. Signing right tackle Trent Brown doesn’t take Peat off the table at all. He’ll be inexpensive and can compete at both tackle or guard on the left side.

The offseason has been quiet for Peat. The versatile offensive lineman has visited with the Titans, but nothing came from it. Pairing him with the Bengals makes a lot of sense. Their Super Bowl window remains open, and protecting Joe Burrow will be imperative to ensuring it doesn’t close. Peat will help fortify their protection. He’d also be joining some familiar faces in Cincinnati like former Saints draft picks Trey Hendrickson, Sheldon Rankins, and Vonn Bell.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]