He would not explain why he had a piece of cardboard wedged above his right ear with what appeared to be white cotton balls. He didn’t want to talk about how he’s been playing this year, sharing time with second-year player Jordan Battle, or his conversation with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo about his role moving forward.
“I don’t want to discuss that,” he said with a smile and a deep laugh. “I’ll keep it to myself.”
Then the conversation at his locker turned to what has become a common theme for this year’s Bengals team: a promising year turned into a major disappointment. Bell didn’t have much to say then either. But the rhetorical question he posed, which was left open to interpretation, spoke volumes.
“Why did I come here?” Bell told ESPN.
Four years ago, Bell delivered a big hit against the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Monday Night Football,” one that forced a turnover and served as a symbolic pitch for deep playoff runs in 2021 and 2022. But a lot has changed between now and so. Ahead of this year’s first game against Pittsburgh (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Cincinnati (4-7) finds itself at a crossroads. As the Bengals try to maintain their slim playoff hopes with six games remaining, they must also evaluate where things have gone wrong, especially when it comes to their defense, and what that could mean for the way the roster is built. in future years.
The simple reason is lack of execution. But the answer to why the unit has been inconsistent is multi-layered.
“It’s really a lot of things,” Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton said. “It’s guys missing assignments or guys like me missing opportunities to change the game on turnover plays. It’s been a multitude of things.”
Injuries and shaky play have certainly contributed to a defense that ranks 26th in points allowed per series. When Anarumo has repeatedly referenced inconsistency, it has been in terms of performance on the field. That has been the main reason why cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, the team’s top cornerback entering the season, was benched in the Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He regained a starting role after cornerback DJ Turner left the game with a broken collarbone.
But even before the struggles, the team had a rotating cast of defensive backs with the first-team unit amid a logjam of young players. The year began with four players who were top-100 picks in the last three seasons, but only one starting spot open.
In training camp, Taylor-Britt was a backup at times as the team looked extensively at rookie Josh Newton, who is now a starter, and determined the battle between Turner and Dax Hill, who won the job and started five games before suffer a season. put an end to the anterior cruciate ligament injury. As the season progressed, Bell rotated snaps with Battle.
“I look at who’s on the field with me and then what side of the field I can trust,” free safety Geno Stone said. “Now I know that if I know this guy has been winning consistently, I might lean the other way while playing in the post.”
And given the finite margins between winning and losing in the NFL, the feeling between players makes the difference in being successful on any play.
Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, who has been with the team for 22 seasons, says having consistency among groups of players is “the ultimate” in football. And the only way to get players to react and think the same way is through repetition.
“If that’s a revolving door, then it will never develop,” Simmons said. “You never develop that trust, so everyone sees it the same way all the time.”
During his press conference Wednesday, quarterback Joe Burrow said that while the playoffs aren’t out of the question, he knows the long-term outlook isn’t ideal. According to ESPN Research, Cincinnati has only a 12.7% chance of making the playoffs. To put that in perspective, that number only hit 30.7% in 2021, when Cincinnati won in Week 17 and ultimately made a run to the Super Bowl.
Turning the defense around, starting this weekend against the Steelers (8-3), will be critical to giving the Bengals their best chance at making the postseason. But when it comes to competing for championships, determining the right players to have around Burrow going forward will be equally crucial for a team looking to get back into contention.
