The Cincinnati Bengals had issues with their safety room in 2023. Following the departures of Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, the youth in the group showed, sometimes in the worst moments.
The Nick Scott experiment was overall a failure, and second-year safety Dax Hill struggled in his first year as a starter. There was a bright spot when rookie Jordan Battle became a starter midway through the season and showed improvement week after week.
Fast-forward to March of 2024, and the safety unit could have a whole new look when Week 1 arrives in September.
Bell was released by the Carolina Panthers and will bring veteran leadership and understanding of Lou Anarumo’s defense. He will likely compete with Battle for the strong safety spot.
When the Bengals signed Geno Stone away from the rival Baltimore Ravens, the writing was on the wall for Hill. Coming off of a seven-interception season, Stone was essentially penciled in as the starting deep safety,
Per PFF, the Bengals got a Top 20 safety in Stone.
“Stone made the most of a heavier workload in 2023,” wrote Zoltán Buday. ”He put together an impressive season in which he led all safeties with seven interceptions and earned an 85.3 PFF coverage grade that ranked seventh at the position. However, Stone ranked on the other end of the spectrum against the run, as his 34.2 run-defense grade placed last among 92 qualifying safeties.”
Stone has been in the NFL for four seasons and has outperformed his seventh-round draft selection each season. As the Bengals’ defense looks to rebound from a disaster of a 2023 season, the addition of Stone could be the biggest key.