What a Key Safety Absence Means for the Bengals Secondary
Geno Stone was diagnosed with a soft tissue injury on August 9th, saying he sustained the injuries on August 7th’s preseason loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. Although the injury is not serious, Stone will be out for a week or two for precautionary reasons. Stone’s absence raises questions for the Bengals’ young, yet crowded secondary. Who will step up and cement themselves as a rotational defensive back?
Stone primarily plays strong safety for the Bengals, leaving a gap in the secondary with not many suitors who can play the role. The backup to Stone on the Bengals depth chart is Tycen Anderson, a fifth-round pick in 2022 by the Bengals who primarily played special teams since being drafted. Anderson is the obvious answer, but don’t be surprised if you see Daxton Hill fill the void either. Hill was a first-round pick in 2022, originally as a safety, but he made the transition to cornerback last offseason. Hill currently sits as cornerback three, only getting in when the defense plays in nickel or dime formations.
Hill provides a little more on-field experience than Anderson, but hasn’t taken in-game reps at strong safety in over a year. Anderson is the backup and obvious answer to fill in immediately, but he might not be the long-term answer. Anderson played plenty in Thursday’s 34-27 loss against the Eagles and gave us a brief look at what kind of player to expect out of him this season. Anderson showed flashes of being impactful in the run game, but ultimately is too much of a liability in the pass game to get too many snaps while playing man coverage. Anderson did have a pass deflection in the endzone at the end of the first half, but struggled outside of that one play. Anderson has always been a great tackler; he has been near the top of the team’s leading special team tackles. Anderson is a great asset to have on the field as a nickel or dime corner, but he has too many responsibilities as a safety.
The Bengals’ defense went through many changes this offseason, with the firing of Lou Anoronmou and, hiring of Al Golden. Moving on from Germaine Pratt, Sam Hubbard, and Vonn Bell. As well as the ongoing contract negotiations with Trey Hendrickson. No one knows what this Bengals defense will look like or how they will perform, but if they want to be headed in the right direction, giving Hill his spot at safety again is a good place to start.
