CINCINNATI (WXIX) - One of the most common splash plays that’s being made in coverage by the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense this summer is Demetrius Knight Jr. dropping back in coverage, getting his arms out and closing up a throwing lane or swatting a pass.
When linebackers coach Mike Hodges is asked what Knight has been doing best this summer, the coach points to the splash plays that Knight has been making.
“He’s such a twitched up, athletic big guy that he does things where it’s like, woah,” Hodges said. “That’s exciting. We’re in need of guys who can make something happen, and he can be one of those guys for us.”
Knight is proving to be a bit of a different style of player than his college scouting report showed.
The Bengals expected a smart, fast and physical downhill linebacker. Knight is handling all of those tasks well, but his dynamic ability in coverage and his versatility are what’s really popping.
“He’s a big man,” Al Golden said. “He’s 240 pounds. He can play in the stack, he can play on the edge, he can give you some rushes, so we’re excited about it.”
Knight is the most important addition to the 2025 Bengals. He’s being asked to be an every down player from the jump, and he hasn’t even been a part of a position battle.
Even Logan Wilson got what was essentially a redshirt rookie season. Knight is being thrown right into the fire.
“He’s trending the right way,” Hodges said. “He has not arrived by any means, but he’s more mature than most rookies are. He has done a lot of really good things, and there are a lot of things we need to still work on. He’s in a good spot, but I don’t think he’s anywhere near where he needs to be.”
There have been slip ups, like the way he played an explosive run by the Eagles in the preseason opener. He’s being asked to line up all over the field, and there are growing pains in roles that he’s less familiar with.
“Schematically, we’re trying to sort through what we’re going to be,” Hodges said. “He’s trying to figure that out. We’re playing him at a few different positions. That weighs on him. Ultimately, I just want a level of consistency. I know that once we get into a game plan week, everything will calm down and he’ll make some plays.”
Knight is making up for those negative moments with splash plays. He’ll play like a goalie in pass coverage over the middle of the field. He’ll burst downhill and break through the line of scrimmage against a toss play. He’ll level a big hit on a run up the middle.
“I’m becoming a better linebacker as a whole and doing everything I’m asked to do,” Knight said. “You take baby steps. You’re very critical on yourself. You take it to the film room and the practice room. Everything is critical. And you apply that.”
It’s not perfect, but the Bengals are banking on Knight delivering on his upside.
The Bengals have brought back returning players to start at three of the four defensive line spots, at middle linebacker and at every spot in the secondary. Nose tackle TJ Slaton is the only other new face in the starting lineup, and Shemar Stewart is competing for regular first team reps.
Knight is already the guy at linebacker next to Wilson. In Knight’s role, he’s also being asked to be one of the most versatile pieces on the defense. It’s a big ask.
“He has been a sponge and learned so many different spots,” Barrett Carter said. “He has learned every single thing on the defense. We’ve only been here a few months. It’s been impressive to see his willingness to learn every position on the defense.”
While Knight will definitely have a lot to learn on the fly during the season, the ability to provide splash plays offsets some of the potential negatives.
One of Golden’s biggest priorities in his defensive system is takeaways, and the defense is pretty light on players who can go out and get the ball. Knight is showing the quality that’s going to end up being the difference maker one way or another when the Bengals face the top quarterbacks on their schedule this year.
“You want to get to Santa Clara and hold that trophy,” Knight said. “So the start of camp is crucial. You have to take strides and continue to grow.”
**The safety depth steps into the spotlight.**
Even before Geno Stone suffered a soft tissue injury that left a short-term opening at starting free safety, Daijahn Anthony was one of the most debatable players on the Bengals’ roster.
On one hand, he had a draft grade much higher than where the Bengals landed him in the seventh round, has a versatile coverage skill set for the safety position, has impressive length and plays with a chip on his shoulder.
On the other hand, he hasn’t shown tackling chops yet, he hasn’t received much of a chance to develop as a true center field free safety and might end up just being a subpackage role player/special teamer.
The Bengals’ decision to bring back Stone as the starter is a conversation for another day, but they also left the No. 3 safety role unaddressed. A veteran backup or even a midround pick would have had a clear opportunity to beat out Anthony for a role on the depth chart.
Clearly, the front office views Anthony as a potential No. 3 safety. There’s hope that the defensive coordinator change can do a lot for Anthony, who fell out of former DC Lou Anarumo’s plans after the first month of last season. Anthony brings some intriguing tools to the table for the coaching staff to work with.
Meanwhile, the coaching staff is understandably rotating Anthony at free safety in Stone’s place along with Tycen Anderson and PJ Jules.
“If (a) guy makes a play, he’s earned an opportunity to stay on the field,” safeties coach Jordan Kovacs said.
Anderson has the most overall NFL experience, has a special teams background that shows his range and physicality as a tackler and has made plays in previous preseasons. He hasn’t flashed in camp this season.
Anthony had a fantastic training camp last season, but he went on to have a lost rookie year. He was the second-team defense’s free safety before Stone got hurt.
“He’s got good coverage ability,” Kovacs said. “He’s a guy that you can cover slots, that’s something that he did at Ole Miss. It’s a skill that is definitely very useful. He’s got good movement on the back end. He’s a guy that has good range in his deeper zones. He’s a guy that’s improving.”
Jules, a UDFA from last year’s class, has generated some buzz with a pick on Saturday and then the first-team reps he has continued to receive.
“PJ is a gym rat,” Kovacs said. “It means something to him. He’s as competitive as they come. The guy loves football and he’s very competitive. I think that’s a really good combination. Guys like that I love to coach and he’s just a guy that continues to get better. He does everything that you ask. He tries to do everything the right way. He’s not always perfect, but he’s a guy who has gotten better and better ever since he’s been here.”
Jules barely played free safety in college, and he has had a lot to learn about that role over the last two years.
“He’s come a long ways,” Kovacs said. “If you’d have seen him in rookie mini-camp last year, that was probably the first time he was asked to pedal in years. He’s gotten more and more comfortable. He’s looking better in that way just footwork wise and like the rest of these guys there is a ways to go. He’s a guy that continues to improve. He’s getting more comfortable being on the back end of the defense. One thing he’s always been good at is communicating and being in control and being confident with his calls. I’ve always appreciated that about him.”
Zac Taylor said of the safeties, ““I think that’s a group that we’re looking to make sure we’re deep enough there.”
Justin Simmons lingers on the free agent market.
They haven’t brought in another piece there yet. This week is probably going to be the chance to Anderson, Anthony and Jules to show what they can be.
**No new answers on the offensive line**
It’s August 10, but Dan Pitcher said the Bengals are still in the “discovery process” of figuring out where their second team offensive line stands. This week, Cody Ford has been working at right tackle while Jalen Rivers gets a shot at right guard.
“That’s something we had visions of doing earlier in camp and weren’t able to due to some injury constraints at the time,” Pitcher said. “Cody filled that (swing tackle) role for us last year and did a good job. We were able to win football games with him and score a lot of points with Cody playing out there. He has value in that role. Is he that ultimately going to end up as his role? We haven’t decided that yet. We worked Jalen there. Jalen played there in college. We’re going to mix and match and use every ounce of seven competitive practices and two games to make that decision.”
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