Latest news with #GenoStone
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Bengals preseason game fallout: Safety, offensive line, receiver experience movement
CINCINNATI — The first preseason game of the season always sends a few ripple effects down the roster. Some due to injuries and others performance. The Bengals' 34-27 loss in the preseason opener was no different. Changes were set in motion during two practices this weekend as the Bengals now have one game in Washington where the starting group is again expected to play before the final preseason game rounds out decision-making time. Advertisement It's essentially six practices, two games and cutdown day. August moves fast and the Bengals are acting accordingly with three positions experiencing the most interesting movement this week. On the third play of the game, a 38-yard run by Will Shipley, Geno Stone turned to open up and chase across the field and felt a grab in his hamstring. He was the latest victim of the August soft tissue bug. He will be 'week to week' according to Zac Taylor. This re-opens a lingering concern about the safety room, both the starting level of play and quality of depth. Last year's seventh-round pick Daijahn Anthony and special teams ace Tycen Anderson fill out the depth chart and the club is using this week to closely monitor their acuity manning the spot with the first team. 'I think that's a group that we're looking to make sure we're deep enough there,' Taylor said. You can clearly read between the lines of that statement. They better practice well this week or it will be time to reconsider other options. 'They're gonna continue to get a lot of opportunities, certainly with Geno being out,' Taylor continued. 'So I think it's a good chance to really see where they're at in their development. They've got to contribute on special teams. They've got to prove that they can walk in there and help us on defense as well. Those are guys that these next six practices will be really good for.' Taylor mentioned an underrated element to this entire quandary. Sure, you'd consider adding a veteran like Justin Simmons, who despite turning 32 this season has 124 NFL starts. Is that repeating a mistake made in signing Vonn Bell last year? Perhaps. The Bengals could look into a trade or waiver-wire addition at final cuts for the position as well. The bigger problem being the player likely wouldn't be replacing Stone when he comes back in a couple weeks. The backup safeties would need to do more than just play special teams, in the eyes of coordinator Darrin Simmons, they would need to be great. Advertisement 'That's the definition,' Simmons said. 'That's what the job description is for that position is they have to be great special teams players. No. 3 and No. 4 have to be great. That's got to be the core of your group. Any core special teams group I've ever been a part of that's been good, we've had great safety play.' Stone has a history of excelling on special teams, of course, so an addition could include Stone shifting back to the third safety role and releasing/demoting Anthony. But the Bengals brought Stone back with a belief in him as the starter and that he will enjoy a bounce-back season. Hard to see them punting on that idea because of a 'week-to-week' injury. That doesn't mean adding to the room is off the table, merely, this week needs to produce confirmation Anthony or Anderson can adequately fill in, if necessary. Then, in the first practice Saturday, they were pulled during a competitive red zone drill for 24-year-old PJ Jules, who spent last year on the practice squad. Jules made a nice interception the play before and got a quick shot with the first group. Anderson played alongside Jordan Battle with the first team Sunday. 'I can say this about all these guys, these reps have been important,' safeties coach Jordan Kovacs said. 'You can just see them all getting more comfortable. It's just been really good competition from the top down for those guys to get some significant reps and some meaningful reps.' Bottom line: The personnel and coaching staff are monitoring that group closely in preparation for the next game at Washington. #Bengals camp recap: Days 11 & 12 With @CharlieG__ on the situation at safety, dilemma at OL and two quietly impressive camps enjoying highlights. We've officially reached "🌎 is getting larger in the 🪟" SZN. 📺: — Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) August 10, 2025 The quiet gaping hole in the Bengals offseason got louder in the preseason game in Philadelphia. Fifth-round pick Jalen Rivers continued to struggle at tackle, where he had been working to become the swing tackle throughout the offseason program and training camp. Meanwhile, Cody Ford, who took over left tackle last year when Orlando Brown Jr. went down, practiced solely at guard while in a battle with veteran Lucas Patrick. Advertisement Both endured rough moments Thursday with Rivers allowing a sack and Ford allowing multiple pressures working with the second group. So, at practice this weekend, they flip-flopped positions. Rivers is now working at guard and Ford kicked out to left tackle. 'Now is the time to look at all that stuff,' Taylor said. 'So … we'll look at some different things with Cody (Ford) and Jalen (Rivers) and make some decisions as we go, where we want to head.' They'd like to head toward comfort with whoever steps in should an injury occur with Brown, who missed six games last season with knee/fibula injuries. The same for Amarius Mims, who missed two games and was limited in three others due to injury. Ford can do it, which they learned last year, but the staff preferred the idea of letting him focus on guard to become an answer inside. That plan has already been recalibrated. As for Rivers, his scouting report coming out was that he might be nimble enough to land at tackle and be a better fit inside. Rivers, at 6-6, 319 pounds, has power and played both spots while at the University of Miami and said he's happy to do whatever they ask of him. Yet, this is a sudden change and he'll need a grace period for adjustments. 'At first, all OTAs, first part of training camp, (I was at) tackle,' Rivers said. 'Now next part of training camp, (I'm at) guard. It is an adjustment going from guard to tackle. It's not new to me. I know the playbook pretty well so that it's still not a big adjustment to go into guard. I know what I'm doing. It's just a matter of getting the technique all the way down.' Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said they had visions of switching Rivers and Ford earlier in camp, but injury constraints with other players kept them from doing it. 'We're still very much in the discovery process of what that room is going to look like,' Pitcher said. 'Obviously, Cody filled that role for us last year. He did a good job. We were able to win a lot of football games and score a lot of points with Cody playing out there. He has value in that role. Is that ultimately going to end up his role? We have not decided that yet. We are going to mix and match and use every ounce of the last seven competitive practices and two games to make that decision.' The drama continues. Wide receiver Jermaine Burton was not out at the 10 a.m. practice Sunday. This came after a Saturday practice where he was a full participant. A Bengals spokesperson indicated it was due to an 'undisclosed injury' and he is 'day to day.' Still, any time Burton is surprisingly absent or has anything undisclosed, it's an issue. The team went through a series of calamitous events with Burton last year involving a failure to show up to practices, concluded with him being twice evicted from his residences and left off the team's trip for the season finale in Pittsburgh. Advertisement He's stayed on a positive path since the team opted to keep him around this offseason, but this marked the first question about his situation. It could be nothing and the team is only offering the undisclosed injury comment at this moment. Burton played well during camp, but only saw one reception for three yards on two targets against the Eagles. 'He didn't have a lot of opportunity to show (his playmaking ability) the other night,' Pitcher said. 'The single word I keep coming back to with Jermaine is just consistency. You don't get a lot of opportunity the other night, how do we respond? How do we go about our day-to-day, professional job? That's what's going to continue to be the emphasis for him.' Meanwhile, Charlie Jones continues to make an impression. In his third season, he's consistently struggled with injuries but enjoyed a run of health and productivity. Jones was running with the first team and caught a pass in the red zone from Joe Burrow before Tanner Hudson's opening-drive touchdown. He had two receptions for first downs from Jake Browning with the second team. Jones made another impressive catch in the red zone at Sunday's practice that elicited a big reaction from Pitcher. There was a battle brewing before camp for the fifth receiver spot behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas and Mike Gesicki. Jones quietly has seized the opportunity and brings an obvious add in the return game, having returned both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in his career. Burton's biggest impact on the preseason game came during a ferocious punt return where he broke numerous tackles and caught the eye of Simmons. Any competition for a back-end receiver job will be influenced by return ability. 'He's a powerful runner,' Simmons said of Burton. 'Anytime you get the ball in his hands good things usually happen. Get the ball in his hands and get him pointed in the right direction, good things have happened.' (Top photo of Tycen Anderson: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Bengals S Geno Stone week-to-week after exiting preseason opener
August 9 - Cincinnati Bengals starting safety Geno Stone is week-to-week as he deals with a soft tissue issue, head coach Zac Taylor announced on Saturday. Stone appeared to injure his hamstring on his third play of Cincinnati's eventual 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in a preseason game. He stayed in the game for one more snap before calling it a night. Tycen Anderson and Daijahn Anthony serve as the backup safeties behind starters Jordan Battle and Stone for the Bengals, who open the regular season at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 7. Stone, 26, recorded a career-high 81 tackles to go along with four interceptions while starting all 17 games last season. He has totaled 208 tackles and 12 picks in 68 career games (36 starts) with the Baltimore Ravens (2020-23) and Bengals. He was selected by the Ravens in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Zac Taylor says Geno Stone ‘week to week' bringing safety depth into question
Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone is considered 'week to week' with a soft tissue injury, head coach Zac Taylor announced on Aug. 9. Stone suffered the injury in the Bengals' preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 7. Following practice on Saturday, Stone said his injury is "minor" and "nothing crazy." He is dealing with hamstring tightness and said he will be monitored on a daily basis. With Stone out for at least this week, Taylor and his coaching staff will get a closer look at backup safeties Tycen Anderson and Daijahn Anthony. As for how both Anderson and Anthony are playing so far in training camp, Taylor said he's looking forward to seeing how they handle the next week with increased snaps. If the Bengals don't feel comfortable with Anderson and Anthony's performance in practice and the final two exhibition games, look for the team to go shopping externally at safety. 'I think that's a group that we're looking to make sure we're deep enough there,' Taylor said. 'So they're gonna continue to get a lot of opportunities, certainly with Geno being out. I think it's a good chance to really see where they're at in their development. They've got to contribute on special teams. They've got to prove that they can walk in there and help us on defense as well. Those are guys that these next six practices will be really good for. Jordan Battle enters his third season with the Bengals needing to prove if he's a consistent starter in the NFL. He's shown flashes at various points in his career so far but has yet to play a full season as a starter. Battle has started 13 games in two years. Stone is in his second year with the Bengals and was asked to take a pay cut this offseason after a disappointing first season. Cincinnati's front office opted not to sign a safety in free agency or draft one showing their confidence in Battle and Stone as the starters. Taylor said cornerback Dax Hill will get an increased workload this week as he returns from a torn ACL. They'll make a decision on his preseason game availability after the next six practices. The Bengals will also evaluate Cam Taylor-Britt's status this week but Cincinnati's top cornerback was able to return to practice on Saturday. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Safety depth in question for Bengals with Geno Stone injury
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL insiders name the one free agent Bengals should still pursue
After two notable contract restructures to save cap space, the Cincinnati Bengals feel like a team headed for a free-agent signing, especially in the defensive secondary. That's especially the case with one of those contract pay cuts going to safety Geno Stone, who has been bluntly honest about the situation. Advertisement As a panel at NFL Network pointed out, one of the more interesting fits that might make sense for the Bengals this summer is Stephon Gilmore. RELATED: Bengals free agents remaining after 2025 NFL draft A former Defensive Player of the Year, the Bengals might shy away from Gilmore because he's 35 years old. But as the analysts point out in the segment, he likes the man coverage coordinator Al Golden is sure to use and the team has plenty of young cornerbacks like Dax Hill and DJ Turner who could use such a mentor. What's interesting is whether the Bengals go with an Eli Apple-like signing at cornerback, or perhaps look to a more traditional safety like Justin Simmons, who has listed the Bengals as a team he'd like to join. Advertisement That, or the team does nothing at all in terms of signings, barring injuries during training camp, of course. Either way, it's clear the Bengals have options when browsing the free-agent market right now. RELATED: 2025 NFL draft: RAS scores for new Bengals rookie class This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: NFL insiders name the one free agent Bengals should still pursue
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL insiders name the one free agent Bengals should still pursue
NFL insiders name the one free agent Bengals should still pursue After two notable contract restructures to save cap space, the Cincinnati Bengals feel like a team headed for a free-agent signing, especially in the defensive secondary. That's especially the case with one of those contract pay cuts going to safety Geno Stone, who has been bluntly honest about the situation. As a panel at NFL Network pointed out, one of the more interesting fits that might make sense for the Bengals this summer is Stephon Gilmore. RELATED: Bengals free agents remaining after 2025 NFL draft A former Defensive Player of the Year, the Bengals might shy away from Gilmore because he's 35 years old. But as the analysts point out in the segment, he likes the man coverage coordinator Al Golden is sure to use and the team has plenty of young cornerbacks like Dax Hill and DJ Turner who could use such a mentor. What's interesting is whether the Bengals go with an Eli Apple-like signing at cornerback, or perhaps look to a more traditional safety like Justin Simmons, who has listed the Bengals as a team he'd like to join. That, or the team does nothing at all in terms of signings, barring injuries during training camp, of course. Either way, it's clear the Bengals have options when browsing the free-agent market right now. RELATED: 2025 NFL draft: RAS scores for new Bengals rookie class
