Bengals 2026 Training Camp Preview: S
Players:
6. Bryan Cook
27. Jordan Battle
29. Kyle Dugger
33. Daijahn Anthony
37. PJ Jules
39. Russ Yeast
41. Isaiah Nwokobia
Of the many defensive issues the Bengals had last year, the safety position was a big one. But it wasn’t so much the position as a whole, but rather Geno Stone performing at a comically bad level. With Stone walking in free agency, the Bengals went out and spent some money at the position in hopes of shoring it up.
Bryan Cook was probably the biggest free agent signing in Cincinnati. He comes over from the Kansas City Chiefs, where he had established himself as a consistent member of their secondary. The Bengals will be hoping for the same thing from him. With Burrow expected to lead a potent offence, the defence does not even have to be top level. But if Cook can bring stability to FS, that alone would provide a massive change from last season.
Battle is expected to remain the starter at SS. I wouldn’t quite say he is standing on super thin ice, but he’ll need to have a good year too. There were a lot of ups and downs last season, but the chaos around him sometimes seemed to contribute to his poor play. With a better defensive foundation, there is hope that we see a much more consistent Jordan Battle, who has shown to be capable of playing at a high level.
If there is anyone who will challenge Battle for snaps, it is Kyle Dugger. He comes with draft pedigree, even if he hasn’t been great in recent times. But in a rotational role with less expectations, he could fit right in. This is probably his most likely role. We could see him in some 3 safety sets where he is given a bit of freedom to roam and make plays.
Anthony got some work in 2024 as a 7th round rookie, but faded back into the lower end of the depth chart since then. He has the most defensive experience of the back-end guys, and will have a shot at earning the 4th (and possibly last) safety spot.
PJ Jules figures to be his main competition. And his emergence on special teams last year gives him a legitimately strong case. He turned some heads in this area, and continuing to do so could see him win that final spot. I’m sure Darrin Simmons will be in his corner.
Yeast and Nwokobia round out the group. Yeast comes with 36 games of NFL experience, but spent all of last season on the Bengals practice squad. Nwokobia is a rookie UDFA, who I touch on in my UDFA article. With strong showings, both theoretically could get the last spot, but they are clear underdogs in the competition. If they miss out on it, a spot on the practice squad would be in play.
