It’s no secret, the Cincinnati Bengals defensive unit was a disgrace in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders. In a game where they neither forced a punt or a turnover, the defense as a whole looked lost against quarterback Jayden Daniels and an inexperienced Washington offensive squad. If Cincinnati continues to look as poorly as they did this past week on the defensive side of the football, the rest of the season certainly looks bleak for these Super Bowl hopefuls.
Cincinnati Bengals Defender Shines in Regular Season Start
Even in one of the worst games that Cincinnati has had in years on the defensive side of the ball, there are some positives that this organization certainly needs to focus on. Chief amongst those is the solid performance put on by rookie defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. Jenkins was able to record one tackle and a stop in 24 snaps at the defensive tackle position but even while one tackle may not seem like much, his presence on the interior actually helped deter the stout Commanders rushing attack.
Kris Jenkins tackle pic.twitter.com/H8CrVnyEQk
— Matt (@CoachMinich) September 25, 2024
Jenkins was selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan where he was the captain during the Wolverine’s National Championship run last season. Since he was drafted, the 6’3″ 305-pound defender has impressed coaches and fans alike with his remarkable weight room accomplishments that have earned him the nickname of “the Mutant”.
While few expected Jenkins to make an impression so early on in his NFL career, Cincinnati has suffered a flurry of injuries to the defensive interior including hamstring injuries to listed starters B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins. With so many injuries, Jenkins was relied upon to make an impact along with 2021 fourth-round pick Jay Tufele. While Tufele struggled against double teams from guard Nick Allegretti and center Tyler Biadasz, Jenkins for the most part held his ground and forced the running attack to the outside when his number was called.
In his first game at the professional level, Jenkins sported an overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 69.4, which would put him in the top 20 defensive tackles so far this season. Granted, temperance is encouraged given that the rookie has only played 24 snaps at this point but it is certainly something to be excited about given the state of the defensive front. With sustained injuries to both Rankins and Hill in Week 4, Rankins will once again have an opportunity to start against the solid rushing attack of the Carolina Panthers.
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