After the departure of both superstar nose tackle D.J. Reader and backup nose tackle Josh Tupou over the offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals have been desperate to figure out a solution along the defensive line. Over the offseason, they signed former Houston Texans free agent Sheldon Rankins to provide some help up front but Rankins is certainly a better 3-technique, and this team still doesn’t have a single 1-technique defensive lineman on their roster.
Cincinnati Bengals’ New Defensive Tackle Showing Off During Workouts
After blundering through free agency, it looked like this organization was going to neglect to bring in a true nose tackle to fill the void left by reader. Fortunately, they finally picked up talented legacy defensive tackle Kris Jenkin Jr. in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Jenkins was one of the best players on a talented defense that was able to win the NCAA Championship last season with the University of Michigan and the front office is hoping that he’ll help bring some hardware home to Southwest Ohio over the next few seasons.
While fans won’t really know what Jenkins is going to look like until he takes the field next season, he has certainly shown signs of greatness during the preseason. One example came in the weight room earlier this week when Jenkins showed off a truly remarkable feat.
hey you know, just chillin https://t.co/mscF0GIN6E pic.twitter.com/SvD2R9XeAx
— Kris Jenkins (@KrisJenkinsJr1) July 11, 2024
To explain to fans who may not quite understand how impressive this feat is, Jenkins was able to balance a 135-pound barbell in the air while he stood up from laying on his back. Let alone how strong his triceps and forearms must be just to balance the weight with one hand, the combination of balance and core strength to maintain that form all the way into a standing position and then straight into a lunge is absolutely incredible.
While he clearly demonstrated the raw athleticism that earned him the nickname “The Mutant”, Jenkins is facing an uphill battle to see much playing time this season at a position that will be utilizing a heavy rotation. On top of Jenkins, last season’s starter at the 3-technique B.J. Hill is likely to earn a sizeable number of snaps even though he certainly showed a decline in form last season.
Last season, this defense was absolutely atrocious at stopping the rushing attack and after losing Reader, it will be interesting to see which of these talented linemen step up to the challenge. Given his legacy status as the son of an outstanding nose tackle in the mid-2000s, Jenkins certainly appears to be capable of making a statement early.
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