Over the first month of the 2024 NFL Season, the Cincinnati Bengals have been terrific on the offensive side of the ball and absolutely abysmal on the defensive side. Most years when Cincinnati starts slow, it is because of a medical issue with quarterback Joe Burrow but this season, the city is relying on dramatic defense improvement down the stretch. If the defense isn’t able to improve, this franchise may struggle to pull off the late-season playoff push that this city is expecting.
Cincinnati Bengals Defense to Receive Major Boost
Arguably the best way to revive this defensive unit is to get the defensive line healthy again. This week, defensive end Myles Murphy and nose tackle McKinnley Jackson each returned to practice after spending the first four weeks of the season on injured reserve. Murphy was selected with the 28th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and many experts were anticipating a breakout season from him before he sustained a knee injury late in the preseason.
Myles Murphy is practicing today…. @Ben_Baby is here too. pic.twitter.com/L2wJy1wDAB
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) October 3, 2024
Jackson was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and even though he was a second-day pick, the Texas A&M product is the only nose tackle that Cincinnati has on their roster. It is possible that defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was planning on utilizing him as a focal piece of the run defense but his knee injury in training camp cost him the first month of the season as well. With Jackson back, there will finally be some size and physicality on the defensive front again that this team has desperately been looking for.
On top of Jackson and Murphy’s return, Cincinnati is also fostering the development of defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. In a stretch that included a fourth down stuff against the Carolina Panthers, Jenkins has already grown into a starting caliber 3-technique tackle. With the combination of Jackson and Jenkins, there is finally potential for this defensive front after the pairing of Murphy and elite pass rusher Trey Hendrickson on the edges.
Even though the defense has been statistically terrible so far this season, a lot of that stems from the dramatic shortage at defensive tackle after the injuries to starters Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill. In a Week 5 game against the brutally physical Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati needs substantial improvement on the defensive front to compete against the rushing combination of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. At the very least, Cincinnati will finally have some depth at the defensive tackle position so that they can put in maximum effort to stop the elite rushing attack.
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