All Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals Film Breakdown: What T.J. Slaton and Oren Burks Add to Defense

The Bengals added two key defenders in free agency. Can T.J. Slaton and Oren Burks help turn Cincinnati's defense around?

Mike Santagata

Oren Burks, T.J. Slaton
Oren Burks, T.J. Slaton / USA Today Images
In this story:

The Bengals made a small splash to open free agency with the signings of two defenders: T.J. Slaton and Oren Burks.

Slaton is a nose tackle coming from Green Bay and Burks is a linebacker that played for Philadelphia during their championship run. Each one should have a chance to start for this Bengals team and will at the very least play a role. Both veterans should make an impact this season.

T.J. Slaton

Slaton (No. 93) is a classic nose tackle. He can hold the point of attack, eat double teams, and protect his linebackers in the run game. He doesn’t make many tackles-for-loss (six for his career), but he helps his linebackers to do that.

His best ability is being able to 2-gap offensive linemen effectively. This is where he is tasked with taking up 2-gaps in the defense by being able to read the ball and shed the offensive lineman wherever he needs to go. Here are some examples of him playing gap and a half of 2-gap defense against some of the better offensive linemen in the league.

Doing this allows the defense to commit less resources to defending the run game and why a true nose tackle has a lot of use even in an even four down front where they will not play head up over the center.

He also does a nice job for himself when it comes to playing against double teams. He can split doubles and win dramatically to not only protect his backers but also make the run stop himself.

However, this is where one of his flaws in the run game shows up as well as it relates to zone combination blocks. He had some inconsistencies when facing these zone combos and could get moved or turned out leading to explosive runs for the opposing offense.

Even with these inconsistencies against zone combinations, Slaton should improve the run defense of the Bengals unit. They lacked an interior presence like him last season with the void that DJ Reader left in the middle of their defense.

In terms of rushing the passer, there’s not much here for Slaton. A majority of his reps looked like this:

He gets placed between the center and the guard and is really just asked to occupy those guys. He doesn’t make any real attempt to rush the passer and is just freeing up his guys elsewhere for one-on-one opportunities.

Even when he got the one-on-one opportunities, he didn’t show too much ability to rush the passer.

There are some examples of him using a swim move to win as a pass rusher. That move also helped him thrive as a run defender:

He also can provide some ability to push the pocket as a pass rusher when singled up especially against undersized centers if he ever gets that opportunity.

Overall Slaton is a welcome addition to the Bengals front with a body type and style of play that they missed last season. For more on what Slaton brings to the Bengals' defense, go here.

Oren Burks

Burks (No. 42) stepped up for the Eagles during the playoff run. Starting linebacker Nakobe Dean got hurt and was only able to play in one playoff game. Burks stepped into the starting lineup in Dean's place.

Burks has been a journeyman since being drafted by the Packers in the third round (88th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has started 17 regular season games and four playoff games combined for three different teams in his seven year NFL career. He’s never played more than 326 regular season snaps, although he just played 230 during the Eagles playoff run.

Burks’s statistics look pretty nice for that playoff run as well. He had 11 run stops on 55 plays of run defense and only allowed eight receptions on 147 coverage snaps according to NextGenStats.

As a run defender, Burks uses active hands to shed offensive linemen that get up to him at the second level.

He also does a good job of slipping these blocks and avoiding having to take on offensive linemen altogether.

He was put in good positions more often than not as a run defender because he got to play with such a talented front with the Eagles too though. He was generally protected well by his defensive tackles and had a lot of highly talented players around him making life a little easier for him.

His biggest issue in both the run and pass game was just missing tackles. Burks may have only missed three tackles in the last three regular seasons (2.3% missed tackle rate) but he missed 6 tackles in the playoffs this year (19.4% missed tackle rate) and they were key missed tackles that led to explosive plays and touchdowns.

It’s a small sample size of just three games started and four played, but it’s concerning nonetheless. That needs to be tightened up if he is going to be a full time starter for the Bengals this season.

In coverage, Burks did his job more often than not. He played next to all-pro linebacker Zack Baun which allowed for him to do some of the easier stuff in coverage such as matching running backs.

That’s not to say he was never asked to do some of the more strenuous activities of a linebacker. There were multiple reps where he was asked to carry wide receivers as part of Fangio’s match zones.

This is one of the more difficult tasks a linebacker will be asked to perform. It’s not only athletically difficult to run with a wide receiver, but also it requires a bit of processing to quickly find the receiver and to get on a good angle to run with them.

Against empty sets, he was also asked to match the weak slot player underneath and did his job on those reps.

Overall, Burks did his job at linebacker. He got to play a little bit of an easier role at times because of the massive talent around him up front, but it’s hard to hold that against him.

It is worth mentioning because if he is starting in two linebacker sets in Cincinnati, he may not get quite as much help from his teammates. When he was asked to play a more difficult role, he succeeded.

It’s not hard to see why he was added to a team that has a hefty need at linebacker. He can either take the Akeem Davis-Gaither role of third linebacker or he can start in two linebacker sets with Logan Wilson.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon. 

Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

You May Also Like:

Cincinnati Bengals Bringing in Top Playmaker Nick Emmanwori for Visit Ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Ja’Marr Chase Agrees to Record-Setting Extension That Makes Him NFL’s Highest-Paid Non-Quarterback in History

Tee Higgins Gets Record-Setting Deal for WR2, Bengals Break Precedent to Keep Higgins in Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Sam Hubbard is Retiring

NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Is Armand Membou Ideal Fit in Cincinnati Bengals' Quest to Protect Joe Burrow?

Stat of the Jay: Who Holds the NFL Record For Most Sacks After Age 30, and Who Holds the Bengals' Mark?

Cincinnati Bengals Make Another Addition to Coaching Staff, Hiring Sean Desai as Senior Defensive Assistant

Cincinnati Bengals Tagged Tee Higgins: What's Next for the Star Wide Receiver?

'There's A Real Framework To Work Off Of' - Duke Tobin Dives Into Bengals Desire to Extend Ja'Marr Chase

Duke Tobin on Trey Hendrickson's Future With Bengals: 'He Has Earned a Pay Raise'

What Erick All's Injury Means for Bengals' Plans at Tight End in Free Agency and 2025 NFL Draft

Sources: Bengals Players 'Excited' About Defensive Coordinator Al Golden and Revamped Coaching Staff

Report: Arrests Made in Possible Relation to Joe Burrow Home Robbery

'He's an Expert Pass Pro Technician' - NFL World Reacts to Bengals New O-Line Coach Scott Peters

Former Bengals Coach Lou Anarumo Named Colts Defensive Coordinator

Legendary Bengals Coach Jim McNally Praises Offensive Line Hiring of Scott Peters

From Practice Squads to MMA to Cleveland and New England, Scott Peters' Journey Continues as Bengals O-Line Coach

Simple Quote Explains Bengals' Decision to Make Latest O-Line Coach Addition in Quest to Protect Joe Burrow

Bengals Fun Fact: Trio of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Cade York Finish 20-0

ESPN's Ben Solak Predicts Bengals Trade For Falcons Star Tight End Kyle Pitts

Related: Joe Burrow Sends ANOTHER Message to Bengals' Front Office

Cincinnati Bengals List of 2025 Opponents Finalized Ahead of Week 18 Season Finale

Best Player in Football: Joe Burrow Gets Ringing Endorsement for MVP Following Clutch Performance vs Denver Broncos

In Depth Look at Joe Burrow’s Case for NFL MVP Following Bengals’ Win Streak

'Sometime You Eat A S*** Sandwich' - Broncos CB Riley Moss Sums Up Outing Against Bengals, Tee Higgins

Playing on One Leg: Orlando Brown Jr. Shares Details of Broken Leg, His Ability to Play Through the Pain

Watch: Zac Taylor Tosses Out Game Balls Following Bengals’ Win Over Broncos in OT

Bengals WR Tee Higgins Talks Emotions, Gratitude and Mistakes After What Could Be His Final Home Game with Team

Listen: Radio Call of Tee Higgins’ Game-Winning Touchdown in Bengals’ Win Over Broncos

Ja’Marr Chase Breaks Another Bengals Record, Becomes All-Time Leader for Receptions in a Season

-----

Join the 53,000+ Bengals fans that subscribe to us on YouTube.

Follow us on Twitter: @BengalsTalkSI

Like Our Facebook Page

Subscribe and follow the ONLY Daily Bengals Podcast

Follow on TikTok

Published
Mike Santagata
MIKE SANTAGATA

Mike Santagata is an offensive line and film expert. He's written and analyzed Bengals film for the past four years. He also hosts the Always Gameday in Cincinnati podcast and is a regular guest on the Locked On Bengals podcast.

Home/AllBengals Insiders+