Exclusive Q&A: Bengals Rookie Daijahn Anthony Discusses His Journey After Making 53-Man Roster

The Bengals picked Anthony with the 224th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Justin Melo | Aug 30, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony (33) walks to the practice fields at the Bengals NFL practice in Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals rookie safety Daijahn Anthony wrote one of the most heartwarming stories of roster cut-down day.

A seventh-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Anthony played his way onto the team with outstanding performances throughout training camp. The Bengals have big plans for their rookie versatile defensive back this season.

Anthony spoke exclusively with Bengals On SI mere hours after he found out he made the roster. He discussed his incredible journey of perseverance, one that began in a D-II program (Shepherd University) in West Virginia. His family has had a profound impact on his motivation and drive, a story that Anthony detailed for us in terrific fashion.

Enjoy this one because it's special. Here's our conversation with Anthony:

Justin Melo: Congratulations on making the Cincinnati Bengals’ 53-man roster, Daijahn. What was Tuesday morning like for you?

Daijahn Anthony: I found out even earlier than that (laughs). The coaching staff gave me a pretty good idea over the weekend. It’s a blessing, man. Coming from Division II, I was a guy with no offers as a 0-ranked prospect.

To go from that to officially being on an NFL 53-man roster, it’s a blessing. It’s a full circle moment for me. My entire family is proud of me. I’m proud of myself! (laughs). The work doesn’t end here though. The journey isn’t done because I made the initial roster.

This is when the work really starts. I’m ready for what comes next.

Justin Melo: Did the coaching staff call you into the office over the weekend? How did it go down?

Daijahn Anthony: They were dropping little hints throughout the weekend. I had a pretty good idea that I was going to be the starting gunner on special teams. I don’t think they would have put me in that position if I wasn’t being kept.

The coaching staff told me they envision me making a lot of plays throughout the season. It was little things like that, those hints that gave me an idea. I felt like they were telling me without actually telling me (laughs).

I also played a lot with the first-team defense on dime packages throughout training camp. I was in that role pretty much the entire time. As long as I stay healthy, I think I can make an impact in a variety of ways.

Justin Melo: We love that. We’re so happy for you. I want to give you a platform to expand on your journey. Coming from D-II with no offers, as you said. That’s crazy. Look at you now. What kept you going through all the ups and downs?

Daijahn Anthony: My mom passed when I was in the fifth grade. My grandmother was my biggest supporter, my biggest fan. She was my best friend. She basically raised me and my siblings.

She always supported me. When I was playing D-II, I wasn’t exactly on anybody’s radar. Some of my family members came to my D-II games, but there wasn’t a lot of hype or excitement for that.

My grandmother though, she acted like I was playing for Alabama even though I was playing for a D-II program. She was so proud of me. She made sure she watched every game, and she attended every home game in person.

She always kept me going. When I left Shepherd, I found out my grandmother had cancer. That’s when I decided to walk-on at Liberty. I spoke to their defensive backs coach at the time and I decided to walk on so that I could stay at home.

I would drive home after every Liberty practice to go see my grandmother every single day because she had Stage IV cancer. That’s why I went to Liberty. I got a scholarship the first day of Spring ball. I was a walk-on in January and February of 2021. I got on a scholarship in March, literally two months after I got there.

I had a great practice on the first day of Spring ball. The coaching staff put me on a scholarship.

I drove home the next day and my grandmother passed away on my mother’s birthday. It was a crazy sequence of events. I just became a D-I athlete on a scholarship and I lost my grandmother on my mother’s birthday, who had also passed away.

I played at Liberty for two seasons under coach Hugh Freeze. Coach Freeze left after the 2022 season to Auburn and I graduated from Liberty in the Spring of 2023. A lot of programs were showing interest in me by liking my photos on social media.

All of a sudden, some players from other programs that I played with growing up started calling me to tell me their coaching staff was asking about me. I decided to hit the transfer portal because I felt like a lot of programs were going to show interest.

After Spring ball and my graduation, I entered the portal and I probably got offers from damn near every program in the country. I chose Ole Miss because one of my old coaches at Liberty left to join Ole Miss as well. Coach Anthony Henderson and I were super close.

He showed me the ropes. Coach Pete Golding, he was the defensive coordinator at Alabama for a lot of those National Championships. That was his first season (2023) as the DC at Ole Miss and I appreciated an opportunity to develop under him.

Coach Golding helped produce a ton of defensive backs at Alabama, guys like TreVon Diggs, Jordan Battle, Pat Surtain II, and others. I felt like going to Ole Miss was the right move for me. I went to Ole Miss and coach Golding kept his promise to turn Ole Miss into a defensive school.

I played well at Ole Miss and everything started happening for me from there. I got an invite to the Shrine Bowl during the pre-draft process and got even more exposure there. The Bengals decided to draft me in the seventh round and here we are.

Justin Melo: What an unbelievable story and journey. You’re the poster child for hard work and sacrifice. The Bengals got a good one. You made some big plays in camp. You intercepted Joe Burrow and Jake Browning, and played well in the preseason. You put forth a lot of big practices. Did you see yourself progressing as the practices went by?

Daijahn Anthony: Yeah, I definitely did. When I first got here at OTAs, our coaching staff was already impressed with how Josh Newton and I were playing as rookies in the secondary. I played a lot of cornerback in college. I only played safety for one season, and that was at Ole Miss.

At Shepherd and Liberty, I played cornerback. That helped me develop my footwork. Newton and I, we have great feet, a lot faster than most rookie defensive backs. The coaching staff saw that right away. All of the veterans even took notice. They told us we looked good!

The next thing you know, the veterans really started taking us under their wing. The coaching staff started putting me in on dime packages. I’ll never forget it. It was a third down day at OTAs and they had me taking the tight end on dime package! I was replacing the linebacker. It felt like I started playing a lot of dime packages.

By the time we got to training camp, I was already very comfortable playing in the dime package on third down, and the staff kept me in that role. We practiced a lot of dime coverage looks throughout training camp.

I caught the interception on our first day of camp. It was up from there. Every time they threw the ball my way, I felt like I was making a play. Still being pretty new at safety, it’s been a learning curve. I was used to playing man coverage and tackling at corner.

You have to take totally different angles at safety. I’m coming downhill more now. I’m getting used to playing forward as opposed to side to side. It’s been a learning process, but I was coached by one of the best defensive coordinators in all of college football.

The Bengals have one of the best defensive coaching staffs in the league as well. I feel very blessed. They’re getting me right and I was soaking everything up like a sponge. I’m trying to get better every single day.

Joe Burrow’s first interception of training camp comes in his sixth practice. Rookie Daijahn Anthony with a great play while guarding Mike Gesicki #Bengals pic.twitter.com/8MKD2nieZM
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) August 1, 2024

Justin Melo: We look forward to seeing you on dime packages during the regular season.

Daijahn Anthony: That’s what I’m hoping for as well (laughs). I’m going to try to carve out a role for myself on defense via the dime package. God willing, if I stay healthy, I want to play on dime packages. We called it a lot throughout the preseason and in training camp as well.

I was playing on those drives. The first preseason game, it was the third play of the first drive. Depending on how everything goes, I believe I have a real chance to be in that role if I stay healthy and keep proving myself.

I’m going to work to ensure that’s how it plays out.

Justin Melo: We’ve appreciated your time. We couldn’t be any happier for you. Your story is one of true perseverance. You deserve this and you earned it. We can’t imagine the joy your family is feeling right now. What’s your goal for the 2024 season? Like you said, the journey is just beginning.

Daijahn Anthony: I want to develop into one of the best safeties in the NFL. I want to be a player that earns that second contract from this franchise. Those are some of the goals that every NFL player has, to become a great in this league. Everybody wants to be a second contract guy.

I’m going to keep working hard every single day to get to that point.

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