Bengals Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo Details Reasons for Benching Cornerback Cam-Taylor Britt

Jay Morrison | 2 Hours Ago

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) returns to the bench after Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. The Chargers won 34-27. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – In September it was poor eye discipline, sloppy technique and unnecessary risk taking that landed Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt on the bench.

Sunday night it was something far more infuriating for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

And for some of Taylor-Britt’s teammates, as the NBC cameras caught linebacker Germaine Pratt screaming at his teammate.

“Things that he shouldn't make a mistake on,” Anarumo said before going into more detail in which he pointed toward Taylor-Britt as the reason for each of the Los Angeles Chargers’ first two touchdowns in the Bengals’ 34-27 loss Sunday night.

The first was a 29-yard pass from Justin Herbert to tight end Will Dissly.

It was a play the Bengals had covered multiple times during the week leading up to the game.

“That's kind of what got everybody fired up a little bit,” Anarumo said. “We had shown that play a number of times. Germaine's job is to hold the seam there, which he did a really good job of. And Cam should've been a little bit deeper and higher on that.

“He almost made the play,” Anarumo said. “If he's 3 or 4 yards deeper, he probably makes the play. And that's the difference there.”

UNCLE WILL

📺 | @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/spGbVPGdhh

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) November 18, 2024

As for the sideline blowup by Pratt caught by the cameras, Anarumo dismissed it.

“It's good to have leadership step up and voice things sometimes,” he said. “It's never gonna be clean. It was a play that we've shown in practice a bunch. They know. They handle it well. Sideline flare ups happen all the time. Sometimes the cameras catch them, sometimes they don't. I'm not worried about that.”

On the Chargers’ next possession, Taylor-Britt was at fault again on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Herbert to wide receiver Quentin Johnston.

Anarumo said that, too, is something he’s not only been over with numerous times with Taylor-Britt, but a concept he has repeatedly picked up since the team drafted him in the second round in 2022.

“Just a simple pickup in coverage that's he done right a million times, and it led to a touchdown,” Anarumo said. “They ran that – 'Oh, sh-t' is what we call it, because it kind of what it is – and he should be sitting right there. 

“It's just a simple pickup, but he got locked in on his guy that drained out of the way,” Anarumo continued. “But he should just let that guy go to the front side.”

You can see Taylor-Britt (29) trail LA receiver Josh Palmer (5) across the formation, realize his mistake and retreat toward Johnston (1) too late to do anything about it.

Herbert rips another one through Cincinnati's defense for another TD.

(NGS) pic.twitter.com/VxZuOgMIna

— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 18, 2024

“That's just been our season – inconsistency,” Anarumo said.

When Anarumo pulled Taylor-Britt from the Week 4 game at Carolina, he replaced him with DJ Turner on a rotational basis.

The following week, Dax Hill tore his ACL and Taylor-Britt was back to a full-time starter.

Sunday night, the benching – which occurred after the Johnston touchdown – looked as though it was going to be for the entire game, with rookie Josh Newton taking over and playing well.

“The good news about that was Josh came in and competed at a high level,” Anarumo said. “He made some plays on the ball in some critical situations. The first two-minute stop was a great play on an over route. That's a hard thing for a DB in Cover 1, so I was pleased to see that.

“He got his hands on some balls. He was tight in coverage even when they caught it,” Anarumo said. “That was the good news about that.”

When Turner broke his clavicle busting up a deep pass intended for Johnston in the final minute of the third quarter, Anarumo had no choice but to go back to Taylor-Britt.

“I will say this for Cam: on the sideline he was great after we did it, cheering his teammates on,” Anarumo said. “And then when he had to come back in because of DJ's injury – I thought DJ was maybe having his best game as a Bengal – Cam came back in and did well. His mind was in the right place.

“If he was over there pouting, it would have been a disaster,” Anarumo continued. “Because I've seen that side of it. Not from Cam, but from some other guys in the past.”

Pro Football Focus ranks Taylor-Britt as the No. 52 cornerback out of 67 with at least 258 coverage snaps.

The site lists Taylor-Britt with nine touchdowns allowed.

Per Next Gen stats, Taylor-Britt has the highest EPA (expected points added) of any cornerback in the league and the third-highest CPOE (completion percentage of expectation).

Taylor-Britt has 11 passes defended, which is tied for fifth in the league.

He’s been targeted 64 times, which is 10th most. Sport Radar has Taylor-Britt allowing 42 catches when targeted (seventh most) while allowing 572 yards on those targets (sixth most).

“We're gonna need him now. Again,” Anarumo said. “He's gotta get back to being Cam.”

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