'He Was Ready For the Moment' - Bengals OT Devin Cochran Shakes Rough Beginning to First Career Start

Jay Morrison | Dec 16, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Devin Cochran (76) and Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (75) perform a offensive line drill at Cincinnati Bengals training camp on the Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE – Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Devin Cochran didn’t know until a couple of hours before kickoff Sunday that he’d be making his first career start.

After a couple of series, no one could be certain Cochran would finish.

Forced into action when Cody Ford, who was scheduled to start for the injured Orlando Brown Jr., was too ill to play, Cochran got beat badly twice in his first few snaps, one of which resulted in a Joe Burrow interception.

But Cochran settled in and only allowed two more pressures the rest of the game, enabling Burrow to throw for 26 of 37 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns in the 37-27 win against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.

“I thought Dev really stepped up big,” Burrow said. “He had a couple in the first two drives, and then after that he really settled in. I thought he played great.”

Prior to Sunday, Cochran had played one offensive snap in his NFL career, which began in 2022 when the Bengals signed him as an undrafted college free agent out of Georgia Tech.

Ford came down ill Saturday and was added to the injury report as questionable.

He tried to go through warmups on the field Sunday morning but couldn’t play, forcing Cochran into action against a Tennessee defense that ranks near the top of the league in most categories.

Cochran said his preseason snaps played a big role in how he was able to handle Sunday’s sudden change. Not because of the competition he faced, but rather offensive line coach Frank Pollack’s unpredictable rotation.

“I feel like Frank and the staff and everybody really prepared me for it, just with how preseason went,” Cochran said. “I didn't know when I was gonna play in the preseason. Third quarter? Fourth quarter? So I think just being prepared for the most random time to come really helped me today.”

He also said playing scout team against Trey Hendrickson in practice had him prepared for Titans edge rusher Arden Key.

“The way Trey rushes in the third down period of Thursday is pretty tough, so it wasn’t like that,” Cochran said.

“Obviously you want to come out swinging,” he added. “You're nervous, and you want to go out and do well. But those first plays come pretty quick. Once that happens, you make your adjustments, tell yourself you've got to calm down and then you calm down and you can play your game.”

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor praised Cochran’s patience and performance after the game.

“I thought he settled in there,” he said. “There’s some tough matchups in there sometimes, but I thought he settled in there and did a good job in his first career start. Really proud of the way — that’s an example of a guy who just practices. Devin Cochran has practiced the right way. He’s proven to his teammates all season long that he’ll be ready if his number is called because of his approach to that.

“You want your top players to play Orlando (Brown Jr.), and Cody (Ford) and all of those guys, so this isn't even any knock on them, but to hear Devin’s going to play in the game wasn’t a gut punch because you just trusted him,” Taylor added. “He was ready for the moment, and we knew that we’d be able to go out there and produce with him.”

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