Should the Bengals Stick To Having CBs Play Sides or Have Cam Taylor-Britt Follow A.J. Brown Everywhere Sunday?

Jay Morrison | Oct 25, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) tackles Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) following a catch in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals won, 17-13. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI – The Philadelphia Eagles have two explosive wide receivers who present distinctly different challenges in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.

The Cincinnati Bengals have two cornerbacks who would seem to benefit from sticking to a receiver – Cam Taylor-Britt on the more physical Brown (6-1, 226) and DJ Turner II on Smith (6-0, 170) – rather than playing sides.

Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo traveled Taylor-Britt for the first 10 games last year before he went on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury, then reverted to keeping the 2022 second-round pick on the right side of the defense after he returned.

This year, Taylor-Britt has remained exclusively on the right, save for one snap in the opener against the Patriots and five in Week 5 against the Ravens.

Could a switch be coming Sunday?

“I don't know if we're gonna match him up,” Anarumo said. “He'll have his attempts on (Brown) for sure. I don't want that in his head. I just want it to be, 'Regardless of who I'm lining up against, I just want to be the same guy.' Be consistent. That's all we want from him.”

The start to the season has been defined by singe marks and a benching for Taylor-Britt. But any thoughts of Turner disappeared when Dax Hill tore his ACL in Week 5, one week after Anarumo pulled Taylor-Britt from the game against the Panthers.

But Taylor-Britt’s response since has been what the Bengals coaches wanted to see.

“Settling down, playing certainly better the last two weeks,” Anarumo said. “Stay within in himself, don't try to do too much, just do your job. Nobody wants to do better than Cam. Trust me. He's done well. I'm pleased.

“He's definitely settling down a little bit. That's for sure,” he added. “That's good for all of us.”

But is it good enough to go back to the 2023 plan of traveling corners?

Taylor-Britt is a bigger, stronger corner than Turner, and lining him up against receivers with a more physical profile makes sense. It was last year about this time, Week 6 against Seattle, that Taylor-Britt played one of the best games of his career, muscling up against D.K. Metcalf and holding him to four catches on nine targets for 64 yards in addition to drawing a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty when Metcalf shoved him to the ground after a play in the second quarter.

“That’s my job – be annoying,” Taylor-Britt said with a laugh Thursday. “I’m not thinking about last year at all. It’s all about the Eagles and this team right here. We’ve got to go get it.”

Brown missed three games with a hamstring, but he returned last week to catch five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 28-3 win against the Giants.

He’s caught a touchdown pass in all three games he’s played this season, and seven of his 16 receptions have been explosives (16+ yards).

Smith missed a game with a concussion and has not been as involved since returning. He had 21 catches on 28 targets for 239 yards and a touchdown in the first three games but only four catches on five targets for 62 yards and a score in the last two.

Seven of his 25 receptions have been explosives.

“That's what they do,” Anarumo said of the explosives. “You watch the Giants game last week and it was bottle them up, bottle them, bottle them up and then 55 or throw over the top.

“You've got to load up and you've got to try to manage the run game as best you can,” he continued. “It puts guys one-on-one. That's the reality of games like this is we've got to win those battles. We've just got to keep that mindset of, 'This is what they're trying to do, this is who they're trying to attack, and knowing who you're covering and know what your gap responsibilities are to try to keep from not allowing those big plays.' They'll test you for sure."

Turner got a small taste of flipping sides in Week 4 when he came in to spell not just Taylor-Britt, but also Hill at times.

He played 11 snaps at left corner and 32 at right.

While no player is going to divulge the gameplan, the way Turner responded to the question about traveling with the same receiver all game made it sound as though the Bengals will stick with the status quo.

“It don't matter,” Turner said. “Whatever the coaches think the best plan is, that's what we're gonna do. I don't care who I guard. 

“Everybody knows they're two different types of receivers,” he added. “You just have to plan throughout the week and when game time comes your preparation for what (Brown) does and what (Smith) does will get you in the right position.”

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