We’ve witnessed some strange and unfortunate career arcs take place this season.
Cam Taylor-Britt got benched, then was inactive despite being healthy, then back in the lineup. Just when it looked like he might be able to make a comeback, bam! Season-ending injury.
Jermaine Burton has become a glorified practice squad player, inactive for every single game.
Then there is his fellow 2024 third-round pick, McKinnley Jackson.
Jackson was inactive for much of the season as well and played a mere six snaps before the bye week. Even when the Bengals allowed Mike Pennel to move on, it was Jordan Jefferson, not Jackson, who got the next nod. Jackson even went as far as requesting a trade.
Then Jackson played 16 snaps in the first game after the bye week, and this week that number went up to 19. He’s actually looked pretty good. With Jackson back in the coaches’ good graces, maybe, just maybe, the 3rd round of the 2024 NFL Draft will not turn out to be a total wash for the Bengals.
With the aforementioned injury to Taylor-Britt came a shake-up in the secondary. The forgotten son, Jalen Davis, was called up from the practice squad, playing 42 snaps while his fellow slot cornerback, Josh Newton, saw his snap count plummet to 5.
Offensively, the return of Mike Gesicki was marked with 28 reps, pushing Noah Fant down to 18. Of course, Drew Sample remains tight end one, taking 34 snaps. Tanner Hudson also played a respectable 14 snaps.
The wide receiver position faced much turmoil this week. Ja’Marr Chase was suspended, and Tee Higgins got knocked out late. As a result, Andrei Iosivas led the unit in snaps with 54, followed by Higgins with 50 and Mitchell Tinsley with 48. Charlie Jones even saw some rare offensive action, taking 11 snaps.
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