Hey, some good news!
The Cincinnati Bengals, like all the other teams across the NFL, are on summer break after the close of mandatory minicamp.
The team has been in the news for a myriad of reasons, most of which are negatively covering their contract negotiations with Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, but there is the occasional good news.
This is one such occasion.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently listed some of the players who should be considered as luxuries for the teams they play on. You’d think, for the Bengals, it would be Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, or Tee Higgins, but it’s not.
Instead, it’s free agent nose tackle signee TJ Slaton.
“Listed as 330 pounds, it’s no surprise that Slaton was asked to do the dirty work on early downs against the run,” he wrote. “Last season, he played about 45% of Green Bay’s snaps on first and second down, but that fell to just under 19% of the snaps on third and fourth downs.”
Barnwell went on to say that, while the Bengals aren’t going to get much-needed help rushing the passer from Slaton, it’s hard to put a price on his ability to control the middle of the line.
“In 2024, Slaton’s 45.5% run stop win rate on the interior led all defenders, just ahead of highly compensated tackles D.J. Jones, Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner,” he added. “The highlight of his season might have been a forth-and-goal snap in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins, where Slaton drove the guard backward, drew a holding penalty and pressured Tua Tagovailoa into the arms of Quay Walker for a drive-ending sack. It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was effective.”
The Bengals’ defense hasn’t been the same since DJ Reader left for Detroit in free agency. Slaton isn’t a replacement for the current Lion, but he will step in as the team’s true nose tackle, which is something they’ve missed since Reader’s departure. The Bengals struggled against the run in 2024. Righting that particular ship is a must if the Bengals defense is going to take another step under new coordinator Al Golden.
Hopefully, Slaton’s ability to eat up space will free up everyone behind him.
