Bengals Booth Podcast: Holiday

Hi, get everybody.

I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading the Bengals Boot Podcast. The holiday oh holiday addition, as the players begin a five week break before training camp, but we don't here On the pod. Coming up, I'll talk to Trevor Sikkama from Pro Football Focus about what it's going to take for the Bengals to surpass Baltimore in the AFC North, followed by five observations about one of the biggest storylines

Pro Football Focus.

They keep you busy, but I'm glad that they do because I work with a lot of great people, get to do a lot of different shows. The main one that I do is the PFFNFL show that I get to do with mainly Dalton Washman, but we have a lot of other great people who are in on that show as well. Max Chadwick is a familiar face there, those guys doing the college show also dabbling in the NFL world. I also cover the NFL Draft three sixty five.

But I love it. I love what I get to do, so it's always great when I get the turn.

Of my gun.

So with the title NFL Draft Analyst. Let's discuss the Bengals draft. They had six picks. The top three were Shamar Stewart, Demetrius Knight, and Dylan Fairchild.

How did they do?

I look, I actually really liked what the Bengals were able to do in the draft. I think that the Shamar Stewart pick, obviously, I think that what's going on with him and the contract situation, it.

Put the dark cloud over it.

Honestly, though, the way that I saw this is this is kind of what they really wanted Miles Murphy to be, except for just maybe like a higher ceiling type of version of that. Not that Miles Murphy can't find a place on the defensive line, whether it's on the interior or the edge, but I think they were hoping that he'd probably find more of a home and be more

And then of course you have this year starting with Nick.

Scorton there on that team, So I think it's still going to be a little bit of time and development. It's going to take a little bit of time for him, but he's got an incredibly high ceiling.

I like the Dylan Fairchilds selection as well.

This is an interior offensive line that really just had to get a lot better from what it was last season. And there's some familiar faces there, Ted Carris obviously one of them playing at that center spot.

But then it.

Feels like those two guard spots are up for grabs and it's sort of going to be a training camp battle of who's going to come out and win those and I think that Dylan Fairchild could very well. You know, he's coming from such a highly successful program at Georgia. He's faced some of the best interior defensive linemen in the SEC over the last couple of years. So I like the fact that they've either got him his depth

Now Demetrius Knight.

He's a player who you know, when I watched him and I first looked at his measurables, I was like, man, you know, he's big enough to be able to play Mike. I actually kind of like him as a Mike backer, and I still think that he could be a good Mike linebacker.

But really it's that run and chaseability.

It's his fluidity and coverage and the potential that he has there that really gets me excited. And so I think he landed in a perfect spot where he can play more as that in space linebacker. You know, Logan Wilson's the one who's calling things out, He's getting the run fits set everything like that, and then Demetrius can play a little bit more in space and run and chase a little bit more. So I think that that gets a lot out of what he brings to the table.

I don't really care. I love talking about it.

But I have about ten categories for every single position, and there are things like for running backs, for example, it's you know, like how often they can make guys miss elusiveness, you know what they are after contact, you know their strength after contact, their vision.

Things like that, right, And it's not like all.

Those ten categories are just okay, it's one out of ten, it's one out of ten. It's one out of ten, and then we get to one hundred. That's a fine way to do it. But as I've been scouting over the years, I find tune in a little bit to say, like, you know what, actually, visions the most important part for me, and so I give it a little bit higher of

Trent Richardson is a great example of that.

Look how incredible Trent Richardson was when he was at Alabama, and yet he gets to the NFL. He just could not read blocking schemes the way that he needed to. He did not have that running back vision to match the athletic traits. Taj Brooks a little bit of the opposite. I'm not sure that he is the best caliber athlete for the position, but man, can he see it? He is patient, He knows where these blockers are going to be,

That second level.

So it might not be a big home run hitter for you, but I think there are going to be a handful of plays throughout practice preseason whenever he gets his chances to showcase his stuff. The Bengals could look at him and say, man, all right, is he gonna be the dynamic.

Early down back for us all the time? No, but especially if there are some.

Injuries, we feel good about the high football IQ this guy has and putting him in the lineup. So that's just sort of an overview of when I'm looking at the names in their class, of this class some of the thoughts that I had of them pre draft.

Trevor Sikramuff from Pro Football Focus is our guest. I want to circle back to Shamar Stewart for a second. Everybody is focused on the fact that he only had four and a half sacks, and that's fair. It's certainly a major point of discussion. I've made the case though, that saying that he wasn't productive just because of that stat is an overstatement because he was good against the run.

He had a lot of pressures.

Am I right?

Is that how you felt about Shamar Stewart?

Yeah, so I agree with you.

He his tape looks different from a player that you would say, like, oh, just you know, one and a half sacks every single year. Like when you see a player who has three years of either rotating and contributing snaps or even starting snaps for them to have that little production, I think that your mind immediately goes to like, Okay, this guy can't play.

He's not gonna make it, and you know, a.

Little bit of a puff in our chest here, I'd say that this is all Shamar Stewart's a good example of why PFF exists, in my opinion, because you get to go beyond just the common stats there. And sometimes the stats do tell the story correctly, but sometimes they don't, and I think you need a little bit more context there.

But he still did his job. He's still won.

And so pastors win percentage is something that's a little bit more concrete. It's something that's a little bit more stable that we can predict that we like to lean on a little bit more. If you have a twenty five to thirty percent pass or twin percentage, that's crazy. That's like defensive player of the year type of category. Twenty to twenty five is normally that tier one of edge rusher's, the Trey Henderson's, the Miles Garretts, the Michael Parsons,

Maybe a starter, rotational guy.

And if you're below ten percent, you're probably your team's probably looking to upgrade your spot if that's how you are consistently playing. Shamar Stewart was right around that fifteen percent pass or twin percentage this past year. So it's much more indicative of what this guy can do as a pass rusher rather than just looking at the one and a half sacks that he had. So he still

One more draft related question before I changed the subject. After the draft, the Bengals signed center Seth McLaughlan from Ohio State and defensive tackle Eric Gregory out of Arkansas's college free agents. Did you like either or both? And did anybody else that they signed in the undrafted category catch your eye?

So I haven't seen their entire undrafted free agency list, so I'll kind of like go down their their depth chart and see if I recognize any names here. I don't know a lot about Gregory, but I do know a lot about McLaughlin, who, before he got hurt, man he was playing very very well. And this is somebody that before he even went to Ohio State, when he was an Alabama he wasn't consistent.

The way that he needed to be yet.

But I watched him and I go, Okay, I mean we've got something here. We've got something where very clearly, whether it was as a sophomore or a junior, before he got hurt and before he transferred over to Oiowa State, he showed signs of like, all right, this guy kind of plays the game like a pro, you know, like the movement skills, they're quick, they're precise, He's thinking about things the right way. Now, there are times when, okay, it might show up he's not the most physically gifted

A little bit.

Well, when you're on the interior, actually when you were at center, so much of what you're able to do is chemistry based. It's so much around you know, Okay, not only do I have to know my own strength and weaknesses very well, because I.

Talk about I feel like I talk about that all the time.

Interior offensive linemen have to self scout as good as as good as anybody can, because you not only have to know your own strength and weaknesses, you've got to know the strength and weaknesses of the two guys next to you, whether it's a tackle or in the center's case, whether it's the two guards. So you got to know, like, okay, well you know I got Let's say Fairchild wins the starting gig right and and McLaughlin might be able to go like, Okay, I got Fairchild next to me.

All Right.

He's a little bit lighter, but he is quick. So if we're ever in a situation where I need him to bounce off of one defensive tackle and help me out, I know he's going to be able to do it. So all that to kind of say, I hope that he gets back to that pre injury form Seth McLachlin, because I thought he was. He was playing at a

So I think that he was a really nice undrafted free agent.

Dad, I actually have one more draft related question. It goes back to last year's draft. The tackles last year were thought to be historically good. Eight were taken in the first round. A Marius Mims was the fifth tackle selected. One year later, how high would a Marius Mims be on that tackle list based on his rookie year?

Oh wow?

Okay, so the twenty twenty five class, let's take a look at the offensive tackles and the guys that were drafted there, Uh you had.

Will Campbell obviously went four harmon Membugo seven nine.

I meant last year's class.

So if the eight taken last oh oh, okay, Marius was fifth. And I'm wondering based on the fact that he got to play, he played well if if it were done again, now, you know, would he be in the top two or three? Would it be Joe Alton then him, or would he be at the top.

Yeah, Like I so, I think the all still still that top guy there. But man, it's basically anybody's It's basically anybody to take that second offensive tackle spot.

It really is.

I mean, like Leatham obviously got some playing time. He struggled, but he moved from left to right. The same exact situation with Tolise Fuanga. Both of those guys. I like the decent amount, but anytime you're throwing them on the other side of the line of scrimmage, it's hard enough as a rookie, and then when you're switching everything, it's

No?

Okay, but that's why Alt's going is the first defensive tackle here in this discussion. But I really do think that he gets picked eighteenth. You could very well make a case for him to go fringe top ten if this is sort of this redraft and be that second or third offensive tackle take and probably, I would say in the conversation for that third offensive tackle take in.

Trevor Sikoma from Pro Football Focus is our guest as PFF's lead draft analyst. I'm sure you watched a lot of Notre Dames defensive players over the last couple of years and therefore saw Al Golden's defenses. What did you think of the higher and do you expect significant improvement in the Bengals defense specifically tied to Al Golden taking over.

Yeah, so I like Al Golden. I liked what I saw from.

Him last year at Notre Dame. You know, an aggressive style of defense, specifically in coverage, and I think that's where you would really want to focus things for the Bengals when you're sort of like looking at what could be this season. I think specifically there is one player. Dal Washerman did a really good job of pointing this out as well my coast on the PFFNFL show.

Al Golden likes to play a lot.

Of single high stuff, you know, and he had a really good safety to be able to do it in Xavier Watts last year. So you know, Wats is somebody who I'm very excited about with him being in Atlanta now getting to pair with Jesse Bates, who Bengals fans obviously know very well. When you look at their current situation with Al Golden coming over to Cincinnati, Geno Stone is the player that I would want to highlight because Geno Stone comes over from Baltimore, he does not have

It just was not. It was a career low in coverage grade.

Now, Luana Rumo was doing a lot of too high stuff, like Cincinnati's sort of been leaning into that they've got these two high safety looks, and Geno Stone was Yeah, I think he was much more valuable when he was in more of that single high situation, whether it was with him as the free safety or sometimes as the strong safety, the Robbert type over the middle.

Golden leans more into that.

Golden is more of a Cover one, Cover three, single high safety type of a defensive shell, at least from what we saw at Notre Dame. I think the best coaches will always tell you, oh, you build the scheme around the players.

So maybe it looks a little bit different.

Maybe it's not as aggressive because he's going from having Watts at the Notre Dame college level to now, okay, it's the NFL. These guys are bigger, faster, stronger, I think at every single position. But if they do lean more into that. I think that gets more out of Stone certainly as somebody who can then play as that

Is it you know? Is it three four? Is it four to three? That kind of stuff.

A lot of people talk about the box in the front, with new defensive coordinators coming in, I am more focused on what Golden is going to change for them on the back end, because I feel like there were inconsistencies there for the Bengals over the last couple of years really, since they haven't had Jesse Bates back there to be

If you will.

We've got a few minutes left with Trevor Sikomuff from Pro Football Focus, what are your biggest Bengals question marks? Roughly a month before the start of training camp.

I think often line has to be the big one, right. I think this unit really struggled along the interior offensive line with Carris and Kappa and voltson last year, and Carris was solid. I think I think it wasn't his best year, but I feel like he did kind of as well as he could, you know, with with some of the injuries of the offensive tackles and the the inconsistencies with the guys that were standing next to him.

The Bengals really are.

A team that I feel like are going to be in a lot of shootouts every single year if they are every single game, if those guys are fully healthy, because it's basically a matter of can you protect Joe Burrow for three seconds. If you can protect Joe Burrow for three seconds the majority of the game, I will tell you I will bet on those two receivers to

I think that's always going to be the case.

For as much as I like the Al Golden Higher, I think it is going to take a little bit of time. They're still obviously going to be fixing things on the defensive line. Getting Trey Hendrickson out there is paramount because he felt like he was a man alone last season. Getting Shamar Stewart out there by week one of the regular seasons so that the second half of the season and hopefully the playoff run, he is more acclimated to what NFL speed and NFL life is when the game is going on.

So I think that certainly.

On the defensive line, you have those questions to get those guys out there as well. But as long as Hendrickson's out there and as long as Shamar Stewart are out there, as long as those contract things get worked out, I'm not as nervous about that. I'm still nervous about that interior offensive line because if it is as ineffective as it was last year, it's just such a killer. So we saw this team come on and still overcome things like that and really make a playoff push towards

All Right, that's a perfect segue to my last topic. Baltimore's won the AFC North each of the last two years. No team has ever wanted three years in a row. So how do you handicap bau More, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland at this stage.

Yeah, I think that Baltimore has to be the favorites, not that Cincinnati can't spoil them. I think they're right there competing for what I would call is they're right there with one of those wild card teams. Now, of course it's the NFL. Crazy things happen all the time.

I feel like as time has gone on.

Outside of a couple of the stars, certainly Miles Garrett, they paid to be around there for a long time. But man, just look at their offensive line I mean Joel Buttonio White Teller, their former All pros. Both of those guys didn't play well last year. Now they're both above the age of thirty. Ethan Postics to undrestricted free agent this upcoming season, so is Jack Conklin to want Jones struggled and he's probably gonna start for them at

I don't know.

I have a lot of faith in the Cleveland Browns to be super competitive. I feel like I've been trying to hedge the Steelers like every year, but Mike Tomlin just keeps winning enough to keep the five hundred Street going, you know, with Rogers there, I think the defense is still gonna be good.

The offense, I just I don't know what the identity is. I just don't like, you.

Go out and you trade for DK Metcalf and he's sort of the same thing that George Picking was. It doesn't really change your offense a lot. And now you bring in a quarterback in Rogers, who, yeah, okay, I think that just by nature he's going to be better than a rookie and Will Howard and Mason Rudolph, who's proven to not be a starting quarterback.

In this league.

But look at what Rogers has been the last two years. This is like what Tom Brady was in the back end of the Buccaneer years. He's trying to get the ball out within two seconds. He's trying to hang onto the ball. Now you have wide receivers where DK metcalf, his whole thing is hold onto the ball for two three seconds to throw it to me. Deep Rogers didn't have as good of an arm as he used to, and he doesn't want to hold onto the ball because.

He's forty one, forty two years old. So I just there's good players in Pittsburgh.

Obviously I have a ton of respect for Mike Tomlin as a head coach, but I think their offensive philosophy is just, certainly on paper, it's not very cohesive. So I really do think it's a two team race, and we'll see how close the Bengals can can get to whatever win total the Ravens end up putting up this year.

Trevor, this has been great. I really appreciate your time. Keep up the good work.

Appreciated that anytime.

Trevor obviously knows his stuff. If you would like to hear more of his content, you'll find him on the PFF NFL Podcast and the NFL Stock Exchange Draft Podcast. You can also follow him on x at Tampa Bay Trey. Now here's a quick reminder that the Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future Proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the

I've been around long enough to know these things. Sometimes they take some time, or they're more complicated than they are on their face, and we're hopeful to get this resolved in the next five six weeks and get him out there and really looking forward. I love the young man. He's had a great attitude, he learns really well, he's a tentive. He asked good questions, So from that standpoint, he's doing everything we're asking.

Observation number two involves the notion that Stuart's status is a big distraction. Here are Ted Carris and Zach Taylor.

I don't think it's been a distraction. I think it's more been a distraction for the fans mostly. I mean, I know Twitter, Twitter's hot right now, and since he Twitter doesn't mess around, and you know, obviously you don't want that to be.

You know, carry into you know, when it gets real. This is uh, you know, like I said, I thought of Produglis ring.

This is a different time, and you know, I think it's you know, how it's how it's played out has been probably unfortunate for both sides.

It gets a lot of attention to the media and not as much attention in the locker room, and so I think it's very easy for us isolate ourselves in these walls. We spend a lot of time here you get asked questions about it, but you just learned to continue to keep it moving. So I think our players are doing a great job just focusing on what's important inside the walls. Getting our reps down to practice certainly gets a lot of headlines and stories and all that,

If Stewart had a sore hamstring and was around every day, sitting in on meetings but watching practice from the sidelines, would that be viewed as a big distraction. No, So what's the difference? And that leads to observation number three, his lack of practice time. I don't want to be a homer and say that it's insignificant. Every practice is meaningful, and Chamar would benefit from getting reps. But there are still six weeks of practices in three preseason games before

I don't focus on contracts and all that stuff. I just tell him like staying the playbook and stay in shape. And I care for him very very much beyond football, Like he's a special guy, special person. Stands background. That said, where he came from, and I know where you can go. I know what he can do for this team. Like I said, he's really special. So just I'm hoping that all that gets figured upstairs. How all the time goes. He's ready and he's stuck, he's died, ain't locked in

Observation number four involves a possible silver lining. The Bengals have a lot of young defensive linemen, and since Shamar, Trey Hendrickson, and b J. Hill weren't on the field during OTA's and Mini gamps in BJ's case dudo minor injury. Guys like Miles Murphy, Chris Jenkins, Cedric Johnson, and McKinley Jackson. We're getting extra reps here are Al Golden and Zach Taylor.

It affects us in a positive way. As ironic as that is, because you're already preparing for that injury when it when it exposes itself. During the year, you forced guys into playing multiple positions. H you know what we call, you know, basically just horizontal depth. You know, ends playing tackle, tackles playing end, some linebackers playing on the edge, those type of things. So I think from that standpoint, we always see the we always see the good in it

It's been really good for guys as we build that depth. Guys were fighting for opportunity in that way. It's been a very positive thing. I think Al and our staff has done a great job, especially on outside of the ball, practicing with intent every single day. The install what we're trying to achieve holding guys accountable, and the players have really bought in and that's been exciting for me to see.

My fifth and final observation is about what we're going to see when Schamar gets on the field. As I mentioned in my conversation with Trevor Sikkima, I think there's been too much focus on what Chamar didn't do well in college than where he excelled. Pro Football Focus graded him number five in the country among defensive ends at stopping the run and had him tied for twenty fifth in the Power Conferences in most quarterback pressures, even though he only had one and a half sacks last year.

We're literally talking about him missing sacks. But the guy with his violent in the run game, he affects the quarterback at a high rate. When I say affected, he's back there right first year playing, truly starting, so he's just got to learn how to finish. But more importantly, he's beating up on tight ends. He is destroying tackles run in pass. His effort and play style is phenomenal.

A Cincinnati bank.

That's that to me is the biggest thing. And so people judged him off of that. But you got to remember it first time doing it. When I say first time doing it, it was a first year start. So as he grows and develops as a player, I think the skies are the limit. And like I always compare similar deal to Rashaun Gary when he was coming out. You know, he had all the traits, but he had he had

You heard it. Jerry Montgomery says that Stewart has the talent worthy of a top five NFL draft pick, and I'll repeat what I said earlier. It's only a matter of time before he's under contract. That's going to do it. For this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by Pai Core, Proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for