Cincinnati Bengals: Darqueze Dennard the man to watch

The Cincinnati Bengals best rookie in the 2014 NFL Draft class seems to be running back Jeremy Hill, who has emerged as a probable top ten back in this league after dominating opponents on the ground ever since becoming the team’s feature back over ideal third-down guy Giovani Bernard. Of course, their first pick in last year’s draft was touted Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard, whom defensive coordinator Paul Guenther really likes.

Veteran corner Terence Newman is likely on the way out this offseason, thus clearing some space for Dennard to see the field after only receiving, per Pro Football Focus, 61 snaps as a rookie. Overall, the Bengals secondary is solid and does a great job of limiting big plays thanks to the underrated safety duo of Reggie Nelson and George Iloka, but they haven’t been able to find a second standout corner to partner with veteran Leon Hall despite the investments in Dre Kirkpatrick and Dennard.

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You could say that’s on the Bengals for not giving them enough game experience, since sometimes you have to throw a young CB into the fire in order for them to develop into a top player. While a veteran CB like Newman is a known commodity who offers stability, sometimes you have to allow someone like Kirkpatrick or Dennard to start and take their lumps in order to receive a pay-off.

In all honesty, it was disappointing to see the Bengals trot out Newman for 883 snaps last year, because while he wasn’t terrible, he was the weak link in the secondary and didn’t offer much upside. Meanwhile, both Kirkpatrick and Dennard showed promise in their limited snaps, and you can only wonder how good they can be with more chances.

It’s clear that the Bengals didn’t intend to give Dennard a major role as a rookie, as he was undoubtedly handed the red shirt last season. That said, the coaching staff has praised him profusely ever since they made the call to select him in the first round of the draft, and Dennard has the added benefit of being a perfect fit for this defense.

Dennard makes a whole lot of sense as a starting corner for the Bengals (if he proves to be worth starting, of course), since he is a physical, solid CB who makes up for average long speed with a keen understanding of the game. He knows how to use his arms, he fights with receivers, and he doesn’t bite on moves. While Dennard doesn’t project as a playmaking star, he does project as a reliable player who has the quickness and ball skills to play in the slot, which seemed to be his role in limited snaps last season.

At 36, Newman isn’t interested in calling it quits and still has something left in the tank, but it’s hard to see him giving the Bengals value this upcoming season. It honestly seems like he’s holding the Bengals secondary back, since he’s a mediocre option taking a starting job away from a potentially great player in Kirkpatrick or Dennard.

Given that the Bengals would seem to rather have a consistent, dependable starting corner, I have a feeling Dennard is the guy they would prefer to start next season, since that’s probably what they envisioned when they spent a first-round pick on him. Based on what happened last season, it seems like the Bengals decided to ease Dennard into the league by redshirting him, taking advantage of their depth at the position, before setting him loose in Year 2 with Newman out of the way.

We’ll see if that ends up being the Cincinnati Bengals plan in 2015, and I truly hope we get to see more of Kirkpatrick and Dennard in 2015, especially since Kirkpatrick is a former first-round pick in the final year of his rookie deal who had seven passes defended on less than 250 snaps last season. Both of these young CBs bring different skills to the table, and hopefully the Bengals will be able to find roles for them on a defense that could use two potential high-impact CBs.

The Bengals biggest need this offseason will be to beef up their pass rush by giving Carlos Dunlap a better partner at the other DE spot, since the void left by Michael Johnson clearly wasn’t filled by the inconsistent Wallace Gilberry, who also failed to make the desired impact against the run.

While DE is the Bengals biggest need, the most interesting defensive player to watch might be Darqueze Dennard, who could emerge as a solid starting corner. Heck, they could even have a stellar quartet of corner with Hall and Adam Jones being supported by Dennard and Kirkpatrick if all goes well. There are a lot of variables at play here, but Dennard is a guy who could take the starting job and run with it, and I don’t see why he shouldn’t get the opportunity. It’s time for the Bengals to move away from guys like Newman and give someone like Dennard a chance to shine.

Next: Bengals clear priority is Clint Boling

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