Rookie Josh Newton slid into Taylor-Britt’s spot on the next series and might have done enough in that performance to earn a start when the Bengals come back from the bye to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 1. But as it turned out, Newton will be needed regardless, and so will Taylor-Britt, at least in some fashion.
Second-year cornerback D.J. Turner broke his clavicle late in the third quarter, thrusting Taylor-Britt back into action and now Turner is on injured reserve. The Bengals claimed fourth-year cornerback Marco Wilson after the New England Patriots waived him Monday, and he brings experience of 54 career games (37 starts) with the Cardinals and Patriots, but it’s unclear how big of a role he could play coming off the bye.
Anarumo isn’t giving up on Taylor-Britt but said it was a positive to see Newton, a rookie fifth-round pick, step in and play up to standard.
“I don’t ever throw in the towel, especially on a guy like that that has had success,” Anarumo said. “Sometimes you don’t know what’s going on inside a guy’s head. But Cam is about the right stuff. If he wasn’t, then he would’ve been sitting on the bench, like we’ve seen other guys that get sat down for a minute, and he would’ve been moping or pouting. He was up cheering like nobody’s business. He’s about the right stuff. We’ve just got to get him to settle down. He’ll have a challenge when we play the Steelers with their two big receivers. I’m hoping he’ll be up to the challenge and be about the right stuff.”
Taylor-Britt had been benched in a Week 4 win at Carolina on Sept. 29 after a rough start to the season finally forced Anarumo to make the change. On Sunday, it was two specific mistakes.
The first one was on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to tight end Will Dissly, on a play Anarumo had showed them multiple times during the week. It was bad enough captain and linebacker Germaine Pratt blew up at him on the sideline, which the TV broadcast caught.
“That’s kind of what got everybody fired up a little bit,” Anarumo said Tuesday. “We had shown that play a number of times. Germaine’s job is to hold the seam there, which he did a really good job of. And Cam should’ve been a little bit deeper and higher on that. He almost made the play. If he’s 3 or 4 yards deeper, he probably makes the play, and that’s the difference there.”
Taylor-Britt gave up another touchdown the next series when the Bengals were in Cover 3 and he followed his man across the other side of the field instead of staying in his zone. Herbert took advantage of the opening where Taylor-Britt should have been and connected with Quinton Johnston for a 26-yard touchdown.
Anarumo doesn’t know why Taylor-Britt left his zone. It should have been a “simple pickup, as he’s done a bunch,” he said.
“There’s very specific things that are asked of him, and I think he knows when to and when not to press,” Anarumo said. “I don’t think that’s an issue. It’s just been too much of this (roller coaster motion). When you give up any plays, never mind touchdowns, we just felt like we needed to do something. And the good news that came out of it was we saw what Josh could do in a game. In a big game.”
Newton has appeared in all 11 games but didn’t get his first defensive snaps until Week 4 and he was averaging about 10 snaps a game before Sunday. Against the Chargers, he made three tackles and allowed receptions on just three of the six targets he faced.
Anarumo has been pleased with his development so far and particularly how it showed Sunday. Now he will have more opportunities going forward.
“First of all, his energy levels off the charts,” Anarumo said. “He’s as tough as they come. You know, he just thinks that no one can beat him. He’s his mental approach is terrific. So let’s start with that. You know, he really goes about his everyday business of, I want to be the best player I can be every day. So can’t say enough about him on his approach to all of it. So, it wasn’t a total surprise that he went out there and did what he did, to be quite honest. But you know, I’m happy he did, and happy he’ll have now, along with his mental, he’ll have that confidence that, hey, I can do this at this level.”
NEXT GAME
Sunday, Dec. 1
Steelers at Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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