The Cincinnati Bengals were faced with a tall task this offseason. After losing longtime starting safeties Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, many fans wondered if the safeties would be a weakness for the team in 2023.
The team had already invested a first-round draft pick in Dax Hill, so he was the easy choice to replace Bates. Hill has done an admirable job this season and even brings an element to the run defense that Bates didn’t.
Replacing Bell has been a different story. The Bengals signed veteran Nick Scott from the Los Angeles Rams and drafted rookie Jordan Battle out of Alabama to compete for that spot.