CINCINNATI – Nothing that happened Saturday night in Dallas was as significant as the decision the Bengals made several hours after returning from their 21-13 victory against the Cowboys in the second preseason game.
The waiving of veteran starting safety George Iloka came as a surprise even in light of offseason comments from the coaching staff and front office about the desire to upgrade the position.
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The team made a run at Kurt Coleman at the NFL combine, but the veteran instead signed with New Orleans. They also brought in Eric Reid for a visit in April, a move that backfired when the NFLPA filed a grievance against the team for negotiating in bad faith, claiming owner Mike Brown had no intention of signing Reid if he continued to kneel for the national anthem.
The next step was drafting Wake Forest safety Jessie Bates in the second round. The idea was for Bates to eventually wrest the starting job from Iloka, but no one saw it happening this soon, just 69 preseason snaps into the kid’s career.
Bates took first-team reps in the first two preseason games, replacing Iloka for the second defensive series in each contest, then playing with Iloka on the ensuing series while starting safety Shawn Williams rested.
Saturday night in Dallas, Bates played 40 snaps, the most of any Bengals defensive player. While he didn’t get his hands on any passes – a skill that was at the forefront of why the turnover-deficient Bengals drafted him – Bates was solid in run support and quick to rally and drop receivers, finishing with four tackles.
Bates has been getting first-team reps since OTAs when he played for Williams, who was resting a sore hamstring. The Bengals obviously have seen enough promise to feel confident in cutting Iloka, who appeared in 83 games with 76 starts since coming to the team as a fifth-round pick out of Boise State in 2012.
Iloka’s departure elevates 2016 seventh-round pick Clayton Fejedelem as the first safety off the bench in addition to clearing a spot for 2017 sixth-rounder Brandon Wilson, who also adds value on special teams.
More importantly, cutting Iloka puts Bates in position to be the first defensive rookie to start a season opener for Marvin Lewis since linebacker Rey Maualuga in 2009.
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Sunday’s move marked the second time in a little more than two weeks the Bengals cut a veteran starter who was being pushed by younger players. The team waived 31-year-old wide receiver Brandon LaFell on Aug. 2.
In addition to creating more practice and preseason reps for the youngsters, waiving LaFell and Iloka so far ahead of the Sept. 1 roster cut-down deadline serves two other purposes. It gives the veterans a chance to catch on with another team in time to get acclimated with the system ahead of the regular season (although LaFell remains unsigned), and it takes some money off the books that can be redirected as the Bengals continue to negotiate contract extensions for Pro Bowl defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins.
Cutting Iloka clears $5.3 million in cap room this year, although it forces the team to absorb $1.8 million in dead money.
As for what happened at Jerry World on Saturday night, here are some observations:
– Bobby Hart had a disappointing showing and still may have cemented the starting job at right tackle. When Dallas Pro Bowl defensive DeMarcus Lawrence wasn’t pushing Hart into the backfield, he was running right past him, including one play in which he delivered a shot to quarterback Andy Dalton.
Hart’s performance left the door open for Cedric Ogbuehi to reclaim his starting job. But the 2015 first-round pick played even more poorly than Hart. On Ogbuehi’s second snap of the game, Cowboys defensive Taco Charlton got around him to pressure Bengals backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, leading to a near interception. On the next play, Ogbuehi had a false start. On the next series, with the Bengals at the Dallas 28, Charlton blew past Ogbuehi to sack Driskel even though Ogbuehi drew a flag for holding.
It was a rough night overall for the first-team offensive line as the Bengals had no points, two first downs, one third-down conversion and 67 total yards in the first half.
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– The Bengals are playing catch-up with wide receiver John Ross after a lost rookie season in which he played only 17 snaps. Only Ogbuehi (42) and backup guard Christian Westerman (41) played more than the 40 offensive snaps Ross logged in Dallas. Ross also played one snap on special teams, which didn’t go well as he failed to field a punt that bounced sideways and went out of bounds to pin the Bengals at their own 4 for their first series of the game.
But offensively, Ross continued to impress, outracing Dallas corner Tyree Robinson on a crossing rout that he turned into a 29-yard reception from Driskel on the first play of the second half. Ross also caught a two-point conversion pass from Driskel for the go-ahead score, holding on to the ball despite a big shot from safety Jameill Showers in the back of the end zone.
Ross could have had another big play when he got behind cornerback Chidobe Awuzie deep down the right sideline, but Driskel slightly under threw the ball and Awuzie made a leaping interception.
– The most impressive performance for the Bengals came from their defensive line, and specifically the youngsters. Defensive tackle Andrew Billings continued to be disruptive by breaking into the backfield and forcing Cowboys backs off their tracks. Billings finished with three tackles – one for a loss – in just 20 snaps. Rookie third-round pick Sam Hubbard forced a fumble on sack, while second-year defensive end Jordan Willis had a pair of sacks. And second-year defensive end Carl Lawson showed off the effects of his bulked-up physique when he used a power move to push Dallas tackle Cameron Fleming into quarterback Cooper Rush.
Second-year defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow continued to play well also, registering a tackle for loss among his three stops. As was the case at receiver and safety, the youngsters are putting pressure on 31-year-old veteran Michael Johnson, whose spot on the 53-man roster is far from assured.
(Top image: Jessie Bates by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)