The Cincinnati Bengals safety position has been quite the recipient of ire over the last few seasons. At first, the unit had one of the best in the game in Jessie Bates III. Then, the whole contract negotiation failure and franchise tag saga resulted in Bates taking his All-Pro talents to Atlanta. Plus, Vonn Bell walked in free agency. In 2022, the Bengals used a first-round pick on safety, Dax Hill. In 2023, it was a second-round pick on Jordan Battle. To top it all off, Nick Scott was brought in prior to the 2023 season and is no longer on the team.
It’s difficult to replace the play of an All-Pro like Bates but the Bengals safety play in 2023 was concerning at every junction. Thus, changes have been made for the 2024 season. Bell is back. Battle is expected to take a step. Hill is being moved to corner. And, the move that’s seemingly overlooked to this point, the Bengals brought in former Baltimore Ravens safety, Geno Stone.
New Bengals Safety Geno Stone is Being Overlooked
During this year’s free agency hoopla, the Bengals signed Stone to a two-year, $15 million contract. He was a seventh-round pick of the Ravens in the 2020 NFL Draft. Over the last four years, his playing time gradually increased and he made bigger and bigger impacts as the seasons went on. As a rookie, he only appeared in two games. Stone made his first start in 2022 and hauled in his first career interception in the Week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2022, he ended up starting seven games and doubled his pro-football-reference Approximate Value from two to four. However, the reason he earned the $15 million from Cincinnati was what he did on the field in 2023. In 17 games and 11 starts, he logged 68 tackles, broke up nine passes, and hauled in the second-most interceptions in the NFL with seven. The Bengals were victims to one of his interceptions as he hauled in a tipped pass from Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins at the two-yard line, thus stifling any attempt for the Bengals to get a score out of the half.
While there are no particulars out there, Stone could have turned down a larger payday from another team to sign with the Bengals. He noted during the free agency process that he just wants to go somewhere he feels appreciated.
The Crowded Bengals Safety Room
Since last year, the Bengals cut Scott, moved Hill to corner, brought back Bell, and drafted Daijahn Anthony, all in addition to signing Stone. Third-year safety out of Toledo, Tycen Anderson rounds out the room.
All in all, the Bengals’ safety room is miles ahead of what it was a year ago. They have three guys they can trust to be on the field at any given time in Battle, Bell, and Stone. It doesn’t feel like there is going to be a Nick Scott-type of player who will give a coach heartburn just thinking about him on the field.
Stone showed that he has a real nose for the football. As a safety, a player doesn’t end up with seven interceptions by accident. the AFC North has elite safety play with Minkah Fitzpatrick in Pittsburgh and Kyle Hamilton in Baltimore. Fitzpatrick is exceptional at being in the right place at the right time. He and Stone are able to turn routine tipped passes into turnovers for their squads.
Bell is a hard hitter. He’s not quite as adept at coverage as the other two but in a division with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and even a less-than-100% Nick Chubb, the Bengals run defense needed the boost.
Battle is still a bit raw but flashed as a rookie. He was the highest-graded rookie according to PFF and amassed 71 tackles, five pass breakups, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception. He took over the starting duties over the final seven games of the season.
Geno Stone Will be a Steal
Stone absolutely has a role in this defense and it would not be too surprising if he ends up out-snapping the rest of the room when it’s all said and done. He has the ability to play any safety role and has vastly out-played his seventh-round pedigree.
With all of the commotion at the position, it feels like fans have forgotten about Stone. He’s 25 and has improved each year. That seventh-round selection still weighs on his mind and Stone has been looking for every opportunity to show the NFL that every team passing on him numerous times was a mistake.
Stone has all of the traits to be a solid player at the safety position. He’s a ballhawk, is intelligent in coverage with great instincts, and doesn’t get caught up with confusing route concepts. The Bengals desperately need to shore up the back end of the secondary. In one short offseason, they did so. Geno Stone, in his brand-new number 22, will be just as much of a steal as Chidobe Awuzie was wearing that number.
