“Just something that tightened up on me and I didn’t want to make it anything bigger than it is now, so just taking it day by day,” Stone said Saturday.
Stone said he felt the hamstring tighten when he tried to get his initial burst on the third play when Eagles running back Will Shipley ran for 38 yards. Jordan Battle eventually made the tackle.
With Stone out of action for the foreseeable future, Taylor and the defensive staff will get a closer look at backup safeties Daijahn Anthony and Tycen Anderson.
Anthony, a seventh-round draft pick last year, played just 11 defensive snaps as a rookie, but appeared in 13 games on special teams. Anderson, limited by injuries his first three years in the league, has yet to play a defensive snap but has been a core piece on special teams when healthy.
Both players split first-team snaps Saturday with Stone out until PJ Jules picked off Jake Browning in an 11-on-11 lockout drill. Then Jules got some opportunities with the No. 1s.
“I think that’s a group that we’re looking to make sure we’re deep enough there, so they’re gonna continue to get a lot of opportunities, certainly with Geno being out,” Taylor said when asked specifically about Anthony and Anderson. “So, I think it’s a good chance to really see where they’re at in their development. They’ve got to contribute on special teams. They’ve got to prove that they can walk in there and help us on defense as well. Those are guys that these next six practices will be really good for.”
The Bengals have a few others they have been monitoring due to minor injuries, including cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who was out Thursday but back with the first-team defense in practice Saturday.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Cincinnati also has been protecting cornerback Dax Hill, as he continues to regain strength and full speed coming back from a 2024 ACL tear, but the hope is to begin to ramp up his workload to be sure he’s ready for Week 1. Taylor said last week he hasn’t decided whether Hill needs to play in the preseason or not.
“From a conditioning (standpoint) I think he was doing great, and so we pulled back a little bit right before the game, and now the hopes would be getting him through this week and make a decision on if we want him to play in the game or not,” Taylor said.
Down two starters in the secondary and two on the defensive line with BJ Hill and Trey Hendrickson not available, the Bengals defense didn’t quite get a full evaluation of how it might look Week 1 in Thursday’s preseason game, a 34-27 loss, but the first- and second-team defenses showed much room for improvement. The starters played two series and gave up a touchdown on a drive with three long plays and then gave up two big passes before holding the Eagles to a field goal on the second drive.
Taylor said the defense kept things simple so as not to give away too much in preseason, but there are still adjustments that need made.
“We were just in a lot of one-on-one positions where we were a fingertip away a lot of times, and so continue to be competitive, continue to be detailed up on scrimmage,” Taylor said. “But I think overall, operationally, there were some things on offense, defense and special teams that we’ve got to be better at. That had nothing to do with Philly, and that’s one of our primary focuses right now as a team, not having a joint practice this week.”
Stone believes the defense is still much improved from this time last year, even if it didn’t show in the preseason opener.
“Everybody can have their own opinions, but we’ll see Week 1,” Stone said. “It’s definitely been night and day since last year. Everyone got to the ball and everything like that. I feel like the tackling, the way we’re pursuing to the ball is 10 times better than last year, so I feel like we’re doing a great job with all the things we’re doing.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at Washington
When: 8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 18
TV: ESPN
Radio: 104.7-FM
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