The coach compared the rookie to Cam Taylor-Britt. That’s high praise!
The Cincinnati Bengals have spent a lot of time, draft picks, and money on their secondary this offseason, and a part of that was using a fifth-round pick on rookie cornerback Josh Newton out of TCU.
Being a Day 3 pick, Newton is likely to be a backup and a special teams contributor, but cornerbacks coach Charles Burks had heaps of praise for the rookie and even compared him to one of the team’s starting corners.
“He makes people uncomfortable, which I love,” he said, according to Geoff Hobson. “Because he’s serious. He’s got an edge. He’s one of these guys who takes it to heart. He wakes up and wants to be the best. He’s wired the right way and whenever you’re wired that way, it does make people uncomfortable because he’s separating himself mentally. Cam (Taylor-Britt) was the same way coming in.”
CTB is expected to start opposite of either second-year corner DJ Turner or possibly Dax Hill, who converted to corner from safety this offseason and was taking some snaps with the first team during training camp. Newton’s role is unclear, but it’s nice to see he has some of the qualities that can’t be taught.
Technique is one thing, and a player can always get stronger and faster, to a degree, but the desire to be better and the will to drive oneself are intangible qualities that can’t be coached.
After the Bengals’ secondary struggled in 2023 (they gave up the second most passes of 20-plus yards), a revamped safety room should help. Hopefully Newton is able to find some sort of niche where he can be productive early on.
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