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CINCINNATI -- Even while five Cincinnati Bengals' defensive backs are dealing with injuries, the secondary as a whole has taken a step forward over the first month of the season. The Bengals have the 13th-best scoring defense in the NFL this season, and one of the strengths of the unit has been its ability to take away the deep ball.
The Bengals kept up that trend last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the best offenses in the NFL, despite having five defensive backs playing new positions.
"I thought they rose to the challenge," Taylor said. "I really did. I thought they filled in nicely. Guys played in different roles. Guys playing more of a role than they had in the past. That was encouraging to see the next-man-up mentality. Guys taking advantage of their opportunities in a lot of different areas on our team."
Safety Bryan Cook (ankle), safety Kyle Dugger (quad), and cornerbacks Jalen Davis (hamstring) and Ja'Sir Taylor (hamstring) missed last week's game with injuries. Safety Jordan Battle played through a hamstring injury.
Davis and Taylor are expected to return to the lineup for Sunday's game at the Miami Dolphins. Cook is questionable, while Duggar is out.
Special teamer PJ Jules and practice squad player Russ Yeast stepped up at safety and had their first meaningful defensive snaps as Bengals.
"It goes into the play calling and the coaches getting us ready," Jules said. "They did a great job with that. Whoever is out there, we're confident the coaches will get us ready."
While missed tackles by Jules and Yeast resulted in important first downs for the Jaguars, they held their own on a day where Jacksonville scored just 22 points and didn't connect on any deep passes.