Speaking of NFL Draft Steals, we give you a Jordan Battle update amid all the buzz of this year’s potential Bengals’ burglaries.
Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton at No. 80. Texas Christian cornerback Josh Newton at No. 149. Miami center Matt Lee at No. 237
Remember Battle? In a blurring offseason of safety activity (the signing of AFC interceptions leader Geno Stone, the move of Dax Hill to cornerback, the return of playoff hero and locker-room Sensei Vonn Bell), here’s a quick review:
After the Bengals took him with the 95th pick in last year’s late third round, Battle charged out of Alabama and grabbed a starting job with seven games left in a playoff push. With two sacks, five passes defensed, and 69 tackles, he ended up as Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded rookie safety and No. 8 overall.
“Endurance,” Battle is saying Thursday of one of his offseason priorities. “Be able to handle more; making it through the fourth quarter.”
Then he walked out to the floor of the Kettering Health Performance Center and met his new position coach, old NFL safety Jordan Kovacs. The Jordans sparked a competition, stepping on the vertical climber across from each other and proceeding to grind through 12 sets of 30-second torture.
“Good burn,” says Kovas, a half-an-hour huff later. “We’ll do it every Thursday. This is the first time. I like to work with guys. You can get a good feel for who the person really is when he’s digging deep in a workout. He was digging. Jordan is a competitive guy.”
Battle, a steel-belted product of 54 games in a Nick Saban defense, is also a serious sort whose game is as much about acumen as it is athleticism. After his scheduled workout, Battle went back in the locker room and donned a sweatshirt for the Kovacs Climb.
“My message to him in our first couple of meetings has been to take the next step,” Kovas says. “Keep getting a little better each day. Always be working on something. He’s a smart kid.”
There’s no question the Bengals want to keep developing Battle and there’s no question they view Bell as a huge factor in that development, as well as in the education of their other young safeties. How it plays out remains to be seen, but it’s clear both are going to play big roles for the 2024 Bengals.
