Bengals safeties improve after bye as Ravens matchup approaches

The Cincinnati Bengals enter their October 25 game at the Baltimore Ravens with safeties Bryan Cook and Jordan Battle healthier after their bye week, according to the Associated Press. The improvement gives Cincinnati’s secondary a boost before facing an offense built around Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers, though its outside cornerback lineup remains unsettled.

Cook has been recovering from an ankle injury that cost him nearly two full games after Week 3; Battle has been dealing with a hamstring injury. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Cook was moving more confidently than he had a couple of weeks earlier, while defensive coordinator Al Golden described him as back to being healthy, the AP reported.

How the Bengals plan to face Baltimore’s offense

Cook’s return matters against runs that reach the edge of the defense. The AP reported that Cincinnati had struggled on perimeter runs during his absence and was 3-0 in full games he had played. Cook previously faced the Ravens while with the Kansas City Chiefs and expects to help against plays that test defensive backs.

At cornerback, DJ Turner is expected to cover Flowers, who ranked sixth in the NFL in receiving yards per game in the AP’s report. Golden praised Flowers’ ability to gain yards after the catch, change direction and threaten defenses deep. He said Cincinnati would have to tackle him effectively in space.

Turner has followed opponents’ leading receivers this season, including Pittsburgh’s DK Metcalf and Jacksonville’s Parker Washington, the AP reported. Turner said the assignment was a role he had long wanted and that he now had to deliver in it.

Davis and Ivey remain in contention at outside corner

Cincinnati moved Dax Hill from outside cornerback to the nickel position three weeks ago. Rookie Tacario Davis and veteran DJ Ivey have since split time in Hill’s former spot. Golden said the competition would continue to develop and did not identify a leader, leaving the starter for the Ravens game unclear.

The Bengals’ own account placed the Baltimore trip immediately after their Week 6 bye and said full-game preparations would resume Wednesday. That schedule gives the secondary its first game since the break to test Cook’s recovery and the revised cornerback arrangement against a divisional opponent.