He had been waiting for his opportunity his whole life, fulfilling a childhood dream when he entered Sunday’s win over the Falcons in a rotation with Eli Apple before eventually replacing him in the second half.
Taylor-Britt, a second-round draft pick in April, had been expected to compete with Apple for a starting job this summer, but he suffered a core muscle injury in training camp and missed the entire preseason. He was cleared Oct. 5 and worked his way back first in the role of scout team quarterback ahead of the Week 5 game at Baltimore.
Last week, Taylor-Britt started getting reps with the first-team defense, and he said he was told well in advance he would get some snaps Sunday. His family showed up in full force to support him, and he ended up playing 28 snaps, compared to Apple’s 16.
“I don’t even know, I can’t explain it,” Taylor-Britt said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m glad that my first game was home and we got the dub for sure. … It feels great. The guys that I used to watch on TV last year coming up to you, congratulating you and saying great job, that they knew that I would be something. But I can’t let it get to my head, just keep a level head because it’s a simple fact we’ve got 10 more games.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday there had been no decisions made yet if Taylor-Britt would be starting over Apple in this week’s game at Cleveland, but defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo remains adamant it’s not an open competition – both will play.
Taylor-Britt entered the game Sunday with the Bengals leading 21-0, but after the Falcons made it to the redzone, Apple came back in and then started the next drive, only to get beaten by Damiere Byrd on a 75-yard touchdown catch.
Anarumo said Vonn Bell and Apple just didn’t execute the pickup in that coverage, but Taylor-Britt’s playing time was planned and not a reaction to Apple’s performance.
“We had planned on playing Cam and getting his feet wet,” Anarumo said. “Injuries, things are going to come up during the season so we had that plan going in and then I just felt like the game was in hand. He didn’t do anything in preseason, so as many reps as he can get will help him and us as we go down the stretch.”
Anarumo said he wants to keep getting Taylor-Britt reps and that will be the plan next week, but the Bengals will see how it goes from there.
The rotation concept is unusual for Anarumo, who insisted a few weeks ago that he never rotates cornerbacks. However, it’s too early to expect the rookie to completely take over, after missing the preseason and really only getting back into the defense two weeks ago.
Taylor-Britt said he wasn’t quite expecting to play as much as he did; however, he was ready for whenever his time came and said now it’s important to “stay ready.” He felt a little rusty in his technique early on but felt he was “pretty solid” for his first NFL game.
The Falcons didn’t test him much. They relied on their running game and only attempted 13 passes, but Taylor-Britt made three tackles. Both Anarumo and Taylor said it still was a good first game for the rookie. Anarumo noted his aggressiveness and ability to make stops in the running game when he wasn’t getting challenged through the air.
“I think he did a nice job,” coach Taylor said. “There wasn’t a lot of action that came to him, so to give a full evaluation of coverage and all that, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity there. The things we ask him to do and he was presented with, I think he managed it really well.”
MONDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Browns, 8:15 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2, 700, 1290, 1530, 95.7, 102.7, 104.7
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