Bengals DB Daijahn Anthony shining and battling a broken nose

The NFL Preseason is well underway, and the Cincinnati Bengals have already begun preparing for the Chicago Bears on Saturday at Soldier Field.

After falling short to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night, fans of the franchise got a good look at the young talent this team has accumulated. Especially on the defensive side of the ball.

In what ended up being a defensive stalemate for most of the game against the Bucs, it was several rookies that showed out in their first NFL action. Maema Njongmeta was the MVP on that side of the ball for Lou Anarumo’s defense, but rookie safety Daijahn Anthony also stood out.

Anthony finished the game with three tackles, but it might be an injury he played through that points most to the toughness he displayed… a nose fracture.

It doesn’t sound like it was the prettiest scene either, according to head coach Zac Taylor.

“You saw the blood gushing out, so I’m sure it was quite painful, but it appears that it’ll be able to practice and get through it with a visor and facemask.”

In addition, Anthony earned a solid 70.8 overall Pro Football grade and a team-high 83.1 tackling grade. It’s easy to remember all the missed tackles the Bengals defense dealt with last season, so that’s a great sight to see.

Anthony, a seventh-round pick out of Ole Miss in the 2024 NFL Draft, is a part of the safety room that has quite a few options they could trot out on the field this season. With Jordan Battle, Geno Stone, Vonn Bell, and others fighting for snaps, if Anthony continues to impress throughout this preseason, he might see himself working on the field in some capacity this season.

A broken nose stinks, but glad to see he will be able to play through it and face off against the Bears this weekend.

Who Dey!