Of the Cincinnati Bengals rookies making plays or getting big chances at training camp right now, defender Josh Newton doesn’t have his name come up all that often.
Part of that is because his hype already erupted over the spring when onlookers really got to dive into his impressive film — and hear that he’s working hard to learn as much as he can from savvy veteran Mike Hilton.
But the hype train might just be gearing up again anyway.
Friday, Newton got some reps with the first-team defense, playing both on the boundary and in a nickel role, per WLWT’s Charlie Clifford.
The Bengals giving a rookie tries at multiple spots isn’t all that unusual. They’ll also be careful with veterans like Hilton this early in camp. Plus, No. 1 cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has been slowly on his way back to full-go.
Still, that’s not to undersell Newton, who looks like a guy who is very much in the long-term plans as a starter if his development goes well.
And here’s another reason for hype — he is and was one heck of an interview after his big day, as captured by CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia:
“Your front view is bigger than your rearview mirror for a reason.” Words of wisdom from Bengals rookie corner Josh Newton, who also spoke about his active day with the ones pic.twitter.com/W9IN0djJmn
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) August 2, 2024