Bengals Player Spotlight: TJ Slaton to Play Key Role in Slowing Down Jaguars Star Travis Etienne Jr.

This matchup will go a long way toward deciding Sunday's game between the Bengals and Jaguars at Paycor Stadium.

Aug 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. (90) and defensive tackle T.J. Slaton Jr. (98) walk off the field at halftime against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals defense faces a big test this week when Travis Etienne Jr. and the Jacksonville Jaguars come to town.

Slaton was a large (literally) reason that the Bengals managed to hold the Cleveland Browns to just 49 rushing yards on only two yards per carry in Week 1.

The Bengals and Slaton will have to bring even more physicality and push this week. The Jaguars ran for 200 rushing yards on 32 attempts last week against the Panthers.

A majority of those yards on the ground came from Etienne. He ran for 143 yards on 16, including a 71-yard run. He averaged 8.9 yards per carry.

Etienne looks revived and ready to serve as an engine for a Jaguars offense led by first-year head coach Liam Coen,

Jacksonville traded backup running back Tank Bigsby to the Eagles, which means rookie fourth round pick Bhayshul Tuten will likely serve as Etienne's backup.

Travis Etienne goes 71 YARDS on the ground!

CARvsJAX on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tvsIl6cNNJ

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

Slaton and the Bengals defensive line though sure seemed as if they are up for this kind of challenge after coming off a dominant performance in week one against the Browns, and should be able to repeat that kind of performance once more.

Slaton consistently showed his ability to both clog up run lanes, make run stops in the backfield, and even showed some juice as a pass rusher on the inside against the likes of Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller—two of the most highly regarded guards in the NFL.

TJ Slaton lock peek shed for a run stop against Wyatt Teller pic.twitter.com/xOjkMzrIQT

— mike (@bengals_sans) September 8, 2025

The Bengals brought Slaton in an effort to add to the Bengals run defense in the same way that DJ Reader did at the nose tackle position for four seasons (2020-23). They also added veteran Mike Pennel, who made some key plays against the run as well.

Slaton will make an impact in this upcoming game against the Jaguars, whether it is clogging up run lanes and freeing up space for the likes of Trey Hendrickson, Shemar Stewart and B.J. Hill.

If the Bengals manage to slow down the Jaguars run game, then that immediately puts all the pressure on Trevor Lawrence to make big time plays to Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, and Dyami Brown at receiver. Putting pressure on the Jaguars to be one-dimensional would go a long way toward a Bengals victory.

If Zac Taylor is going to pick up his first Week 2 win as a head coach and Joe Burrow is going to improve to 2-0 for the first time in his NFL career, then Slaton and this Bengals' run defense will likely be a big part of the win.

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