'Give The Guys Confidence' - Jonathan Allen Hammers Home Leadership Traits, Baseline Goal For 2026 Season

Jonathan Allen is working quietly and soundly during his first Bengals training camp. The 10th-year player has been through plenty of camp experiences since coming into the league from Alabama in 2017.

He's got a ton of wisdom to help the young Bengals defensive tackles find their way in this Al Golden defense.

All-In Allen

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) looks on during Bengals practice at the Kettering Practice Fields in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

He dove into how he's handling his leadership role on this roster during the Tony and Mo Training Camp Show on ESPN 1530.

“When I was a rookie, I had a guy named Ziggy Hood, first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers," Allen said about leadership influence. "And he was with me in Washington, and he's been so beneficial to my career. Even today, I probably quoted him four or five times. And I think for young guys, the biggest thing is not getting caught up, being confident in your ability to go out there and play football. Because at the end of the day, it's just football.

"But sometimes you get out here, you get so caught up in just trying to do your job that you're not focusing on playing fast and doing what got you to this point. So I'm trying to give the guys confidence and help them any way I can.”

Allen knows full well what it takes to last in the NFL and stay healthy along the way.

He's played 15-plus games in seven of his nine seasons (800-plus snaps in three of the past four seasons). Allen bounced back a bit last season, but missed tackles were a big problem (career-high 14.5% missed tackle rate, career-high 11 missed tackles).

Allen probably knows that better than anyone as he pursues "consistency" this fall.

“Main thing, I just want to bring consistency," Allen said on the show. "Obviously, it's not always going to be good. There's going to be bad times, but I want to be able to bring consistency in the run.

"I want to be able to shut down the run, and I want to be able to get after the quarterback with four (rushers). And I feel like if all of us can affect the quarterback, that makes the linebacker's job easier. That makes the DB's job easier. And any chance we can get the ball back to Joe (Burrow), that's a good thing. So, I mean, that's the goal. Simplify it.”

Keep it simple.

A great mantra for the Bengals defense to row together to relevance again after three years of horrendous play (29th in defensive EPA/play allowed since the start of the 2023 season).

Check out the full interview here.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon.

Add us as a preferred source on Google