From Bengals Bust to Division Winner: Former Free Agent Explains Cincinnati Struggles

CINCINNATI — Former Bengals safety Nick Scott is thriving in Carolina. The Panthers are in the playoffs after winning the NFC South. They play the Rams on Saturday in Carolina.

The veteran only spent one season in Cincinnati and struggled for most of his time with the Bengals.

Scott signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Bengals in 2023. He appeared to be an ideal fit at free safety with Jessie Bates no longer in town. That wasn't the case. And Scott acknowledged his role was different than expected after he arrived in Cincinnati.

Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer wrote a feature on Scott this week that included details of why the veteran didn't find his footing with the Bengals defense.

"Scott was mostly used as a free safety with the Rams. He worked in the deep part of the field, serving as a last line of defense in the secondary," Kaye wrote. "But the Bengals wanted him to play more of a strong safety role, and there was a learning curve working in the tackle box. He was also asked to mentor the younger defensive backs on the Bengals’ roster at a time when he was learning a new function in a new defense. Scott admits it wasn’t a good fit." Cooley, who has known Scott since 2020, understands why things didn’t work out for Scott with the Bengals.

Scott has 111 tackles, one interception and three passes defensed this season. He earned a 67.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. That's higher than Jordan Battle (61.5) and Geno Stone (54.3). Scott signed with the Bengals as Dax Hill was entering his second year. The duo of Hill and Scott were supposed to stabilize the safety spot with Vonn Bell and Bates leaving in free agency.

Instead, Scott struggled and the Bengals moved on from him after the 2023 season. Panthers defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley knows why it didn't work for the veteran in Cincinnati.

“He’s somebody that drives a lot off confidence and belief and people having belief in him,” Cooley told Kaye. “And in Cincinnati, they put him in a spot where that was not — he was not very confident to play. So, they were relying on him on something that he never really displayed on film. So, that’s what made the Cincinnati year go awry for him.”

Check out Kaye's entire feature on Scott here.

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