Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard landed on our radar in August when coach Marvin Lewis called the first-round selection the "the best rookie corner I've seen."
Dennard then proceeded to tumble off our radar after playing just 61 snaps in his first pro campaign.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said the cover man will play a much bigger role in 2015.
"He's going to compete this year," said Guenther, per ESPN.com, adding: "I'm really high on Darqueze."
Guenther blamed himself for Dennard's limited playing time.
"I probably should have gotten him on the field more," Guenther said. "But it's tough when you have Leon (Hall), you have Pac (Adam Jones), you have Terence (Newman). But sometimes you've got to be around those guys for you to learn really what it's like to do it."
Dennard wasn't under pressure to play a starring role last season, but with Cincy's secondary on the older side, he's bound to see plenty of snaps in Year 2. Unlike Justin Gilbert in Cleveland, Dennard appears to have the full confidence of his coaches. He's back on our radar as a young player to watch in the AFC North.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down all the latest from the combine and gives updates on Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
