Bengals announce Week 3 inactives vs. Steelers

Newton (5’11/190) is a former First-Team All-Big 12 CB who started 27 consecutive games for the Horned Frogs. His versatility allows him to play all over the field: out wide, in the slot, in the box, and even on special teams - Newton is a Swiss Army Knife on defense. The former wide receiver turned defensive back has elite hands, collecting 21 pass breakups and four interceptions over the past two seasons at TCU. He does well mirroring wide receivers with his back pedal, but can be too upright making him slower to break off laterally. Having drawn questions about his physicality in the run game last season, Newton showed improvement by doubling his run stops from 8-to-14 despite playing 139 fewer snaps in 2023. An upper-echelon Big 12 defensive back with great timing, he allowed a solid 48% catch rate and one touchdown in his final season at TCU. He does well in hand-to-hand combat with physical WRs but can sometimes get a little too handsy leading to flags. Newton has the upside to develop into a starter for an NFL team with a zone/Cover 2 scheme.

Newton (5'11/195) is a three-year starter for the Warhawks who bring 1,924 snaps of experience to a beleaguered TCU secondary that allowed 9.3 yards per pass attempt last season, fifth worst in the country. Last year he earned a strong 76.9 overall defensive grade from PFF by allowing just a 50 percent completion rate while posting seven PBU and two interceptions. Newton should be able to challenge for playing time immediately as he has proven himself at the F5 level.