CINCINNATI — A big leap from any player across the Bengals’ trenches will present a major boost to one of the league’s worst defenses last season. Kris Jenkins is a candidate for that growth, entering his second season at defensive tackle with the team.

ESPN’s Ben Solak named Jenkins one of the 20 most important second-year players in the league amidst this defensive environment.

“Another trip around the sun, another offseason of worry about the Bengals’ interior defensive line,” Solak wrote. “Gone are the days of DJ Reader, Larry Ogunjobi, B.J. Hill (he is still on the team), and a Super Bowl run. The Bengals gave 497 snaps to Jenkins last season and probably will ask even more from him this season with their run defense still in a shambles. Jenkins was a help on run downs for the Bengals — they had a 54.4% success rate against designed runs when he was on the field, but only 51.3% when he was off the field. The issue: A 54.4% success rate would have made the Bengals the 27th-best defense against the run last season, instead of the 31st. Not exactly a meaningful leap.

“A broad space-eater with heavy hands, Jenkins was good at anchoring his spot and protecting his linebackers … but only that. Among 55 defensive tackles with at least 400 snaps, Jenkins’ 10 solo tackles ranked 54th. He got involved in a lot of pile-ups, but his inability to separate from blocks and make plays near the line of scrimmage limited his impact. And that’s before we even get to the pass-rush opportunities, where Jenkins was a non-factor. His 1.8% pressure rate was the second-worst among all defensive tackles. The Bengals don’t need Jenkins to suddenly become an elite pass rusher overnight, but a jump in impactful run defense plays would go a long way to setting up others for success. The film on Jenkins is actually pretty interesting. He has powerful strikes and good technique, along with enough bend to work his way around difficult angles. He just needs to play faster.”

Jenkins has the tools to be a major impact piece for Cincinnati’s front seven this fall. He has to show that inside strength more often.

The Michigan product should be a consistent option at defensive tackle, looping into the rotation with TJ Slaton, B.J. Hill, and McKinnley Jackson. If all four can at least play at an average level with a little elite run defense sprinkled in by Slaton, then Trey Hendrickson and the edge attackers will get less attention than last season.

Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery is trying to piece it all together in the most effective way this training camp.