Jim Owczarski

jowczarski@enquirer.com

It only took a year for Josh Shaw to go from being the newest cornerback in a room full of first-rounders to experiencing what it felt like to see a new guy come in. Shaw, a fourth-round pick out of the University of Southern California in 2015, looked forward to welcoming in 2016 first-round pick William Jackson III, and he shook his head at how quickly a year in the NFL can go.

“It just shows that time flies, time goes by,” he said. “I’m not a rookie anymore. It’s different.”

Shaw appeared in 15 games last season, mostly on special teams, but did get one start at corner, in Cleveland. The Bengals raved about his versatility when he was drafted, that he could play outside or in the nickel, and perhaps some safety.

At 6-foot, 1-inch and 201 pounds, he’s the biggest corner in the room and has a frame that more closely resembles safety Shawn Williams than Adam Jones.

Which may be why Shaw expects to see some time at safety during organized training activities and training camp.

“This year, I guess you could say I’ll be doing a lot more than last year,” he said. “Last year for me was just corner and then some nickel. But I see myself this year, especially with Taylor (Mays) being out the first few games, having to learn safety. I think I’ll get reps at three different positions this spring.

“I’ve really done it my whole career before the league, in college. So it won’t be nothing new. Playing safety in the league will be a little different probably but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I think it’s good that I have that value to where I can go in and do different things. It can be a way to get on the field quickly and more often for me, in a sub package or something like that.”

Shaw feels that the nature of the secondary group helped him mature as a player, and he said that collective unselfishness will continue to help him and Jackson III develop.

“The group is good,” Shaw said. “I’m able to ask questions and everybody is able to help me. We’ve got a new guy coming in this year and I’m sure he’ll go through the same thing, being able to ask questions and he’ll get answers.”

DAWSON EXPECTS TO CONTRIBUTE

Another second-year player hoping to make some noise in 2016 is linebacker P.J. Dawson, a third-round pick from a year ago. Like Shaw, Dawson saw most of his time on special teams.

“I hope I am asked to do a little more, that’s what I’m aiming for,” Dawson said. “That’s the plan. That’s just me. That’s why I worked the whole offseason. I came back a little earlier to start planning, to start getting better. I’m ready. I’m ready for the challenge.”

Now listed at 240 pounds, Dawson said he’s added muscle but hasn’t lost a step, and now is hoping to improve his technique at the position.

“I would say using my hands more, instead of just trying to use my quickness, trying to use my hands to avoid blocks more,” he said. “Just be even more aggressive than I already was.”

And, like Shaw, he’s welcoming a new draft pick to the fold in third-round pick Nick Vigil out of Utah State. The Bengals also added free agent Karlos Dansby to a group that includes returnees Rey Maualuga, Vontaze Burfict, Vinny Rey and Marquis Flowers.

“It’s always good to add guys,” Dawson said. “Just makes our family bigger. You can never have too much depth. But it’s a competition – the best guy, the best man that fits, will play. That’s what I’m working for.”

Dawson looking to add substance to the flash

FIVE BENGALS NAMED TO TOP 101 LIST

The football scouting service Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its “top 101 NFL players from 2015” list, and five Bengals made it. Here is what PFF had to say about those five:

No. 17: Geno Atkins (unranked in 2014)

PFF: “Atkins trailed only Aaron Donald in PFF grading among defensive tackles, and ended the year with 14 sacks and 82 total pressures. Like Donald, Atkins is an undersized DT, but one who plays with exceptional quickness and leverage to destroy plays deep in the backfield. There are few better interior linemen than Atkins when healthy, and we saw this season that his peak has not been stolen by injury.”

No. 34: A.J. Green (92nd in 2014)

PFF: “Green had the fourth-highest PFF grade for receivers behind only Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and Alshon Jeffery, and trumps the latter because he didn’t miss significant time over the season.”

No. 41: Andrew Whitworth (16th in 2014)

PFF: “Whitworth allowed 23 total pressures over 1,124 snaps (including the playoffs) in 2015, and again graded positively as both a run-blocker and pass-protector—as he has every season of his career. The Bengal may be getting up there in years, but there remains few more consistently-excellent tackles than Whitworth.”

No. 80: Tyler Eifert (unranked in 2014)

PFF: “It was overall an excellent season punctuated by a few poor games that really hurt his overall grade. At his best he looked like a legitimate matchup nightmare for defenses, with the ability to go downfield, as well as better blocking performances than most receiving TEs manage these days.”

No. 101: Adam Jones (unranked in 2014)

PFF: “Jones has a lot working against him at this point in his career. He was 32 years old during the season and at 5-foot-10 is under the threshold for size that the NFL covets among cornerbacks, yet he still produces some of the best football of his career. He allowed just one touchdown all season and wasn’t beaten for a reception longer than 24 yards.”