Battle is looking to build off of a promising rookie campaign in Cincinnati.

After a very promising rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023, safety Jordan Battle has a major goal for his second season in the NFL: Being more mature and developing as a leader.

Battle’s mature goal

“I’m trying to be more mature,” Battle said recently regarding his upcoming sophomore season. “Not meaning changing my personality, but try to evolve more as a leader. On defense, have more growth, more voice, and not be afraid to speak up when I see something is wrong.”

This is exactly what Bengals coaches — and fans — want to hear. Growing as a leader will help Battle both on the filed and in the locker room, and it’s a solid sign that he’s looking to improve in that area so early in his career, especially since he figures to play a major role for Cincinnati moving forward.

Battle appears to be the future of the safety position in Cincinnati, but he’ll still have to fight for his playing time next season given the offseason additions of veterans Vonn Bell and Geno Stone. Both of those guys are far more experienced than Battle, and both are still starting-caliber safeties in the NFL. That’s why the safety position battle in Cincinnati will be one to keep an eye on this summer.

Battle should have an excellent opportunity to snag a starting spot though. As a rookie last season, Battle played in all 17 games for Cincinnati and started in seven of them. He tallied 71 total tackles, five passes defended and one interception. The organization is high on Battle’s potential after drafting him in the third round last year, and he was recently named as the team’s breakout candidate for the 2024 season by Pro Football Focus.

PFF isn’t the only outlet keeping close tabs on Battle, as he was also recently named as Cincinnati’s most underrated player by Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated. Orr picked the most underrated player on each team in the AFC, and the second-year safety was the selection for the Bengals.

It’s clear that there will be a lot of eyes on Battle during his second season with the Bengals. Hopefully he can live up to the hype.