Cincinnati Bengals Film Breakdown: Examining Dylan Fairchild's Exceptional Preseason

Here you can see Fairchild look to go for a two-hand punch and the defender swipes that away. Fairchild then wins by getting his hands wide and wrestling the defender.

Here is another example of Fairchild winning despite his hands where his hands are wide and it causes him to concede ground. He eventually breaks the defender’s anchor point on him which allows for him to recover, refit, and stop the bullrush but he was pushed back so far because he allowed the defender into his chest to drive him backward.

Look at the difference with his hands in the pre-season where he is initiating contact and striking the defender in the chest instead:

He utilized the inside hand strike fairly often in his limited pre-season action and it’s something that he did not seem to utilize much in Georgia. Instead of allowing the defender into his chest, he strikes the chest of the defender allowing him to stop the rush before it starts.

In pass protection, the chest of both players is similar to the head of a boxer. The goal of each player is to strike the opponent’s chest while protecting their chest. Guards especially need to be cognizant of their chest because everything happens faster inside. Keeping a firm pocket comes from winning this initial battle. It also helps to have TNT in your hands like Fairchild has, which stops defenders in their tracks.

Fairchild's recovery still sticks out as a way to get him out of jams:

Fairchild initiates contact with Daron Payne by inside hand striking him in the chest. Payne then tries to win Fairchild's inside, which is smart as the rookie just used that hand to punch into him. Fairchild then shows his recovery as he not only stays in front of Payne but clears the pocket for a throw.

It’s a limited sample size, but Fairchild really looks as if he has worked on his pass protection since being drafted. The work he put in has allowed him to hit the ground running so far in the NFL. Hopefully this limited preseason sample continues when he plays regular season NFL games.