Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone (22) celebrates his touchdown off of an interception against the Tennessee Titans during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. Defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson (93) and defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) join in. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pro Football Focus Names Bengals Defender Geno Stone Team's Make-Or-Break Player For 2025 Season

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 7:08 AM ET

Bengals safety Geno Stone could have a nice bounce-back season this fall and Pro Football Focus thinks that would boost Cincinnati in a big way.

Dalton Wasserman picked Stone as the make-or-break player for the Bengals.

"If anyone on the Bengals’ defense can benefit from Al Golden’s arrival in Cincinnati, it’s Geno Stone," Wasserman wrote. "Stone has always been more comfortable as a single-high free safety, owning an 83.3 PFF coverage grade in his career when deployed in a single-high defense. Meanwhile, no FBS team ran more single-high defenses last season than national runner-up Notre Dame with Golden as its defensive coordinator. Stone’s career is at a crossroads after he earned a career-low 53.7 PFF coverage grade last season, but Golden’s presence could present a bounce-back opportunity."

It's a big few months on the docket for Stone after taking a pay cut. The 53.1 mark followed back-to-back seasons above 72 overall. Stone ranked 59th out of 66 qualified safeties in PFF grade across the 2024 campaign (1,100 snaps).

Getting great play out of him would help Cincinnati's defense exceed expectations.