CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals safety Vonn Bell was not in a talking mood on Monday.
He didn't want to explain why a piece of cardboard was wedged atop his right ear with what appeared to be white cotton balls. He didn't want to get into how he has been playing this year, splitting time with second-year player Jordan Battle, or his conversation with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo about his role moving forward.
"I don't want to discuss it," he said with a smile and deep laugh. "I'll keep that to myself."
Then the conversation at his locker shifted into what has become a common theme for this year's Bengals team -- a promising year that has morphed into a big disappointment. Bell didn't have much to say then, either. But the rhetorical question he posed, one left open for interpretation, said plenty.
"What did I come back here for?" Bell told ESPN.
Four years ago, Bell delivered a big hit against the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Monday Night Football," one that forced a turnover and served as the symbolic tone-setter for deep playoff runs in 2021 and 2022. But a lot has changed between now and then. Ahead of this year's first meeting against Pittsburgh (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Cincinnati (4-7) finds itself at a crossroads. As the Bengals try to keep their slim playoff hopes flickering with six games left, they also must evaluate where things have gone wrong, especially when it comes to their defense, and what that could mean for how the roster is constructed in future years.
The simple reason is a lack of execution. But the answer as to why the unit has been inconsistent is a multilayered one.
"It's really a lot of things," Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton said. "It's guys missing their assignments or guys like myself missing opportunities to change the game on turnover plays. It's been a whole multitude of things."
Injuries and shaky play have certainly contributed to a defense that ranks 26th in points allowed per drive. When Anarumo has repeatedly referenced inconsistency, it has been in terms of on-field performance. That has been the primary reason cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, the team's top cornerback at the beginning of the season, was benched in a Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He regained a starting role after cornerback DJ Turner left the game with a broken collarbone.
But even before the struggles, the team has had a rotating cast of defensive backs with the first-team unit amid a logjam of young players. The year started with four players who were drafted with top-100 picks within the past three seasons but only one open starting spot.
In training camp, Taylor-Britt subbed out at times as the team got extended looks at rookie Josh Newton, who is now starting, and determined the battle between Turner and Dax Hill, who won the job and started five games before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. As the season progressed, Bell has rotated snaps with Battle.
"I look at who's on the field with me and then what side of the field I could trust," said free safety Geno Stone. "Now I know if I know this guy has been winning consistently, I could lean the other way while I'm playing the post."
And given the finite margins between winning and losing in the NFL, the feel between players makes all the difference in being successful on any given play.
Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, who has been with the team for 22 seasons, says that having consistency among groups of players is the "ultimate thing" in football. And the only way to getting players to react and think the same way is through repetition.
"If that's a revolving door, then you never develop that," Simmons said. "You never develop that trust, so that they're all seeing it the same way all the time."
During his Wednesday news conference, quarterback Joe Burrow said while the playoffs aren't out of the question, he knows the long-term outlook isn't ideal. According to ESPN Research, Cincinnati has just a 12.7% chance of making the playoffs. To put that in perspective, that number only got as low as 30.7% in 2021, when Cincinnati clinched on Week 17 and eventually went on a run to the Super Bowl.
Turning around the defense, starting with this weekend against the Steelers (8-3), will be critical to giving the Bengals the best shot of reaching the postseason. But when it comes to competing for championships, determining the right players to have around Burrow moving forward will be just as crucial for a team looking to become contenders again.