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We take a look at 5 cool facts about the Bengals big addition at cornerback in Trae Waynes
The Bengals not only spent big money on free agent defensive tackle D.J. Reader, they also signed a new outside cornerback in Trae Waynes to a big money three-year deal.
Pairing up the speedy Waynes with the still young and spry William Jackson is a tantalizing option; especially considering how fast Jackson is as well. It will be tough for other teams to just run past the Bengals cornerbacks, even if Waynes has some similar issues in coverage as the player he is replacing has.
But there’s more to Waynes than what we see on the field. Here are five cool facts all Bengals fans should know about Waynes (and be sure to check out our interview with him).
1. He was originally a running back
Waynes played on both sides of the ball when he first started to play football, which if he was as fast then as he is now makes a lot of sense. However, he didn’t like getting hit so he decided to switch to defense where instead he got to be the one doing the hitting. With the contract he got compared to what the top running back contracts are turning into, Waynes has to be very happy with that decision.
2. He grew up with another NFL player
Speaking of running backs and ones that just signed contracts, Waynes grew up with another current NFL player in running back Melvin Gordon. Both players went to Bradford high school in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Both pushed each other growing up to be the best they could be and both are supposedly still in contact today.
3. He played with a former Bengals player in college
One year after Darqueze Dennard was taken in the first round by the Bengals, Michigan State had another cornerback get drafted early in Waynes. It is funny that as Dennard is finally moving on from Cincinnati when Waynes is now joining the Bengals, making sure the Bengals keep their 1st round Michigan State cornerbacks at 1. It is to be seen who has the better overall career, although Waynes got the much bigger payday being an outside corner whereas Dennard is seen purely as a slot by the league.
4. One of his dogs is a street rescue
He has three dogs, two of which he got in college and another one since then. One of the dogs he got in college he got through some pretty unexpected means. He saw the dog running through traffic and not wanting the dog to get hit grabbed it and took it home with him taking care of it.
5. He was the highest drafted Vikings cornerback ever
File this fact under “unlikely to stay the case” if Mike Zimmer is the coach for a while longer. With how much Zimmer values cornerback play and invests highly into it it is not surprising at all that the Franchise took a cornerback higher than ever before under him. He was the first corner taken in the 2015 NFL Draft, but the other two corners taken in the first round have had better careers in Marcus Peters and Byron Jones. Either way, Waynes has had a solid start to his career as the eleventh overall pick and could still have his best days ahead of him.
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