CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle T.J. Slaton Jr. has a good -- if debatable -- reason for why he has always been pretty big. He was once hit by a car.
When he was a year old, he chased a ball into the street, where he was struck. The small piece of discolored flesh down his left leg and the deep indention on the outside of his upper thigh are reminders of the broken femur and other injuries he suffered.
To ensure his physical development wasn't hindered, he said he had supplements mixed into his milk as an infant. Now, at 27, he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 340 pounds.
Whether the supplements had anything to do with his growth, those measurements are very important for Cincinnati's defensive line and make Slaton one of the most important players for the Bengals' success this season. When the Bengals signed him to a two-year contract worth $14.1 million, it was to fulfill a primary objective: improving the run defense.
The mission starts with Slaton, who has proved to be a difficult guy to move.
"You just can't not be physical at the end of the day," Slaton said. "It's a mindset. It's about how physical do you want to be?"
Last year with the Green Bay Packers, Slaton was one of the sturdiest interior defensive linemen in the league. He led all defensive tackles in run stop win rate (46%), according to ESPN Research, and ranked sixth among players at his position average penetration distance on run plays (1.00 yards).
The Bengals' defensive woes have been the primary point of the entire offseason. Inside the locker room, players have pointed to the inability to be better on first and second downs. On those specific downs, Cincinnati ranked 26th in rush yards allowed.
"I think we shot ourselves in the foot a lot of times," said defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who was voted a team captain this year. "Just dumb stuff. Little things here and there."
Last offseason, Cincinnati tried to address its defensive interior. The Bengals signed defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins in free agency and also drafted two players, Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson. But Rankins battled health issues before he was cut at the end of the season.
Hill said Slaton is the type of player the Bengals need in the middle of the defense. From an on-field perspective, new defensive coordinator Al Golden explained why Slaton is crucial to the unit's success.
"T.J. brings a big body presence in there," Golden said. "He's strong at the point of attack. He can beat a single block. He can anchor down on a double and he plays with great energy for a big man."
Golden added that Slaton brings those vibes to other places around the team facilities, too.
After most practices, it's almost impossible not to find Slaton engaged in conversation in the locker room with the other defensive linemen seated next to him. At Monday's practice, Slaton took it upon himself to leap onto the rolling cart that holds the stack of speakers to rock out to NBA YoungBoy's "No Switch" before joining the rest of the defensive line in position drills.
The numbers show why adding Slaton and being better against the run is so critical for defenses.
Last season, if a team needs five or fewer yards to gain for a first down, NFL offenses averaged a 54.5% conversion rate, according to ESPN Research. But if it is six or more yards, that rate plummets to 27.1%.
That could be especially notable for the Bengals' season opener against the Cleveland Browns. In those latter third-down scenarios, the Browns were among the worst in the league last season at 19.6%.
Since the Browns hired coach Kevin Stefanski in 2020, they have leaned heavily on the run in AFC North showdowns against the Bengals. It's what makes the opening matchup a good test for Cincinnati's revamped defense that includes Slaton in the middle.
"It's going to show exactly what type of brand of football that we've been working towards this whole offseason," Slaton said. "It's just going to show we're just not wanting to let people run all over us. That's the tone we're coming to set."