Eli Apple was cooked in Super Bowl 56. Now, he says another fire has been lit under him.
The Bengals’ cornerback was the target of criticism after a poor performance against the Rams. Now, he has responded to the criticism on Instagram.
“All glory to God for blessing me immensely this season to share the field with the best group of men I’ve been around,” Apple wrote. “Truly grateful to my teammates, Who Dey Nation, and my coaches for embracing me as family. Proud of the rigorous work we put in to make this season a special one. Yall reawoke a fire in me that will only make me stronger and I’m beyond excited to unleash that demon again to exponential levels on any opp that lines up across from me next season.”
Apple had a Super Bowl to forget, as he became the first player in the past four Super Bowls to allow multiple receiving touchdowns as the primary defender. One of those TDs was the game-winning score by Cooper Kupp that solidified the title win for the Rams.
He immediately became a lightning rod for criticism after the game due in large point to his trash-talking of other receivers on the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl. He taunted both Chiefs receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman after Cincinnati’s win in the AFC Championship. Both Super bowl 54 champions fired back at him after he allowed Kupp’s touchdown, as did other NFL players.
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Apple took up a larger role with the Bengals after shorter stints with the Giants, Saints and Panthers. Taken 10th overall in 2016 by New York, Apple struggled to repeat his college success at Ohio State at the NFL level, and midway through the 2018 season, he was traded to New Orleans for a fourth-round pick. The Saints declined the fifth-year option on his deal and he became a free agent in 2020. Apple appeared in two games for the Panthers in 2020 as he was hampered by injuries and eventually cut.
Cincinnati signed Apple at the beginning of the 2021 season and performed well, tying his career-best with a pair of regular-season picks and had the second-most passes defender in a season with 10. Advanced metrics still did not favor his performance, however, as Pro Football Focus gave him a 60.5 defensive grade for the year and listed him as the 71st-best cornerback in the league out of 116 qualifiers.
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Apple’s future with the team is anything but certain. He is a free agent in the 2022 class, and while the Bengals have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL, per Spotrac, they could opt to improve the cornerback position via free agency — or just look for someone that draws less negative attention to the team.
