Paul Guenther upbeat over Darqueze Dennard future

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is still confident in the ability of cornerback Darqueze Dennard despite his underwhelming rookie season in the NFL.

The Bengals selected Dennard in the first round of the 2014 Draft, but the 22-year-old could not break into the starting defensive lineup as he found himself behind Leon Hall, Adam Jones and Terence Newman in the pecking order.

"He's going to compete this year," Guenther told reporters. "I'm really high on Darqueze.

"I probably should have gotten him on the field more. But it's tough when you have Leon [Hall], you have Pac [Adam Jones], you have Terence [Newman].

"Sometimes you've got to be around those guys for you to learn really what it's like to do it."

Dennard recorded 17 tackles and a sack for the Bengals in the 2014 season.