Last Thursday, the Bengals took on the Philadelphia Eagles in their opening preseason game. The battles had already begun during training camp, but this was the first chance to see many of them take place in a real game setting. As well, with the first team getting a couple of drives, it was an early preview of what this upcoming season might look like. While the Bengals ended up losing the game, the final score is not what matters in the preseason. On each side of the ball, there were some who stepped up and others who did not.
Winners:
First Team Offence
The first team offence got a couple of drives, and sure made the most of them. Joe Burrow was slicing through the defence, showing no rust, and his signature pinpoint accuracy. Burrow went 9/10 on the day for 123 yards and 2 TD’s.
The connection with Ja’Marr Chase was also on full display. Of Burrow’s 9 completions, 4 of them went to Chase, accounting for 77 yards and a TD. The highlight was an out route where the star WR took advantage of too much cushion and a poor tackle attempt. He used the defender’s momentum against him and turned upfield before winning a foot race to the end zone. It was a 36 yard TD.
Chase Brown also got in on the action. He ran hard, collecting 23 yards on 5 carries. You could see the burst. Brown also added 25 yards on 3 catches. Not that this comes as a surprise, but he’ll be a major part of the offence.
TE, Tanner Hudson
After Gesicki tweaked his hamstring in practice, Hudson really stepped up in the following practices, which was especially notable given that the team had just signed Noah Fant. He was able to carry the momentum into the preseason opener, making 6 catches for 62 yards. Hudson caught the team’s opening drive TD from Burrow. Then, late in the game, he caught another TD from Desmond Ridder. It was a nice toe tapper along the sideline near the back of the end zone.
G, Dylan Fairchild
Fairchild has been experiencing some peaks and valleys in camp, but was very consistent in the game, both as a pass and run blocker. It was mostly against backups, but for a rookie 3rd rounder, it is notable, nonetheless. The Bengals are throwing him into the fire early, and are hoping he can grab the starting LG spot. This will help his cause, and it is very clearly his to lose, at this point.
DT’s, Kris Jenkins, McKinnley Jackson, & Taven Bryan
While things were rocky on the defensive side, we did see some life from some of our interior rushers, Jenkins put up some pressure in limited snaps, and also was solid against the run. Jackson also looked very good against the run. The two draft picks from last season will be counted on in the rotation.
Bryan, a recent signing of the Bengals, also had a solid day, picking up a sack. He seems to have a solid chance of making the roster, and his ability to bring some juice as a rotational pass rusher should see him on the field from time to time.
LB, Joe Giles-Harris
Giles-Harris had a good day on special teams, and also had one of the standout defensive plays. He was able to capitalize on a tipped ball, snagging an interception to get the ball back in the hands of the offence. The veteran is competing for a back-end roster spot, and helped his cause in the preseason opener
RB, Gary Brightwell
Brightwell didn’t get much opportunity on offence, but did on special teams. One of his returns was called back after a penalty, but the stats aren’t what matter in the preseason. Brightwell, on 3 return opportunities, looked fast and explosive. I’m not sure if he is actually in consideration for the job, but another performance like this could put him there if he isn’t already.
After Zack Moss was cut by the Bengals, it has been assumed that the team will only keep 3 RB’s. In Brightwell’s case, he isn’t competing with other RB’s for a potential 4th spot, but he will instead try to snatch away a spot from a WR like Isaiah Williams or Charlie Jones, who both factor in the return game.
LB, Oren Burks
Burks turned in a solid performance in his first time wearing stripes. He was solid enough in coverage, but also looked quite good against the run. The veteran is competing with rookie Demetrius Knight for the next spot behind Logan Wilson, and helped his cause against his former team.
S, PJ Jules
Jules has been putting his name on the map over the last week or so. He had an interception in camp, and had a good game in the preseason opener. Jules made a couple of stops in the run game, and also allowed very little in coverage. He’ll have to keep it up to jump either one of Tycen Anderson or Daijahn Anthony, but he should at least be on track for a practice squad spot, at this rate.
DE, Shemar Stewart
In his first game action, Steward showed some nice flashes. He was disruptive as a pass rusher and did well to force an errant throw. There were also instances where he displayed power when defending the run. Overall, a solid preseason debut, and something positive for him to build on.
OT, Devin Cochran
Cochran got his first real action in one game last season where he had to make a spot start for the Bengals. After some hiccups early, he settled in. Competing for his spot again in camp this year, he had also been up and down. However, he was more consistent during the team’s first preseason game, showing out well in both the pass and run game. It was against the deeper reserves, but while other offensive linemen struggled even in this setting, Cochran held it down. He is setting himself up to make it as a depth option.
Losers:
QB, Jake Browning
For Browning, it was an abysmal day. He was panicking against pressure, and letting go of errant passes all throughout his time on the field. The stat line looks as bad as the tape, showing 6/14 for 62 yards and a pick. Some have wondered if the door has been opened for Ridder to grab the backup spot for the Bengals. I think that conversation is premature, but Browning’s performance was bad enough to spark it anyways.
C, Andrew Raym
Raym is a recent signing, but came in as the second team C, with Lee and McLaughlin both missing due to injury. With the extended look, we saw someone who was consistently overmatched, even against deeper reserves. McLaughlin is getting close to returning, and Lee is likely to make the team regardless, so Raym’s slim chances got even slimmer.
G, Lucas Patrick
Patrick was supposed to bring a solid floor to the RG position, but he was outperformed badly by a rookie 3rd rounder who was playing at the other G spot. He was getting beaten in pass protection, and wasn’t great as a run blocker either. Not to sound like a broken record, but there are some free agents still out there that would be clear upgrades. Oh, and the Bengals have over $30M in cap space.
OL, Cody Ford
Ford saw all his snaps at RG in this one, and the presumption is that he is better on the inside than out. But despite the versatility he brings, the truth is that he doesn’t inspire much confidence at either position. Against backups, he still was quite bad in both phases, and allowed a sack. At this point, he is projected to be first off the bench at multiple positions, which does not bode well for the team’s depth.
OL, Jalen Rivers
Rivers had a tough outing, and was beaten pretty often. However, I’m going to go easy on him. Up to this point, the team had been playing him as an OT, despite clearly lacking the skill set for it. This game seems to have been enough for them to realize this, as he has since been working at G. This isn’t to say there won’t be growing pains, but I’d expect improvement from him at a position that better suits what he brings to the table.
WR, Isaiah Williams
Williams has had a strong camp, and a big game would have been huge for his chances of making the roster. However, he did not record a catch, but committed a bad drop that almost resulted in an interception. He’ll look to bounce back in the second preseason game.
CB, DJ Ivey
Cincinnati’s secondary struggled in this one, and Ivey was a big part of it. The athletic CB has flashed in camp, but was giving up too much cushion, and got burned on a handful of plays during his live game action. He also missed a tackle. His special teams ability and athletic upside still gives him a strong chance to make the roster, but the team will surely like to see more.
CB, Jalen Davis
Davis also had a poor game and, like Ivey, was giving up too much cushion. His outing differs from Ivey’s in the sense that he played roughly a quarter of the snaps that Ivey did. However, he still managed to get beat on a downfield pass, and wasn’t great overall.
CB, Josh Newton
Newton only played one more snap than Davis, but got beat twice, with one being a deep shot. He is competing with Turner for the third spot behind Cam Taylor-Britt and Daxton Hill. The good news for him is that Turner didn’t have his best game, but the blips for Newton were more substantial, still.
DT, TJ Slaton
It was a small sample size, but Slaton was brought in by the Bengals to help against the run, which he wasn’t able to do in his first action as a Bengal. He was on the field for some big runs against, and failed to make an impact.
LB, Shaka Heyward
Heyward was solid against the run, but gave up a good handful of catches when in coverage. Not the worst performance in a more general sense, but he’ll need to do more to help his odds of cracking the roster.
