The Bengals went up against the Green Bay Packers in what was the preseason opener last Friday. The Bengals were not playing any of their starters, but with the Packers looking to give their starters a few drives, it was a good test for the depth guys looking to make a statement. Though some preseason games can be bland, this one certainly had its share of statements, both good and bad.
Winners:
S, Tycen Anderson
Anderson entered the offseason in a battle for a roster spot, and after a solid training camp leading up to the preseason, his performance in the game has likely already secured him a spot on the 53. He did well to jump a route and get a pick 6, which got the Bengals back in the game. Anderson then proceeded to intercept another pass later on.
S, Daxton Hill
After losing Jessie Bates in free agency, Dax Hill has been one of the key names to watch this offseason, given that he is penciled into that starting FS spot. Early in the game, Hill had an unbelievable pass breakup, in which he bailed out DJ Turner, who had been beaten on the play. The range that Hill showed, as a single high S, to fly over and make the play has to be encouraging for Bengals fans.
RB, Chris Evans
Evans is competing for a spot on this team, despite showing over the past couple of years that he can make plays in limited opportunities. In his action during the first preseason game, Evans continued to make an impact when on the field, with his 33 yard run being the highlight. I also thought he was solid in pass protection.
TE, Tanner Hudson
Hudson entered the offseason as a deep reserve at the TE position, but he has taken advantage of the team’s severe lack of depth at the position, seemingly entering the TE2 conversation. He has been solid in camp thus far, and the same can be said for his performance in the preseason opener. His 4 receptions for 29 yards won’t blow you away, but he did enough to get noticed.
DT, Jay Tufele
Tufele flashed potential in a limited role last year, and the flashes were there again in the preseason opener. He was able to get into the backfield multiple times, including for a nice tackle for a loss on a run play. The Bengals need more pressure from the inside this year, and Tufele may be able to help.
DT, Domenique Davis
Davis was another one of those interior defensive linemen to stand out. He had a few nice reps where he was disruptive for the Green Bay offensive line. It was his pressure that forced Clifford into rushing his pass, which led to Tycen Anderson’s pick 6. He also recovered a fumble later on. The numbers game won’t make it easy for him to crack the 53 man roster, but Davis is certainly making his case to sneak on.
DE, Raymond Johnson
Johnson was noticeable on a few of his snaps, coming off the edge. On one play, he was able to win around the edge and get the strip sack. The resulting fumble was recovered by Domenique Davis. As I mentioned with Davis, the numbers game will make it tough for Johnson. But at the very least, continuing on this path should secure him a spot on the practice squad.
S, Jordan Battle
With all eyes on Daxton Hill entering the game, and a lot of the postgame talk being on Tycen Anderson, Battle’s performance has somewhat flown under the radar. He didn’t exactly light the place up, but with an impressive tackle and then a pass breakup, these positive glimpses are worth mentioning, with the hope being that he can eventually fill Vonn Bell’s old role/
WR, Trenton Irwin
Irwin only made one catch, but it was a catch and run that went for 32 yards. With Charlie Jones underwhelming, Irwin might have just taken the lead for the WR4 spot. That is, if he wasn’t already in the lead.
WR, Andrei Iosivas
Iosivas is still visibly raw from a technical standpoint, but the size/speed combo was on full display in the preseason opener. He was targeted often, and seemed to improve as the game went on, at times, showing strong hands and the ability to win downfield. Iosivas finished with 4 receptions for 50 yards.
K, Evan McPherson
I debated even including him, given that the preseason is more so about evaluating the various battles, and McPherson is well established into his role. But even though we have somewhat become accustomed to his consistency, it is still worth shouting out. McPherson went 4/4 with a long of 51, while also making his lone extra point attempt.
Losers:
Reserve OL
The backups got all of the action in this one and, for the most part, it did not go well. Jake Browning was facing pressure early in the game, and things didn’t change much by the time Trevor Siemian was in.
Jackson Carman had some solid moments, but then really took a nosedive in the 4th quarter. At this point, I feel safe saying that he is exclusively a LT. On that note, Jonah Williams has won the RT battle, though I’m not sure how much of a battle it really was in the first place.
Cody Ford also did not look good in his first preseason action as a Bengal. A once highly touted prospect, I was looking for Ford to prove that he is more than just name value. Unfortunately, he was unable to do that in game 1.
Other guys like Trey Hill and Jaxson Kirkland also had some rough moments. The OL play wasn’t completely negative, however. Though I didn’t include them in the winners section, I thought D’Ante Smith and Nate Gilliam were decent. A lot of competition will remain, heading into the next game.
QB’s, Jake Browning & Trevor Siemian
Browning and Siemian are battling for the backup position, but I didn’t think either did enough to make me feel comfortable about this situation. Siemian was the better of the two, in my opinion, showing better arm strength and better accuracy (used loosely). Still, neither one handled pressure particularly well, and there were too many missed throws by both of them.
WR, Charlie Jones
Jones ends up in the losers category after a disappointing performance in the preseason opener. In all fairness, he is reportedly playing through a torn labrum. But with his lacklustre performance, he has likely ceded significant ground to Trenton Irwin in the WR4 battle. I don’t want to overreact to one game either, but if this keeps up, he might fall behind Iosivas as well.
CB, Sidney Jones
Jones is battling for the CB4 job with DJ Turner, but was beaten multiple times in the opener, including one for a TD. The good news for Jones is that his coverage was decent on some of those plays, but going forward, he’ll have to do a better job of getting his head turned in order to break up the pass.
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