Cincinnati finished 0-3 for the preseason, going winless in exhibition games for the second straight year. Now the Bengals coaching staff has all the information necessary to make final 53-man roster decisions by the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline, and next up is the opener Sept. 8 against New England.
Here are five takeaways from the preseason finale:
1. Charlie Jones could play multiple roles
A knee injury two days before the preseason opener meant Charlie Jones wasn’t able to play in the first two exhibition games, but came back with a splash Thursday when he returned the opening kickoff 48 yards.
Jones was the team’s punt returner last season but new kickoff rules make the kick returner more impactful, and the second-year player could end up doing both. He said he thinks he could handle both return roles and playing slot receiver if given a chance, and Thursday’s performance, particularly the way it started, was a good confidence boost.
“It was my first time really doing it live, so, I think I knew it was going to be a good call, and I knew that if the guys were doing what they’re supposed to, which they were and they always do it ... I always have confidence in them,” Jones said. “I saw the lane pretty quickly and just knew that this play was such a fast-hitting play that I couldn’t slow down through the lane. Great blocking. Hopefully we continue to have plays like that.”
2. Depth tested on D-line
The Bengals were already down Cam Sample (injured reserve) and McKinnley Jackson (leg) on the defensive line, but now Myles Murphy is out with a knee injury that ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported will cause him to miss four to six weeks.
That meant Thursday’s game was going to be important for keeping guys like Joseph Ossai and Kris Jenkins healthy and finding out who else might be able to contribute, so Ossai and Jenkins did not play.
Rookie sixth-round pick Cedric Johnson might have earned his spot at defensive end after building off a solid camp in these preseason games. His most notable play came at the end of the first half when he got pressure to Colts third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger as he attempted a pass that fell incomplete on a fourth-and-goal as time expired.
Taylor said the Bengals will “just take it week to week” with Murphy’s injury and see where he’s at closer to the season.
3. Woodside struggled in second start
Third-string quarterback Logan Woodside struggled to move the offense down the field until the fourth quarter and hasn’t looked great in his opportunities to get more playing time the last two games, but Taylor attributed some of that to the constant shuffling of players around him.
Woodside did finally get into a rhythm in the fourth quarter and connected with rookie Jermaine Burton on a go-ball for a 21-yard touchdown, and still finished with just 98 yards on 16-of-21 passing, despite playing all but three offensive snaps. He also had a fumble in the second half that led to a field goal drive for Indy.
Normally there wouldn’t be so much attention on what a third-string quarterback is doing, but with Joe Burrow’s backup, Jake Browning, out with a rib injury, Woodside might find himself the next man up.
“I think there’s a lot of moving pieces around you when you’re dealing with a lot of different players,” Taylor said. “It’s not just playing with the starters. You have a lot of different moving parts that you have to manage and I thought he did a good job managing.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. Starters appear settled
The fact that Dax Hill nor DJ Turner played at all could be an indication the coaching staff has seen enough to make a call regarding the starter. Based on recent practices, where Hill has been with the first-team defense, it would seem Hill has won that job, but Taylor said he’s not ready to name a starter.
“I just felt like we’d seen enough from those guys and to let some other guys have the opportunity,” Taylor said when asked why Hill and Turner didn’t play.
Rookie fifth-round pick Josh Newton played the entire game and looks to have some kind of role as the fourth outside cornerback. He had an up and down preseason but also showed a lot of flashy plays.
Among the other position battles, it would seem if Brad Robbins will be healthy enough to punt Week 1, he might have won the punter job by default. With Robbins sidelined because of a hip flexor injury, Ryan Rehkow once again struggled with consistency and was all over the board Thursday.
The Bengals will have some tough decisions to make at the back end of the roster, where only a handful of positions really seemed open for the taking. Injury prognoses will also play a factor.
5. Burton still has room to grow
Burton got more snaps in the finale than he did in previous weeks and once again he made plays, but he seems to be lacking the trust of the coaching staff and perhaps Burrow as his opportunities are coming mainly with the third-team guys.
The third-round draft pick is clearly talented and has time to continue to mature and develop as an NFL wide receiver; however, with Ja’Marr Chase not practicing all camp, there were more snaps for the taking and Burton wasn’t able to seize that window. Cincinnati also had the third receiver spot up for grabs and he never appeared in that mix this summer. He finished with a team-high four catches for 56 yards Thursday.
“Like all the rookies, there’s a growing process and improving in all the little details,” Taylor said. “You saw him make some plays tonight — that’s good. That’s the expectation when the ball is thrown his way, for him to be able to make the play.”
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