Bryan Cook is back in the mix for Cincinnati.
After missing time with what appeared to be a hamstring injury earlier in August, Cook has returned to team drills, a good sign that he’s moving back toward full football shape. Whether he suits up Friday in the preseason game at Philadelphia remains to be seen, but the Bengals appear to have him trending in the right direction for Week 1 of the regular season, as long as nothing else comes up.
The more immediate concern for Cincinnati came on Tuesday when Ja’Marr Chase went down awkwardly on his knee during practice and limped off. He didn’t come back, which naturally sent a jolt through Bengals fans. The team’s read on it was much calmer: it was a minor hyperextension, and Chase would have kept practicing if the staff hadn’t held him out.
While the roster picture keeps taking shape, the Bengals are still sorting out several jobs. Head coach Zac Taylor described the competition as a matter of finding the right kind of reliability.
“You’re looking for, I’ve said the word a lot, consistency,” the Bengals’ head coach said about the battle on Monday. “Who just wants to take it and run with it?
… We still have time on our hands and are still waiting to see someone just grab some of those jobs and take them. But we really got three practices this week.
It can go into next week as well. I know cuts are falling this week, but I really look at it as there being about five practices left to sort all that out.
That fight for spots has also shaped the conversation around the team’s camp standouts. Three names have been floated as MVP-type performers this summer: wide receivers Dohnte Meyers and Colbie Young, along with defensive tackle Landon Robinson. All three are rookies, even though Meyers is 26, and each has made a real push to crack the 53-man roster.
Meyers, the former CFL signee, has been especially hard to ignore. He’s been impressive all through camp and made a strong impression on people around the building, enough to give him an edge over Charlie Jones, who remains one of the NFL’s best returners.
And then there’s the message that landed with Bengals fans as the day rolled on:
“History has a way of repeating itself and there’s no place I’d want to formally announce my retirement, than the place that started it all for me and gave me my chance. The place I will always think of as my second home and will always hold a special place in me and my family’s heart.
The place where we won a playoff game for the first time since before I was born, and went on an odds defying run to the Super Bowl. A place I’ve met people who have become like brothers to me.
Cincinnati, thank you for everything. Who Dey Forever.”
In Other News...
Bengals Have A New 53-Man Roster Debate Fans Will Love
The Bengals have opened the preseason 2-0, and the early games have already sharpened a familiar August conversation in Cincinnati: which fringe players have done enough to stick around when the roster gets trimmed. A handful of names have kept popping up in that discussion, with Dohnte Meyers, Colbie Young, Landon Robinson, Isaiah Foskey and Swayze Bozeman each making a case to be more than just camp bodies as the team sorts through the final weeks of evaluation.
For a roster that still has some decisions to make before the August 30 cutdown deadline, the competition has become the kind of problem coaches usually welcome. The performances so far have created a new debate fans can really lean into, because the preseason standings may not matter much in the long run, but the individual battles behind them could help shape the depth chart in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Need More From This New Safety Than Just An Arrival
JaMarr Chases brief practice scare was more of a passing annoyance than a real alarm, but it still offered a reminder of how quickly training camp can test Cincinnatis depth and focus. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals have been easing Bryan Cook back into the mix after a hamstring injury, and his return has brought a little extra buzz because he is not just another newcomer trying to settle in. Hes a Cincinnati native who already knows what it means to put on a show in this city, and now hes getting his footing again in individual work and defensive back drills.
For a secondary that needs steadiness as much as splash, Cooks next steps matter well beyond simply being present on the field. The Bengals brought him in with the idea that he could help anchor a defense that wants more reliability in the back end, and his return to practice is an encouraging sign after the setback. What comes next is still the key question, though, because getting back on the field is only the first part of the job. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Still Have A Few Roster Holes At The Worst Time
The Bengals are at the stage of camp where every decision starts to feel magnified, and this weeks move toward a 53-man roster is exposing a few spots that still look unsettled. Swing tackle and running back depth are among the areas drawing the most attention, especially with injuries already complicating the picture and making the back end of the roster more important than usual.
There are names out there if Cincinnati wants to get aggressive, with Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin and Steelers offensive lineman Jack Driscoll among the potential upgrades being discussed. The question now is whether the Bengals see enough urgency to add help before roster cuts force their hand, or whether theyre willing to ride into the season with the depth chart they have and hope it holds up. [Read more 🡒]