The Bengals came out of the preseason with a trimmed-down roster and a clear focus on the Sept. 13 home opener against the Buccaneers. The bigger immediate question, though, is health - and Zac Taylor offered some encouraging signs on a few key names.
Ja’Marr Chase is expected to be limited this week, but Taylor sounded confident about where things stand.
“He’ll be limited throughout the week, but I feel good about him,” he said about Chase. “Shemar will be on the rehab field this week. Tee has a little heel contusion that’ll limit him this week.”
That points to Chase and Tee Higgins being on track for Week 1, which is obviously welcome news for Cincinnati. Taylor also mentioned Shemar Stewart, who will be working on the rehab field this week.
The Bengals also made a move at quarterback on Monday, signing Josh Johnson to the practice squad. Johnson joins Sean Clifford on the practice squad, giving Cincinnati two quarterbacks there and adding another veteran presence to a room that already includes Joe Flacco. That means the Bengals now have two quarterbacks on their roster who are 40 years of age or older - Johnson and Flacco.
Taylor said the team is still looking to build depth with its recent additions.
“I feel like we added two guys to the mix, one on the 53, one on the practice squad, that have come in here and compete,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “We want to give all those guys a chance to continue to develop our depth that way.”
Another notable roster move came with Charlie Jones, the fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Cincinnati released Jones during final cuts after he had served as the team’s return specialist and competed for the WR6 job with Ke’Shawn Williams and Mitchell Tinsley. The Bengals kept Williams, and Jones has since landed on the New York Giants practice squad.
There was also a little color from the offensive line room, where Perine described one of the team’s big bodies in memorable terms.
“There are big people all around the league,” Perine said, “but usually when they’re that big, they have a little give because they’re a little bit fluffy-ish. But with him, it’s just like a massive ball of muscle and there’s no moving him.”
And from inside that group, the message was simple.
“We’ve got a real chance. We’ve got to play to it.
A deep team. We’ve got to play to it.
It’s an easy team to lead. A lot of guys that want to do the right thing all the time.
High energy guys, too. One of the toughest (offensive line) rooms I’ve ever been a part of.
Comes to work every day and fights through things.”
In Other News...
Bengals Suddenly Have A Week 1 Concern Fans Didn't Want
Tee Higgins missed Wednesdays practice with a heel contusion, giving the Bengals a little early-season unease as they turn toward Week 1. The expectation inside the building is still that Higgins will be ready for the opener, but any absence involving one of Joe Burrows top targets is enough to get attention this close to the start of the season.
JaMarr Chase also sat out with a hyperextended knee, though he is anticipated to play in the opener as well. Both injuries came during preseason activities, which makes this more of a timing issue than a long-term alarm, but Cincinnati would obviously prefer to get through the final stretch of preparations without any more setbacks for its receiving corps. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Have Found A Real Swing Tackle Option Already
The Bengals finished filling out their 16-player practice squad by adding offensive tackle Blake Freeland, cornerback Trikweze Bridges and defensive end Garmon Randolph, but Freeland is the name that stands out for the line. A former BYU standout and 2023 fourth-round pick of the Colts, the 25-year-old arrives with real NFL experience after appearing in 16 games and making nine starts as a rookie.
For Cincinnati, the appeal is obvious at a spot where depth can disappear quickly. Freeland also logged 153 preseason snaps recently, giving the Bengals another look at a player who could fit as a swing tackle if needed, and his addition at least gives the organization a viable option to develop while the rest of the roster settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Be Repeating A Risky Contract Mistake Again
A familiar Bengals question is starting to surface again as the team weighs when to get a deal done for one of its key players. An NFL insider raised concerns that Cincinnati could be risking the same kind of contract timing issue it has faced before, with salary cap pressure potentially nudging the club toward a delay instead of moving early. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to keep its core intact, the decision carries added weight.
The backdrop matters because Cincinnati is also sorting through injury updates and hearing more from players about where the team stands heading into the next stretch. Those little signals can shape how urgently the front office wants to act, especially when the roster outlook and the cap sheet are both in play. The bigger question now is whether the Bengals will treat this as a routine offseason negotiation, or as another one of those moments where waiting too long could make the outcome more complicated. [Read more 🡒]