The Bengals walked out of Thursday’s 16-14 preseason win over the Detroit Lions looking like a team with a different heartbeat.
That’s the biggest takeaway from the opener. Cincinnati spent the offseason making an unusually aggressive push to reload the roster, and the early signs point to a franchise that’s finally acting like it’s all-in for a Super Bowl and committed to doing right by Joe Burrow. After the uncertainty that hung over the defense around this time last year, the mood around this group feels a lot lighter.
The most obvious change showed up with the offense working more under center. It wasn’t perfect - far from it - but it was notable that Zac Taylor and the coaching staff are already leaning into a different way of doing things. Burrow can still shred defenses from the gun and spread the field, but the Bengals are clearly trying to add more under-center snaps, especially in the run game, to help protect him over the long haul.
That shift should matter for Chase Brown. The No. 1 back only finished with five carries for 16 yards against Detroit, but the bigger point is that Cincinnati seems to be building a more creative structure around him.
That’s a welcome development for a player entering a contract year. And compared with the mess Brown ran into at the start of last season, this is a very different setup.
The line in front of him also looks steadier, with all starters back in place. That alone changes the feel of the run game and takes away some of the early-season panic that has followed this offense before.
The defense, meanwhile, at least gave off the vibe of a unit that won’t be an automatic problem in 2026.
Brown said not long ago that he thinks this defense can be top-10, maybe even top-five, and that quote still hangs out there waiting to be judged. Thursday gave the Bengals something to work with. The first series ended with a takeaway, as DJ Turner’s tight coverage helped set up Jordan Battle’s interception.
The secondary already looks like a strength, with Turner and Dax Hill on the boundary and Bryan Cook - the ex-Chiefs standout and Cincinnati native - joining Battle at safety. That part of the defense was expected to hold up. The more interesting development came up front after the starters left the field.
Rookie seventh-rounder Landon Robinson flashed a few times as an interior pass rusher. Second-round pick Cashius Howell didn’t get an individual sack credit, but he shared one with Kris Jenkins Jr.
And Swayze Bozeman, a May waiver-wire pickup, may have given himself a real shot at the third linebacker job behind Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. Bozeman had a run stop that dropped Detroit for a 4-yard loss, and he’s already making the linebacker picture look a lot better on paper.
For Taylor, the night offered a glimpse of what he needs most: a clean start. The Bengals were 2-0 last year and still looked sluggish on offense, then the protection broke down in Week 2 and Burrow went down with turf toe. The same old slow-start issues were back in play.
This season, Taylor has to show he can avoid that trap. He’s the only AFC North head coach who kept his job, and the pressure will land on him if this doesn’t work.
Duke Tobin isn’t going anywhere. Burrow has stayed with Taylor throughout his career.
But if this season goes sideways, the whole thing could get messy in Cincinnati.
The good news is that Burrow still has Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins leading the passing game, and that kind of continuity should give the Bengals a real edge. Thursday didn’t answer every question, but it did make one thing clear: this is not the same old Bengals.
In Other News...
Landon Robinson Just Turned Up The Heat On A Bengals Roster Battle
Landon Robinson wasted little time making his preseason case in his first live action for the Bengals, logging 45 defensive snaps against the Lions and flashing the kind of interior pressure that can get a coaching staffs attention. The seventh-round picks path already makes him easy to root for - a high school linebacker turned defensive tackle whose work ethic and physical development have helped him carve out a real shot in a crowded room.
Cincinnatis defensive tackle group is deep enough that every snap matters, and Robinsons debut only adds another layer to an already interesting numbers game. His run defense still has room to grow, but the bigger question now is how the Bengals will sort out the back end of the position group as roster decisions get tougher, especially with Kris Jenkins status part of the larger equation. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Get One Defensive Boost But Another Concern Isn't Going Away
The Bengals got back to work after their preseason opener against the Lions, and the first signs from practice were mixed in the way camp often is in August. B.J. Hill finally made his training camp debut after rehabbing an ankle injury, giving Cincinnati a needed boost on the defensive front, while Tacario Davis also returned after sitting out the exhibition game. The team went through offensive and defensive drills with joint work against the Bears coming later in the week, and there were some bright moments on the field from D.J. Ivey along with touchdowns by Tee Higgins and Colbie Young.
Still, one of the more watchful storylines around the defense is not disappearing anytime soon. Myles Murphy briefly left practice after dealing with cramps, then walked off under his own power, which kept the focus on a unit trying to get healthier and more settled before the next round of live work. The Bengals have enough moving pieces already, and every return helps, but camp always has a way of reminding a team that the injury picture can change quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Is Now Part Of An NFL Debate Fans Will Notice
The NFL has been leaning harder into lifestyle content lately, and training camp has become a clear part of that push. Social feeds have been filled with more personal snapshots of players and their partners as the league looks for new ways to connect with female fans, with Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow among the names that have surfaced in that mix. It is a noticeable shift in how the league presents its stars, moving beyond the field and into the moments that make them feel more accessible.
The timing also says plenty about where the league thinks the conversation is headed. The Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift relationship showed how much attention can be generated when football and celebrity culture overlap, even as some of that buzz led to public questions about how authentic the fascination really was. For Bengals fans, it is another reminder that Burrow and the sports biggest names are now part of a broader debate over how the NFL markets itself, and what kind of audience it wants to keep pulling in. [Read more 🡒]