The Bengals closed the preseason exactly the way they wanted to Friday night, rolling past the Philadelphia Eagles 30-13 to finish unbeaten in the Zac Taylor era. For players hanging onto the roster bubble, it was one last chance to make a loud final statement before cutdown day.
A few guys did exactly that.
Dohnte Meyers kept building on an impressive summer with another strong showing, hauling in three targets for 51 yards. He was the one who helped drive the offense into field goal range for Evan McPherson’s first points of the night, then came out of the game and didn’t return.
After signing a futures contract with the Bengals in January, Meyers looked like a camp body at first. Now he has worked his way onto the final roster and, against the odds, put himself in position to matter right away in the regular season.
Mitchell Tinsley, Charlie Jones and Ke'Shawn Williams all turned in useful nights as well. Tinsley made his lone catch count for 31 yards.
Jones added two receptions for 36 yards. Williams finished with four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown.
The catch is simple: only one of those three will stick as wide receiver six, and the other two likely won’t survive cutdown day even after productive finales. Whoever comes up short should still draw interest elsewhere in the league.
Tacario Davis also made his presence felt in a big way. The Bengals’ top pick showed why the team invested in him, picking off his first NFL pass on a throw intended for first-round pick Makai Lemon.
He wasn’t done there, either, finishing with two pass break-ups, including one-on-one against Lemon, plus a tackle for loss. He’s become a key part of Cincinnati’s cornerback depth.
On the other side of the ledger, Jackson didn’t do enough to change his standing. He still hasn’t separated himself from Robinson or Kris Jenkins Jr. as defensive tackle depth, and his time in Cincinnati has already put him in the coaching staff’s doghouse. Another rough outing on Friday all but pushes him toward the next stop in his career.
Robinson, meanwhile, kept flashing. He got after Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee on the opening drive, helping set up Davis’ pass breakup, and wrapped up the preseason with two sacks in two games, seven pressures and a batted pass. At this point, he has shown more juice and more upside than Jackson, and he’ll keep working to carve out a bigger role in a crowded defensive tackle room.
The offensive line depth had some encouraging moments, especially inside. Brian Parker II, Lew and Bayer all looked comfortable against the Eagles’ front, with the group holding up well overall.
The only real blemishes were two false starts, one on Connor Lew and one on Jacob Bayer. Lew and Parker look safe for the roster, but the Bengals still need a way to keep Bayer around or use him in a deal to land a better swing tackle option.
That swing tackle spot remains unsettled. On a night when the focus was supposed to be there, neither Jalen Rivers nor Javon Foster did enough to inspire confidence. If Cincinnati wants a reliable answer there, Zac Taylor and his staff may need to look at cuts around the league or free agency.
The running back group had a rough night. Three separate fumbles - by Tahj Brooks, Gary Brightwell and Kentrell Bullock - made that impossible to ignore.
Jamal Haynes did rip off a 39-yard touchdown run, but he only touched the ball twice and had just five carries on the night against third- and fourth-string competition. Brooks, in particular, hasn’t done enough to feel secure on the final roster, and the Bengals could be looking for his replacement once waivers open after final cuts.
McPherson, though, looked every bit like the reliable kicker Cincinnati expects him to be. He’s been perfect on field goal attempts this preseason and appears to have strong timing with Ryan Rehkow as holder. On McPherson’s third field goal of the game, Rehkow handled a high snap from William Wagner and kept the operation clean from start to finish.
In Other News...
Bengals Just Gained Something They Desperately Needed Before Week 1
The Bengals left preseason with a 3-0 mark and a convincing 30-13 win over the Eagles, but the bigger takeaway was less about the score and more about what it suggested across the roster. Cincinnati looked deeper than it has in recent Augusts, with rookies and other key players showing enough in training camp and the preseason games to make the staff's job a lot more interesting when it comes to shaping the final roster.
For a team that wanted more dependable options before Week 1, that kind of depth is a welcome development. The coaching staff deserves credit for getting the group prepared and for squeezing real value out of August reps, and now the Bengals are heading into the regular season with some legitimate decisions to make about which players have done enough to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Have A Real Chance To Upgrade One Sneaky Roster Spot
The Bengals are heading into the leagues roster-cut deadline in relatively good shape, but Sundays move to 53 players still leaves a little room for intrigue. As the rest of the NFL trims down, Cincinnati can scan the waiver wire for a possible upgrade, and that usually means keeping an eye on players who flashed enough in the preseason to become available before the dust settles.
Among the names to watch are offensive tackle Cameron Williams and running backs Eli Heidenreich and Tyrone Tracy, all of whom could draw interest depending on how their current teams sort out their final spots. Cincinnati does not have a glaring emergency, but in this phase of the calendar even a sneaky roster spot can turn into a meaningful addition if the right player unexpectedly hits the market. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Final Roster Bubble Just Got Real For Several Young Players
With the NFL roster deadline set for Aug. 30 at 6 p.m., the Bengals are moving into the part of the preseason where every snap starts to matter a little more. Final 53-man projections are beginning to sort out the likely keepers from the longshots, and a few young players have already put themselves in position to stick around thanks to what they showed in preseason action.
Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers and linebacker Swayze Bozeman are among the names drawing attention as the depth chart gets tighter, but the full picture is still being shaped across several position groups. These projections are still just that, projections, and the next round of decisions will determine which bubble players survive and which ones are left waiting for another shot. [Read more 🡒]