The Bengals are moving into the second week of preseason with a little more clarity and a few more questions still hanging around.
After opening with a 16-14 win over the Lions at home, Cincinnati has already seen a mix of both ends of camp: some players shaking off rust, others looking more game-ready. The roster battle side of things has been just as active, with starters getting work and plenty of fringe players trying to make their case. The next test comes Saturday at home against the Bears, and practice has already picked back up in preparation.
One of the sharper developments from Tuesday came from cornerback Josh Newton. By most accounts, Newton has struggled through camp, to the point that some have wondered if he can hold onto a spot on the 53-man roster. But he put together a strong day Tuesday, picking off one pass and breaking up another on a third-and-long throw to Charlie Jones.
“Man-to-man backside, we like to run a lot of digs in our offense backside when it is 3 by 1 (receivers on a side). I was in front and had the leverage. Anytime your man-to-man backside three by one, you’re hot,” he said, per bengals.com beat writer Geoff Hobson.
There’s also a push for Cincinnati to look at the running back market. John Sheeran made the case for the Bengals to add Khalil Herbert, who was recently released by the San Francisco 49ers. Sheeran pointed back to Cincinnati trading for Herbert in 2024 when Zack Moss’ injury thinned the depth chart, and he noted that the group behind Chase Brown and Samaje Perine still doesn’t look as sturdy as it should.
On the defensive side, the conversation around depth continues elsewhere too. Paul Dehner Jr. identified linebacker and cornerback as two positions that still qualify as “positions of need” as the Bengals continue through the preseason. He also pointed to offensive tackle on the other side of the ball, where the team is leaning heavily on Orlando Brown Jr., Amarius Mims and a lot of faith in Cody Ford.
Brown, for his part, sounded comfortable with where he’s at after a rough rep against the Lions. “I feel really confident,” Brown said.
“Normally at this time I would feel a lot more rusty than I have. But at this point, I feel pretty good.”
And while some players are pushing to move up the depth chart, others are being held out for now. Taylor said Hill and Cook will not play in this game. “They will not play in this game, so we’ll get them through the week and then see where that lands going into next week,” Taylor said about Hill and Cook.
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