Bengals preseason opener: 5 who impressed, 4 who struggled and one who made you think

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals opened the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday by getting Joe Burrow and the starting offense exhibition work for the first time since three snaps in 2021. He went one series, threw a touchdown to old friend Tee Higgins, then took a seat on the bench. 

The starting defense also got a series. It pitched a quick three-and-out, then the majority of starters went to the bench for jokes and interviews.

It was a stark difference from last season, when the starting defense had one drive in Atlanta and the Falcons went 15 plays, gaining 106 yards (thanks to penalties) and Cincinnati got an interception to keep them off the board. That drive was an omen for what would unfold during a disappointing 2023 for the Bengals’ defense and they hope the three-and-out will do the same for a bounce-back. 

Beyond the general success of the starters, many others made an impression — good and bad — in the 17-14 Bucs win. 

Here are five players who helped themselves, four who didn’t and one who gave the team something to think about.

Players who helped themselves

QB Joe Burrow and WR Tee Higgins

They don’t exactly need help, but the two got exactly what they wanted out of their first preseason work together. 

Despite a tumultuous offseason, Higgins arrived in camp focused and gradually ramping up to his expected high level of play. That continued on his one drive with Burrow. He caught a quick hit on the first play of the game and then made a slick catch-and-run for a 10-yard touchdown. He’s right where he needs to be to attack his franchise tag year a month ahead of the opener against the Patriots.

WE ARE SO BACK.

📺: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/K29LBRj5cs

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 10, 2024

Meanwhile, Burrow’s ideal preseason scenario involved one drive, a touchdown and wearing a hat on the sideline. He did just that. A silly defensive pass interference by the Bucs helped along the way, but Burrow’s first game action post-wrist surgery checked every box. He launched a ball deep for Higgins (it was nearly completed against double coverage), ripped it into the intermediate, managed the team through a red zone possession and got the touchdown to Higgins. 

If this night was about the procedure of going through a game with everyone once before the regular season starts, he goes to bed knowing he’s as prepared for an opener as in any year as a pro — and there are still two joint practices and four weeks to go.

“It’s always nice to get the feeling of a real game out there,” Burrow said. “Go through your pregame routine, pregame warmups, run out with the team, be in front of fans. It was a nice start.”

OT Amarius Mims

The first-round pick spent the offseason and first three weeks of training camp impressing everyone around him with how quickly he’d taken to the job of starting right tackle and his approach to learning the position. 

To keep his momentum going toward winning the Week 1 starting job, he needed to not fall on his face in his first game action. He did the opposite. Mims held up well for his two drives of action, specifically the 12-play touchdown drive by Burrow, where the QB wasn’t touched. 

Trent Brown has 10 years’ experience in the league, but his lack of reps next to Alex Cappa and the impression made by Mims has the rookie continuing on a track toward starting immediately.

CB Josh Newton

While trying to track down Bucs receiver Trey Palmer across the field in the first quarter, the fifth-round rookie ended up decleated and on the ground being tended to by trainers near the goal line after catching a hit across the chest he never saw coming.

“It’s the league,” Newton said. “So, welcome to the league.”   

The team has liked the rookie corner’s tenacity and energy, which showed up in the way he rebounded later in the half. Newton high-pointed a Kyle Trask pass intended for Ryan Miller and snared the interception. He’s got a knack for finding the ball, something he’s done quite a bit in camp. To bounce back from the early shock to turn in one of the biggest plays of the day for the defense speaks to what he can grow into. 

Makin’ moves out there @BumpnRunFig

📺: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0BBmY02kG2

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 10, 2024

There will be mistakes, and he makes his share, but making plays and staying relentless will help him carve out a spot as an active corner on game day. 

“It’s a dream come true,” Newton said of the interception. “First of many.”

DE Myles Murphy

Considering his pedigree, his flashes in the second half of last season and the Buccaneers playing backup tackles, you would expect Murphy to make his presence felt across 22 snaps. The fact he did is a good sign. 

On one play, he looked close to a free shot on Trask, but he appeared to be held. It wasn’t called. He got a big hit on Trask rolling out to the right on a ball the QB would complete downfield. 

Murphy did whip the left tackle and force Trask to throw the ball away on a later play. He found his way into the backfield with regularity and continued to prove he probably belongs with the group wearing hats on the sideline the rest of the preseason.

WR Jermaine Burton

The third-round rookie was surprisingly relegated to the third-string receiver group and logged only five snaps through the first three quarters. He’s endured standard rookie receiver struggles in camp, but expectations have still been sky-high since he was selected No. 80 out of Alabama. 

Why couldn’t he crack the two-deep rotation? 

Coach Zac Taylor said it was less about Burton than the fact that the second-string offense couldn’t get anything going.

That answer might not matter after Burton’s performance in the fourth quarter. He made a nice catch on his first reception of the night, deep in the Bengals’ own end. Later, he showed what he was truly drafted for. Burton left cornerback Andrew Hayes grasping at air as he used a hesitation move up the sideline to break free for a 37-yard touchdown reception from Logan Woodside. 

Slidin’ in @NASAMAINE3

📺: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/BJH8zredZi

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 11, 2024

He repeated the feat, hauling in a contested 38-yarder on the Bengals’ final drive. Burton, who says he tries to emulate Higgins in practice, did the same thing Higgins does when left one-on-one.

“I pretty much just saw man coverage,” Burton said. “It’s a standard here to make big plays, especially when your number is called. I got two great leaders that set that standard for us and other receivers around me. There’s a lot of pride when I see something like that.”

The Bengals have been desperate to find more explosive plays in their offense this season, and that’s why Burton made sense as a pick. That’s exactly what they envisioned. Perhaps with that play, he’ll rise to the second team and start climbing the depth chart toward a role on opening day. 

“I was happy to see my guys make plays and compete and watch them in live action for the first time,” Burton said. “It was dope to walk out the same locker room as those guys. I just stayed patient. I knew time was going to come sooner or later. I just had to be ready for it.”

GO DEEPER

Bengals rookie report: Grading 10 draft picks and their progress in training camp

Players who didn’t

DT Kris Jenkins

Jenkins started with veterans Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill resting among a beaten-up defensive line room. The second-round rookie out of Michigan was selected in part to help fix the run defense problems that dogged the club last season, issues that were exacerbated by the loss of D.J. Reader. 

While Jenkins had a few solid plays, it was hard to miss the visual of him getting blown off the spot and pancaked by Bucs right guard Cody Mauch while running back Bucky Irving cake-walked through a massive hole for a 5-yard touchdown run. 

Bucky Irving gets the @Buccaneers on the board!

📱: Stream #TBvsCIN on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/QmESgHNX5U

— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024

On the next drive, a double team drove Jenkins out of the point of attack and on his back while Irving used that space for 5 yards. There’s always a disclaimer for any rookie in his first professional game, but Jenkins needs to look more stout next week at Chicago.

OT Jackson Carman

This feels like an annual rite of summer in Cincinnati where I have to write about how the 2021 second-round pick disappointed in the preseason opener. Only, in the past, Carman’s failures ended up in a slip down the depth chart or behind his competition in a position battle. 

This time around, it could leave him off the roster altogether. 

Carman logged three (!) holding penalties (one was declined) and a false start Saturday, and that’s before dissecting his unspectacular execution of the plays he didn’t get flagged on. His cap hit increases this year in the fourth year of his rookie deal, and paying more money for whatever that effort was on Saturday won’t fly on cutdown day.

QB Jake Browning and the entire second-team offense

Once Burrow completed his touchdown drive, Browning and the twos took over. Considering how well Browning played and his experience gained last year, this would seem to be a spot where he could parlay that into a few preseason scoring drives. 

There was none of that.

Here were Browning’s possessions: 

“We couldn’t get anything going,” Taylor said. “It was ugly.”

Browning finished 10 of 18 for 52 yards and the interception. His passer rating was 37.7, while both Burrow and Woodside led touchdown drives and were over 130. 

Whether the struggling running game that averaged just 2.8 yards per carry, receivers not making plays or Browning missing opportunities, none of it worked, making for a notable disappointment that clouded the evening.

Ground games

Preseason games mark the first opportunity to truly judge where the run game stands. That goes for both offense and defense. Neither were very good last year for Cincinnati, and they were again not good in the preseason debut. 

The Bengals had a long run of 7 yards, and that came on a scramble from Woodside on the final play of the game. 

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay was able to find chunks on the ground. The Bucs finished with 136 yards on 32 carries (4.3 average). That included a 26-yard chunk by Sean Tucker. 

One who gave you something to think about

CB Dax Hill

In his first game as an outside cornerback, Hill played the entire first half and found himself in the mix on repeat. He finished with three pass deflections, including what was inches away from an impressive interception, tipping a pass in the air and coming down with it before the ball dislodged when he hit the ground. It was close enough that Taylor considered reviewing it for a moment.

For Hill to get his hands on the ball that much speaks to the potential the team sees in his move from safety. 

“I saw him around the ball a lot today,” Taylor said.

The biggest play made against him, however, shows the details he’s still yet to master. 

Trask threw a softer pass deep to Rakim Jarrett while under pressure on a third down. Hill was in coverage and had Jarrett blanketed while the ball floated in his direction. But Hill never got his head around to spot the ball, and Jarrett made a tough, contested catch for the longest gain of the day by the Bucs. 

Hill said after the game he felt “comfortable” in his first game action playing outside. Even with comfort, he’s still a work in progress. 

The play was a prime example of what’s so close, yet so far with Hill. Being in position to make the play — and the three he got his hands on — is the hard part, but the finishing instincts to understand the moment to locate the ball in those situations are currently holding him back as he grows into the new position. 

“I looked back too late,” Hill said. “Really just getting my head around and tracking the ball, that’s something I can do better at. Hopefully next time I get my hands on the ball. Those (details) kind of separate you from being a good and great corner.”

(Photo of Tee Higgins: Katie Stratman / USA Today)

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