W2L4: Reserves Get Their Chance To Shine Against Bears Starters, Key Roles Still Up For Grabs

Bengals (0-1, preseason) at Bears (2-0, preseason) Sat., Aug. 17 at Soldier Field (grass), 1 p.m. ET, TV: Bengals Preseason Network FOX 19, WXIX-TV (Cincinnati) Mike Watts, Anthony Munoz, Marisa Contipelli. Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530

CHICAGO – Joe Burrow and the first-team offense had their big work of the week in the pouring rain on Thursday in joint practice.

The back-ups will get their chance to shine in the sun Saturday as the Bengals play their second preseason game against the Bears at historic Soldier Field.

Burrow was transported back in time one year to the regular season opener in rain on Lake Erie when the Bengals couldn’t do anything offensively and fell, 24-6, to the Browns.

This year, the Bengals should be able to run the ball better and that was on full display Thursday as Chase Brown and Zack Moss were able to run behind an offensive line that made space against the Bears defensive front on the wet grass. The focus isn’t on the explosive plays as much as it is fitting the run game into what the Bengals are trying to do as a whole on offense.

“Yeah, it’s tough to say. We’ll see when Week 1 comes,” Burrow said of a potentially improved run offense. “But I feel like our run game is matching up with our play action, is matching up with all of our formations really well right now. O-line is really happy with the schemes we have in. So, we’re moving in the right direction.”

As for the throwing, Burrow completed just over half of his 32 pass attempts in the multiple periods of 11-on-11s. Burrow’s short tosses to Brown and Moss were effective. Burrow also tossed touchdown passes to Mike Gesicki and Trenton Irwin over the middle.

“We ran the ball. It’s tough to throw in the rain like that,” Burrow said. “But I thought the run game was good.

“The ball is slick. It’s tough to hold and tough to throw the ball outside the numbers and down the field. But it was good to get that work.”

Burrow got his work in Thursday so he can sit back and watch Logan Woodside and Rocky Lombardi compete for what could either be a backup role or a practice squad spot on the Bengals roster, or even possibly catch the eye of another team who might be interested.

“It’s nice to get some new faces across from you,” Burrow said. “It’s tough because you’re not game planning against them so you don’t watch tape or you’re not going out to beat their coverage. You have your plays. They have theirs. So that’s always a challenge. But it was good work overall.

This joint practice was a first for Burrow who didn’t take part in the prior two seasons of combined work against the Rams and Packers.

“Those are reps I haven’t had for the last couple of years,” Burrow said. “The more reps you get before the season starts, the better you’re going to be.”

After a preseason game and a joint practice, where does Burrow feel he is in terms of his own progress?

“I’m happy with where I’m at,” Burrow told me. “We got a couple more weeks of good work before we play our first game. So a lot of reps to improve on. But we’re moving in the right direction.”

Even without Ja’Marr Chase on the field, Burrow says he’s making good progress toward where he and the offense need to be on Sept. 8 against the Patriots.

“I feel confident in the guys that we have out there,” Burrow said. “They’re working hard and getting better every single day and going out and making plays. So I have confidence in everybody in that room.”

Burrow’s next time on the field in true competition will come next Tuesday against the Colts in the the final joint practice of training camp. What remains to be accomplished between now and Week 1?

“Just continue to get better,” he said. “Learn from mistakes, learn from every rep. Watch the tape, get better every day.”

And one more joint practice will be enough in his mind.

“Yeah, when game one comes, I’ll be ready,” he said. “Doesn’t matter if we have one or not. Another one is going to be nice but we’ll be ready.”

One down, one to go:

Entering this offseason, the Bengals were hopeful to extend two key pieces of their franchise, Ja’Marr Chase and Evan McPherson. On Friday, McPherson got the extension he was looking for. The kicker, entering his fourth NFL season, agreed to a three-year, $16.5 million deal, including $10 million in new money in the deal’s first year.

A fifth-round pick out of Florida in 2021, McPherson has made 78 of 93 total field goal attempts, including just one miss inside 40 yards, and 126 of 132 on PATs. McPherson has a franchise record 21 field goals of more than 50 yards, including a franchise best 59-yarder.

McPherson has been one of the best clutch kickers in NFL postseason history, going a perfect 19-for-19, including all three from 50-plus yards, in seven career games. He won playoff games against Tennessee and Kansas City on the final play.

Here’s what to look for:

When the Bengals have the ball:

Logan Woodside, Rocky Lombardi:
With Joe Burrow sitting this one out and Jake Browning out with a rib injury, Logan Woodside gets a chance to improve to 4-0 in the preseason in his NFL career. Cincinnati’s seventh-round pick in 2018 out of Toledo was impressive last week in relief of Browning, going 8-for-12 for 149 yards and a 37-yard touchdown to Jermaine Burton down the left sideline late in the fourth quarter. Lombardi, the rookie undrafted QB out of Northern Illinois via Michigan State, will be making his NFL preseason debut, as he did not get into last week’s game.

Receiving corps:
Jermaine Burton is the one to watch here. Playing against the Bears defense, can he make some of the same plays he made Saturday against Tampa Bay? He caught three passes on four targets for 82 yards. He is an explosive playmaker and this is another chance to show the coaching staff that he is assimilating to the playbook. Charlie Jones is not likely to get into the game but the fact he was on the field for Thursday’s joint practice is a good sign. Look for Shedrick Jackson, Kwamie Lassiter II, Hakeem Butler, Cole Burgess and Kendric Pryor to all get good looks.

Running backs: Zack Moss and Chase Brown did their thing on Thursday. Trayveon Williams will get the bulk of the work with the twos while Elijah Collins and Noah Cain will get the bulk of the work. Chris Evans is out with a left knee injury and is expected to miss the entire season.

Cody Ford: Amarius Mims is rehabbing a strained pec, Trent Brown left practice with lower back stiffness midway through Thursday, so veteran Cody Ford is the next man up here. He looked good in practice on Thursday in the rain in the run game. Jackson Carman again needs a bounce-back game after two holdings and a false start against Tampa Bay. Carman is literally fighting for a roster spot at this point and with the injuries, he’s been gifted an opportunity to show he still has value.

When the Bears have the ball:

Dax Hill, DJ Turner and secondary: Cam Taylor-Britt and the starting secondary will sit this one out but Hill and Turner will get a chance to work on their game and make a statement in the competition as the Bears first team offense with quarterback Caleb Williams will start this game. DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze will get reps with their star quarterback. Watch for Josh Newton and Daijahn Anthony to make big impacts at slot corner and safety, respectively.

Kris Jenkins Jr.: Jenkins, the second-rounder out of Michigan, gets another chance to show speed and quickness on the inside against Chicago’s starting line. Jenkins had several good reps Thursday and looks to continue that in a game.

Punter: Brad Robbins is out injured and now it’s Ryan Rehkow’s show. The undrafted rookie out of BYU has made a positive impression and now gets the chance to shine in potentially wet weather. He was the holder in the monsoon Thursday at practice as Evan McPherson went 5-of-7. Rehkow did a nice job fielding a couple of low snaps. A good-to-very good showing here and the job could be swinging in his favor. The holding in this game is a critical aspect to watch.

Bottom Line:

This game presents a chance for the back-ups and third team players to show their value against Chicago’s starters and second-unit players. Logan Woodside, Ryan Rehkow, Jackson Carman, Domenique Davis, Maema Njongmeta, Zach Carter all have jobs on the line. The Bengals haven’t won a preseason game since beating the Rams, 16-7, in the 2022 finale. They are just 2-7-1 in their last ten, for what that’s worth. The Bears are playing this preseason like it means building momentum with a young and talented roster.

Bengals 26, Bears 24