CINCINNATI – When the Cincinnati Bengals face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tonight at Paycor Stadium, the starters are going to see more action than they have in any preseason game since head coach Zac Taylor’s first season in 2019.
Taylor has listened to the feedback from the leaders in the locker room, and the team knows it has to reverse its trend of poor starts if it wants to be in the mix not just for a playoff berth, but for multiple postseason games at home.
But while Taylor intends to play more guys than usual, a number of Bengals are still not expected to see action against the Buccaneers.
A Few Bengals Starts Will Not Play Tonight
That group includes:
- Tycen Anderson, safety
- Trent Brown, offensive tackle
- Cole Burgess, wide receiver
- Ja’Marr Chase, wide receiver
- Domenique Davis, defensive tackle
- Sam Hubbard, defensive end
- D.J. Ivey II, cornerback
- McKinnley Jackson, defensive tackle
- Devonnsha Maxwell, defensive tackle
- Charlie Jones, wide receiver
- D’Ante Smith, offensive tackle
- Jay Tufele, defensive tackle
With the exception of Chase, who has skipped the first 12 practices of training camp to express his displeasure with the progress of negotiations toward a new contract, the absences are injury-related.
Hubbard has missed the last several practices with a knee injury that has him listed as “week to week,” per Taylor.
Trey Hendrickson returned to practice this week for the first time since the first day of camp, participating in individual drills Wednesday and full team drills Thursday.
Hendrickson may not end up playing tonight, but he could see a few snaps, which is why he’s not on the “not expected” list.
FREE: Subscribe to PFN’s NFL Newsletter
Safety and special teams ace Anderson is the healthiest player on the list, but he’s just nine months removed from ACL surgery. Although he’s been fully participating in practice, the team is proceeding with caution in the preseason opener.
Brown started camp on the Non-Football Injury list, but he passed his physical Sunday and participated in a couple of practices this week, albeit only in individual drills.
Look for first-round pick Amarius Mims to possibly stay in a series or two after the starters go out to give the coaches a more extended look after his limited playing time in college.
Jackson, the team’s third-round rookie defensive tackle, has a knee sprain and is week to week, Taylor said.
Listen to the PFN Bengals Podcast
Listen to the PFN Bengals Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Bengals Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Bengals Podcast on our NFL YouTube channel.