Zac Taylor walked into Cincinnati in 2019 with a dream, like every other new head coach: bring home a Super Bowl title. The Cincinnati Bengals had been waiting for decades without one, their trophy case still missing a Lombardi. Fans wanted to know, could Taylor finally get it done?
How Will Zac Taylor’s Preseason Plan for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals Change the 2025-26 Start?
Taylor started building up the Bengals with picks like quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and for a while, the plan looked perfect. Cincinnati made it to Super Bowl 56 at the end of the 2021 season, only to fall to the Los Angeles Rams. Since then, things have changed in how the team plans to manage its biggest star.
Recently, Burrow has been the talk of the NFL. As a former Heisman winner, he has twice earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year and has two Pro Bowl selections. In 2024, he put together what many saw as his best season yet: 460 completions, 4,918 passing yards, 43 touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 108.5. Those are numbers that jump off the page.
However, Taylor’s plan hasn’t fully been realized. The Bengals missed the postseason two years running. Adding to the frustration, Cincinnati has started slowly under Taylor, going 1-5 in Week 1 games and opening 0-2 or worse in three straight seasons, including a 0-3 start in 2024. The team eventually found its groove as the season went on, but those early lumps cost them.
Now, the Bengals want to flip the script and come out stronger from the jump. One big change: giving Burrow more run in the preseason. In past years, his preseason action has been slim. There was no preseason in 2020 because of COVID-19. In 2021, he played just three snaps against Miami. A year ago, he missed the exhibition slate with a calf strain. Last preseason, he led a single touchdown drive against Tampa Bay and saw some brief time versus Philadelphia.
Joe Burrow is on a mission this year to prove the doubters wrong.
He had the best year of his career last year with zero help from his defense. He’s looking better than ever in camp.
Full 🎥: https://t.co/vJinPuMlem pic.twitter.com/QAHFPVF3yv
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) August 6, 2025
Heading into this year, things are looking different. Cincinnati is set to face the Philadelphia Eagles in a Thursday night preseason matchup, and Taylor says the starters will get more time on the field. He’s announced Burrow and other top players will play at least a quarter, maybe even two, against the Eagles. The idea is to let Burrow, Chase, and the rest of the key crew get in sync earlier and smoother as the 2025-26 campaign kicks off.
Still, Taylor said the starters’ main preseason work will come on August 18, when Cincinnati faces the Washington Commanders. For now, the hope is that a stronger, faster start won’t just help the Bengals make the playoffs, it will set them up to finally bring that elusive Lombardi Trophy to Cincinnati.
