Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higginsand DJ Turnerwill all play in the Cincinnati Bengals’ season opener on Sept. 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bengalscoach Zac Taylor confirmed on Sept. 11 that all three players are good to go for Week 1. The only player who won't be available to the Bengals due to a training camp injury is defensive end Shemar Stewart. Stewart returned to practice last week after suffering a knee hyperextension on July 29. Taylor said he need more reps in practice before he's ready for a game.
Turner was a surprise addition on the Bengals’ injury report on Sept. 10 with a hamstring injury and was a limited participant which served as a cause for concern, but Taylor said they limited his workload out of precaution.
“It's good to be
at full strength,” Taylor said. “DJ's had a great camp, so have a lot of confidence in our guys.”
Following practice Sept. 11, Turner told The Enquirer he considered himself a full participant during the session and felt good about playing in the season opener, as well as potentially matching up with Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka.
"For sure, first game. Gotta start it off right," Turner said. "We're excited to do that."
Egbuka went for just under 1,000 receiving yards in 2025 while hauling in six touchdowns. He was the team leader in receiving touchdowns and yards, and catches (63).
Egbuka will likely play opposite receivers Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan, although McMillan was reported as limited during Tampa's Sept. 10 practice.
Chase suffered a knee injury in practice on Aug. 25 and Higgins dealt with a heel contusion at the end of the preseason. Neither wide receiver expected to miss any time with their respective injuries.
The energy inside the walls of Paycor Stadium ahead of Sunday's game is palpable. Now, the Bengals are ready to stop talking and start playing.
Second-year defensive coordinator Al Golden will lead the Bengals defense with four new starters: Defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook.
“We're just excited,” Taylor said. “We feel good right now about everything that we've done, we're counting on a lot of new guys, counting on growth from guys that have been here, and I feel like we've seen all that in camp. Now we just have to do (it in a) real game.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ja'Marr Chase, DJ Turner good to go for Bengals' season opener vs. Bucs
