Zac Taylor's Cincinnati Bengals have become synonymous with slow starts. They've only had a winning record once over the first four weeks of the season since Taylor took the reins in 2019. Sometimes, it hasn't mattered; an 0-2 start gave way to an AFC Championship Game appearance in 2022. Other times, it's been damning. The 2023 team started 1-3 and narrowly missed the playoffs. They began the 2024 season 1-4, then missed the postseason by a single game.
That's led to a shift in philosophy. Cincinnati used to be one of the league's most conservative teams in the preseason, sitting out big name starters through the entirety of August. Last year, that changed. Joe Burrow carved up the Philadelphia Eagles' backups in the preseason opener. He led two
touchdown drives in two series, relying on fellow stars Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (well, the latter for a single target) to lay a foundation of optimism for 2025. He'd return for three more drives (and one touchdown pass) the following week against the Washington Commanders before sitting out the remainder of the preseason.
That foundation crumbled, even after a 2-0 start. Burrow got hurt, Jake Browning couldn't recreate his 2023 magic and Cincinnati limped to a 6-11 finish. But Taylor is keeping the lesson intact. When asked whether we'll see the Bengals' starters when their preseason begins August 13, the veteran head coach had a simple, but direct, answer.
“They will play a little bit, said Taylor. "We’ll just determine how much at a later date.”
Zac Taylor speaks to the media. https://t.co/bHvTPmL6XY
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 6, 2026
That means at least a few snaps of Burrow and Chase, with the capacity for more. Since 2025's sample size was so small -- roughly six quarters of the star QB before he got hurt -- it's tough to tell if the extra reps made him more effective in September. But two wins, including one over the eventual AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars (albeit before they'd reached their final form) was encouraging enough to clear Cincinnati's starters for more preseason action.
We won't know if it's successful until October. But, if injury strikes, we could have a pretty good understanding of its failures by mid-August.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bengals to preemptively strike early season swoon by playing starters in preseason
