Cincinnati Bengals: 2019 Preseason Objectives

With the Bengals preseason opener just hours away, Here is a brief look at what Cincinnati needs to accomplish leading up to when the games start to count.

Stay healthy:

This is the obvious top objective for any team in the preseason, but it is even more true than normal for this year’s Bengals. There is no doubt temptation for rookie head coach Zac Taylor to play his main cogs a fair bit this preseason. However, if we learned anything from last year’s rash of injuries, it is that the Bengals roster is not particularly deep. There wasn’t a ton of player turnover in the offseason either.

With first round pick Jonah Williams already out for all of the regular season and A.J. Green missing part of it, the Bengals are already in a position where they cannot afford another major injury. Taylor seems to be aware of this and is keeping several key guys out tonight in Kansas City. If guys like Joe Mixon, Andy Dalton, and Geno Atkins are practicing well, they should be fine by next month. Playing them for more than a few snaps in August just is not worth the risk.

Find an offensive line combo that works:

The Bengals offensive line was beat by pass rushers time and time again last year. Williams and Clint Bowling figured to be a big part of the solution this year, but Boling called it a career on top of the Williams injury. With three players getting first team reps at left guard and former first round pick Billy Price also capable of playing multiple positions up front, the Week 1 starting offensive line could go a number of different directions.

August is the time of year to try things. Cincinnati should try any and every line combo this month, the best thing that could happen to this team in the preseason is to find one that allows the enormously talented “skill” position on the roster players to play up to their vas potential.