Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor’s Preseason Strategy Could Pay Off

Zac Taylor has taken a very cautious approach this preseason with his star players. He and Marvin Lewis differ greatly in this area. It could pay huge dividends for the Bengals down the line.

Thus far in the preseason, Bengals fans have seen little or no action from the players who figure to be the main cogs for success this year. This can be frustrating for those who want to get a glimpse of what the new era Bengals will look like when the games count. However, once the regular season comes, everyone could be thanking the rookie head coach.

Often injured players such as John Ross and Tyler Eifert have seen zero playing time so far. Established stars like Geno Atkins have also been sidelined. Even players returning from injury like Carl Lawson have sat and watched two preseason games come and go. The list goes on and on.

This approach can be risky. It’s hard to build team chemistry when your most important leaders aren’t playing. It can be hard for some players to just “flip the switch” come September. Guys that ended last season on injured reserve may have difficulty getting used to the speed of the NFL again.

Important aspects such as the game clock and penalties may have kinks that need worked out. However, that is what the third preseason game, often termed the “dress rehearsal” is for. Whether that will be enough game time to get everything tuned up for the regular season remains to be seen, but it has worked for other franchises.

There are also huge advantages to taking a super conservative approach in the preseason like Taylor has done. For one, every play a key player isn’t in the game decreases the risk they suffer a significant injury. We will never know, but injury disasters like last year may have been avoided by keeping players like A.J. Green out of preseason action as much as possible.

Two, the season is long. Guys will be colliding into each other for 16 games plus. The Bengals also play in the physical AFC North. Difficult weather conditions also play a role as the season wears on. Guys begin to wear out over the course of a season. Taylor is smartly preventing them from putting unnecessary miles on their bodies.

Guys like Atkins, Mixon, and others have proven themselves on the field. There’s no need to shove them out there for a preseason game when the coaching staff has no reason not to believe they will perform at a high level.

Lewis never took such an approach. When he was at the helm, he called out wide receiver Marvin Jones for sitting out of practice for hamstring tightness. Now, it seems as if Taylor has bubble wrapped Ross for the same ailment.

The difference in strategies could allow the Bengals to see a much healthier roster than normal when December rolls around. This should be a welcome sight for fans who have seen their team ravaged by injuries the past several seasons. Perhaps Taylor’s new mindset for the preseason could result in the team having key players such as Tyler Eifert healthy for the entirety of the year.