3 Bengals with the most to gain in preseason opener vs. Lions

The Cincinnati Bengals finally get the chance to hit someone wearing a different uniform Thursday night when they open the preseason against the Detroit Lions at Paycor Stadium.  The final score will be largely forgotten, but for several players fighting for roles, these snaps could carry much more weight.  Cincinnati hosts Detroit at 7 p.m. on Aug. 13 before continuing the preseason against Chicago and Philadelphia.

Training camp practices can create buzz, but preseason games provide something different.  Players must translate what they’ve shown against teammates into live reps against unfamiliar competition, and coaches finally get another piece of evidence when building the 53-man roster.

For three Bengals in particular, Thursday night represents an opportunity to either strengthen an already growing case or reverse the direction of their training camp.

Cashius Howell can prove the training camp hype is real

Cashius Howell was selected by Cincinnati in the second round of the 2026 draft at No. 41 overall and was the first pick by the Bengals due to using their first-round pick to pick up Dexter Lawrence II. Howell recorded 11.5 sacks and won SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, and camp reports have since described him as one of Cincinnati’s biggest early standouts, including impressive reps against the starting offensive line.

Howell has already accomplished one of the hardest things for a rookie to do during training camp: make everyone pay attention.

Now comes the next test.

Cincinnati’s first preseason game gives Howell an opportunity to prove that his speed, power, and explosiveness, which he has shown in training camp, will translate over to real-time game speed and reps. He will have to prove himself against unfamiliar competition.

For Howell to make an impression, he doesn’t need to get three sacks.  What he will need to do is prove consistency.  Things like consistently winning his first step, setting the edge against the run, and creating pressure even if he doesn’t get a sack. These will all solidify the type of player that he can be at this level. 

A sack would make the highlight reel.  Consistently disrupting Detroit’s offense would tell the Bengals much more.

Colbie Young could make the WR3 competition even more uncomfortable

Colbie Young doesn’t need to leave Thursday night as Cincinnati’s new No.3 receiver.  He just needs to make that conversation more difficult than it was two weeks ago.

Young comes in as a fourth-round rookie who has already flashed during training camp, including a standout practice in which he made multiple high-point catches. Like this:

Meanwhile, Andrei Iosivas entered camp as the established third receiver behind Chase and Higgins.

Similar to Cashius Howell, the question isn’t whether or not Young has the ability to be successful; it’s whether or not he can be successful against other teams.  At 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, Young offers size and contested-catch ability. 

Things that the Bengals will be paying close attention to will be how he does with contested catches, his ability to separate, how he does in run blocking, and, most importantly, his chemistry with the Bengals’ backup quarterbacks.

Even though he has shone in training camp, that will only get a rookie noticed; it’s the preseason production that will get him on the field in September.

Josh Newton may have the most at stake in Bengals' crowded CB room

Josh Newton isn’t a rookie who is trying to create expectations. He’s a third-year player trying to make sure he remains a part of Cincinnati’s plans.

The Bengals have substantial competition in the secondary, with DJ Turner II and Dax Hill among the returning corners and rookie Tacario Davis, plus adding in the veteran Ja’Sir Taylor. Cincinnati itself identified the slot competition as one of the major storylines entering camp.

Newton actually looked strong during mandatory minicamp, including intercepting Joe Burrow on the second snap of seven-on-seven work.  More recent camp reporting, however, indicates that he’s fallen behind some of the competition for rotational reps.

Howell and Young are trying to accelerate their rise.  Newton may be trying to stop himself from sliding in the opposite direction.

That makes Thursday night especially important. Practice reps can shrink quickly when a crowded position group begins taking shape.  Preseason games offer players like Newton an opportunity to force coaches to reconsider exactly where they fit. 

Things to watch for are where he lines up, which unit he plays with, how many targets he allows, how good his tackling is, and if he gets any special teams snaps.

However, the biggest factor will be when he enters the game: is he on the field with the starters? Or does he become more of a rotational/special circumstance guy? Sometimes the most important preseason statistic isn’t an interception or a pass breakup. It’s simply how early a player is trusted to enter the game.

The Bengals won’t learn everything they need to know about Howell, Young, or Newton from one preseason game.  But Thursday provides the first opportunity to see how training camp storylines hold up when the opponent changes.

Howell can prove the hype is more than practice noise.  Young can turn up the heat on the WR3 competition. Newton can remind Cincinnati why he earned meaningful snaps earlier in his career.

The score against Detroit won’t matter much by Friday. For these three Bengals, the individual results might.

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