The Cincinnati Bengals will rest their starters in Saturday's Week 2 preseason action against the Chicago Bears at Paycor Stadium. That raises the stakes for their backups, many of whom are fighting for spots on the 53-man roster.
Thursday's joint practice was a victorious occasion for the Bengals, and Saturday should serve as a showcase for their newfound roster depth. There are still some things for this team to fine-tune, however, and it's important to see crisp execution from players deeper on the depth chart.
While it's a bit of a bummer we won't see Joe Burrow or any of Cincinnati's biggest stars hit the field, there's plenty to watch out for. I've got some bold takes on what to expect from the offense in particular.
Joe Flacco's experience leads to huge improvement in execution
Unlike Burrow, Joe Flacco has extensive experience and comfort operating from under center. He's done it throughout his storied career, and at age 41, could probably do the proper footwork in his sleep.
Whether the Bengals' backup offensive line can protect Flacco well enough is another matter. Nevertheless, expect the OG Joe Cool to light it up against the Bears' backups.
The whole motivation for going under center more is to diversify the running game and help Cincinnati protect late leads this season. Flacco is also more adept than Burrow at turning his back to the defense and executing off play-action fakes.
That's where Flacco can really shine on this occasion. Burrow will be locked in, because he's just that competitive. I'd be surprised if he didn't learn a thing or two whilst watching Flacco cook.
Tahj Brooks finally shows Bengals fans what he’s made of
After a quiet rookie season, 2025 sixth-round pick Tahj Brooks has a golden opportunity versus Chicago to ball out in front of the home fans.
With steady operators at QB in Flacco and fellow quadragenarian Josh Johnson, Brooks can focus on the task at hand and even get some play as a pass-catching threat. In fact, the young man needs to redeem himself in that department after dropping a pass in the preseason opener that looked like it could've hit for a big gain.
If swing tackle is the the Bengals' most vulnerable position on offense, the backfield depth behind Chase Brown is a close second. Brooks performing well would go a long way in quelling concerns about the running back rotation.
I have a funny feeling Brooks is poised to break out. He has no choice if he wants to stick on the roster. Not that Kendall Milton or Gary Brightwell are transcendent players, but at some point, you have to put some heat on a second-year player; not just Sharpie him in as a roster lock.
Colbie Young and Dohnte Meyers are the best receivers on the field (from either team)
We'll hopefully get glimpses of Dohnte Meyers' returning ability after he had a touchdown-worthy rep in joint practice against the Bears.
Beyond his special teams upside, though, Meyers is quickly emerging as a locker room favorite. He played very well in the first week of the preseason, with three catches for 29 yards and a 13-yard run.
Amarius Mims and Tee Higgins both cited Meyers as one of the players they were most excited to watch ahead of Saturday's game, per Fox19's Joe Danneman.
Meanwhile, rookie fourth-round pick Colbie Young has shown off an excellent catch radius, sure hands, and explosive playmaking ability throughout camp. It's unclear whether he or Meyers will come anywhere close to pushing Andrei Iosivas for WR3 reps in the bigger picture, but they'll have an extensive audition runway in the penultimate preseason contest.
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