4 winners and 2 losers from Bengals’ preseason

That does it for the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason, folks — and what a way to go out. At home. A 41-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, who aren't exactly flush with quality roster depth as far as I'm aware.

Whatever. It doesn't matter. The A-team is ready to rock for the actual 2025 season in a couple weeks. All things considered, the Bengals have a pretty healthy group coming out of the NFL’s exhibition phase.

The 53-man roster still must be decided upon, so the brutal reality of being cut loose is going to hit home for a lot of Cincinnati players this coming week. As we wish them well and bid them adieu, it’s time to focus on who the Bengals are counting on going forward — and what the preseason told us about some of them.

Not every preseason performer covered here balled out, as the headline indicates. I want to skew positive and not overreact to ultimately meaningless football, yet we do have to single out a couple guys who demonstrated that they have, at the very least, room for improvement.

Winner: Joe Burrow

Just the fact that our beloved franchise quarterback made it through a training camp without anything super bizarre happening is such a massive win in and of itself. Never mind that Joe Brrr got to hit the field for his most extensive preseason action by far, thanks to his good health.

For the most part, Burrow and the offense showed out, scoring touchdowns on four of five possessions. That’s about as good as you can do. Could win a lot of games on Sundays if the defense can step up.

Can I just go back over all the nonsense Joe has had to deal with, though? In 2020, it was COVID-19. The next year, he was recovering from a torn ACL, MCL, and other structural damage to his knee. The year after? An exploded appendix. How about last season? Oh you know, a career-threatening wrist injury that he’s still not fully right from.

Look out, rest of league. Joe is coming.

Loser: Demetrius Knight Jr.

Poor D-Knight. A victim of good ol’ training camp hype inflation, only to disappoint in game situations. It feels a lot like Knight’s draft status thrust him into the starting lineup before he might’ve been ready. It’s fine if the second-round pick learns on the job, but if that’s the case for him, let it be so for Shemar Stewart, too. Because I do not like our defensive ends outside of Trey Hendrickson at all.

To keep the main thing the main thing here, however, Knight graded out so badly by PFF’s metrics (49.5, then 26.7) that you wonder if he’ll be ready for Week 1. He was hitting the deck and showing poor run fits far too often, even in an exhibition phase. With the playbook being so limited, it’d be easier to execute, or so you’d think.

If only the Bengals had somebody who could at least split time with Knight. Oh wait…they signed Oren Burks this offseason in free agency. You know, the breakout star of the Eagles defense who was pivotal to their playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl?

Knight was almost uncontested in camp. Burks has flashed better in the preseason from what I’ve seen. We’ll see if Knight keeps the starting gig into Week 1. He certainly didn’t help himself in these preseason games.

Winner: Dylan Fairchild

For all the negativity and fair-or-not heat Patrick has taken, Dylan Fairchild is living up to his surname. Not to diminish the young man, he’s a man mountain of a human being. I’m just saying he is indeed fair. And what I mean by that is, very attractive-looking as a rookie starter at left guard.

It’s a bold strategy, Cotton, to bank on a rookie third-rounder to fill a starting role. Fairchild was basically handed the LG1 gig when he signed his first NFL contract. Thus far, the University of Georgia standout has more than held up his end of the bargain. There’s a certain blend of tenacity, athleticism, and technical soundness that makes me a big believer in Fairchild as a long-term starter.

Maybe I’ve just been scarred from too many years of awful guard play in front of Burrow that anyone who looks baseline starter level appears as an All-Pro to my eyes. Whatever. I don’t think Fairchild’s stellar preseason — where he logged an 89.5 PFF grade in Philly and a 74.9 versus Washington — is a mirage. He looks like a stud. And thank goodness for that. We really needed a decisive win in the draft. Jury’s out as it’s still so early, but the vibes are immaculate when it comes to Dylan Fairchild.

Loser: Lucas Patrick

Going from penciled-in as a starter, to potentially replaced by a prospective free-agent signee nobody has wanted up to this point, to possibly getting beaten out by a rookie fifth-round pick in Jalen Rivers? I don’t know. Not much has gone right for Lucas Patrick since he landed in Cincinnati.

Now do I think some of Patrick’s preseason struggles are overblown? Yes, but it’s also clear he’s the weak link on the offensive line. That group has been responsible for Burrow taking a battering throughout his career. Until he stops facing quick pressures, and until the running game can help keep defenses more honest, the o-line is going to keep taking heat. When you’re the worst player on that unit, it’s only exacerbated.

It's very possible Patrick still enters Week 1 as the starter. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s benched as Rivers keeps developing. But in any event, he’s a solid depth option and can play well enough to keep the offense from derailing.

Winner: Mitchell Tinsley

My lord did Mitchell Tinsley show out in Week 2 of the preseason. That breakout performance, where he caught two touchdowns in less than a minute to close out the first half versus Washington, might’ve earned Tinsley a spot on the 53-man roster.

I’m almost certain it did, in fact. Tinsley was a former Commander, so it had to feel extra good somewhere deep down to shred his ex-team.

I can’t really call 2024 third-round pick Jermaine Burton a loser, because by all accounts, he’s displayed far better professionalism throughout camp than he did as a rookie. Alas, we could see Tinsley ahead of Burton on the wide receiver depth chart here soon, with Burton relegated to spot wideout duty and a full-time return man role.

Were Burrow not the most important player in franchise history, I’d dub Tinsley the Bengals’ biggest preseason winner.

Winner: Tycen Anderson

What a champ Tycen Anderson is. After finishing his first two NFL seasons on injured reserve, he exploded onto the scene as the tackling anchor of the Bengals' special teams unit in 2024.

With Geno Stone sidelined due to injury and Jordan Battle underperforming, Anderson often looked like the best safety on Cincinnati's roster throughout the preseason. Unclear if that's actually the case, but at least Anderson is showing he can be counted on to contribute some snaps outside of kick/punt coverage.

It's a big win for the Bengals, too, that Anderson keeps showing out on defense. They could use positivity in any form on that side of the ball.

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