Take a bow, Duke Tobin. It may have taken you since 1999 to get to where you are now, but you've either convinced the Cincinnati Bengals to operate differently, or ridden Joe Burrow's influence to get there, or maybe the Blackburn family has worn down Mike Brown long enough for his frugal ways to give way.
Whatever the case may be, Duke and the scouting department have cooked this offseason. That was no more apparent than in the preseason, where the Bengals' roster depth shined through en route to a 3-0 record, capped by a 30-13 rout of the Eagles in Philadelphia on Friday night.
I've provided my winners and losers for the game above, but now it's time to give a more macro overview of what the Eagles game and the preseason at large could mean for the real games. Week 1 is almost here, let's go!!
7 strong takeaways after Bengals cap first perfect preseason since 2006 by blowing out the Eagles
1. Wide receiver depth went from a pre-camp concern to a post-preseason strength. Look, we all know Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are dope, but until Dohnte Meyers' epic emergence, the position behind them was looking a little hairy. Higgins has been banged up a lot, and Chase just had an injury scare of his own that wound up being OK. In Dohnte I trust over Andrei Iosivas (and anyone else).
2. Kris Jenkins Jr.'s conspicuous absence from Friday's win had better not mean he's a roster lock. I will lose my datgum mind if he's just on the team by default due to his status as a 2024 second-round pick. Please trade him, Duke Tobin. Don't turn Jenkins into your new Drew Sample pet project.
3. What a recent rise by third-round rookie Tacario Davis. He seemed more like an exotic project to me coming out of Washington, but the towering cornerback has held his own and capitalized on every opportunity over the last couple weeks. Davis has even gotten some run with the first-team defense in practice with Dax Hill sidelined. The rookie had an interception against Philly, along with a few other exceptional plays.
4. On that note, this 2026 Bengals draft class looks phenomenal. I can't honestly say I'm disappointed in anything I've seen from any of the players. Davis and wideout Colbie Young felt like the biggest reaches to me when they were picked. Both have outperformed expectations by a mile. Cashius Howell is an immediate contributor at defensive end. Connor Lew and Brian Parker II have solidified the interior o-line depth. Jack Endries is my long-awaited Drew Sample replacement. And I can't not mention my guy Landon Robinson. A Duke Tobin masterclass, I reckon.
5. Early numbers on roster bubble offensive linemen suggest Javon Foster and Jacob Bayer were excellent versus the Eagles. PFF graded Foster and Bayer with respective 83.2 and 78.4 pass blocking grades. They surrendered only one pressure apiece. Foster is the only viable swing tackle candidate left after the Bengals released Cody Ford. Don't make me laugh by bringing up Jalen Rivers as a possibility. Meanwhile, Bayer has been so good at guard and center that he might force Rivers, a 2025 fifth-round pick, off the roster.
6. Zac Taylor is well on his way to establishing greater credibility. So many bash Taylor from the outside without realizing he's coached with one arm tied behind his back most of the way in Cincinnati. Yes, he has Joe Burrow, but Taylor can only do so much for the offense. He's kept things rolling with Jake Browning and Joe Flacco under center. The defense has let him down. Taylor ran a tough training camp; the players responded with a dominant preseason. Burrow swears by Taylor and the coaching staff — and backed them again on Friday in a sideline interview with CBS:
"I really think we have a great coaching staff. Those guys work really hard and give us a lot of answers to the test before we take it. They put us in great positions to go and make plays, and it's our job to go and execute. I really think we have one of the top staffs in the league."
7. This may be the most exciting Bengals season ever. The roster looks deep and dominant. Burrow is operating with unprecedented urgency and letting that shine through his leadership. The o-line returns all five starters. The defense has a myriad of dynamic contributors. All the other AFC North teams just had coaching changes. The schedule is shaping up to be among the league's easiest. It's all lining up for us, Who Dey Heads. Like Joe said, time to go execute!!
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