Preseason play continues to roll on for the Cincinnati Bengals. One game is in the books, and there's now two more to go before they really start to count.
After dropping the preseason opener 17-14 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bengals travel to Chicago to take on the Bears for the second exhibition of the year. The game comes on the heels of a joint practice session between the teams. It also represents the first preseason meeting between the teams since 2018.
There will be no shortage of things for the Cincinnati faithful to watch for in the game against Chicago. Here's three storylines Bengals fans will want to monitor.
Starters sitting for Cincy
Unlike the first game of the preseason for the Bengals, the starters -- including quarterback Joe Burrow -- aren't expected to play against the Bears, so that means that the reserves will get an extended look. This will be beneficial when the time comes for the coaching staff to decide who makes the final roster and iron out the depth chart.
Just because the starters aren't out there doesn't mean there's nothing for fans to watch for. In fact, the opposite is true. Several players on Cincinnati's roster are in need of a good performance after underwhelming play in the preseason opener, and the pressure will be on those guys to perform. Meanwhile, injuries to key contributors like Jake Browning and Brad Robbins could open the door for some positional competitions for the remainder of camp and preseason play.
The Bengals already know what they're going to get from most of the starters when regular season play beings, it will be interesting to see which reserves can impress with an extended opportunity in Chicago.
Earlier/more minutes for Burton?
Rookie receiver Jermaine Burton didn't play at all in the first half of Cincinnati's preseason opener against the Bucs. All three of his catches -- and his impressive touchdown reception -- came in the fourth quarter of the contest. To say that he made the most of his minutes would be an understatement.
It will be interesting to see if Burton's promising play in his preseason debut earns him any additional on-field opportunity in Chicago. One would think that it should. The fact that Cincinnati's starters aren't expected to play should also afford him some added snaps. Let's see what Burton can do as a follow-up to his promising debut performance.
First look at the top pick
Unlike the Bengals, the Bears plan to play their starters in the game, for a little bit at least. That means that the Bengals -- and Bengals fans -- will get a first-hand look at Caleb Williams, who the Bears selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. There's been a ton of hype around Williams, and now the Bengals will get to see just how good he is at this early stage in his career. Williams is likely to just play a drive, or two, but that's still something.
It will serve as Cincinnati's only look at Williams this year -- unless the Bengals and Bears ultimately meet in the Super Bowl -- as the two teams aren't scheduled to play each other during the regular season.