Cincinnati Bengals fans hoping to see the team's starters out on the field for the second game of the preseason against the Chicago Bears on Saturday, Aug. 17 are going to be disappointed. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed that the starters won't play in the game against the Bears. Just to repeat that, the starters will not play.
While the news might be slightly disappointging, it's really not surprising at all. After all, the main point of the preseason is to get some of the younger and more inexperienced players increased on-field opportunity. Plus, Cincinnati's starters played some in the team's first preseason game of 2024 -- a 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There's also a chance that at least some of the starters could play in the team's final exhibition game against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, Aug. 22. The team is scheduled to open up the regular season against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Sept. 8.
Cincinnati's staters won't play, but there's still plenty to watch for
Even though Cincinnati's starters won't be out on the field, there will still be plenty to watch for for Bengals fans. It will be interesting to see how backup quarterback Jake Browning bounces back after a poor performance in the team's preseason opener. On the flip side, can third-string quarterback Logan Woodside turn in another encouraging performance?
It will also be interesting to see if rookie receiver Jermaine Burton gets in the game earlier this time since starters won't be playing. Burton didn't see the field until the second half against Tampa Bay, but he made the most of the time when he did, catching three passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Can he produce a repeat performance?
Also keep an eye on the rookies. Guys like Josh Newton and Kris Jenkins Jr. could get extended opportunity to show their stuff against Chicago. Guys like that could potentially use the remaining two preseason games to climb up the depth chart.
Sure, it would be more exciting and Joe Burrow and the rest of the starters were playing against the Bears, but there's still a lot to be gleaned from the game even in their absence.