Cincinnati Bengals to Make Huge Change to Preseason Approach in 2024

Since being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, star quarterback Joe Burrow has only recorded one pass attempt in the preseason.

That approach will change for head coach Zac Taylor and the Bengals as Burrow will reportedly play in the Bengals’ first 2024 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Cincinnati Bengals have kept Joe Burrow out of the preseason in years past

Burrow has only taken three snaps as the signal caller for the Bengals in the preseason. Now, he will take on  Tampa Bay in the preseason opener in his first on-field action since enduring a season-ending wrist injury against the Baltimore Ravens in November of the 2023 season.

Burrow is not the only starter who will see the field during the Bengals’ preseason opener. Wide receiver Tee Higgins and other healthy starters are expected to get some game time when the Bengals take on the Buccaneers on Saturday.

Burrow was recovering from a calf injury as the 2023 season approached, but his past seasons show he wouldn’t have played in the preseason in 2023 even if he was healthy. This year, Taylor expects Burrow to play in the preseason opener.

Head coach Zac Taylor on if QB Joe Burrow will play in the #Bengals first preseason game… 👀

“I intend for Joe to play.”

Burrow hasn’t taken a preseason snap since 2021. @heykayadams @JoeyB @Bengals #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/7vQ7htrC6O

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 4, 2024

The Cincinnati Bengals started off slow in 2023

In what seemed to be an amalgamation of limited playcalling and basic unpreparedness, the Bengals got off to a slow start in 2023.

Burrow did not play at all in the preseason and the Bengals were not using the entirety of their playbook because Burrow was unable to move like he usually does. This resulted in the Bengals playing catch-up with the AFC North for the rest of the year.

It ultimately resulted in the Bengals missing the playoffs as their 1-3 start ended up being too much to come back from with backup QB Jake Browning at the helm.

Lack of cohesion due to nonexistent preseason play was an issue for the Bengals in 2022 as well, and it could have even cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. The Bengals started the 2022 season 0-2 with losses to the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cooper Rush-led Dallas Cowboys.

The Bengals ended up finishing the season 12-4, but they had to play the No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship Game. Had the Bengals won the first two games of the season, they would have had the same record as the Chiefs with a head-to-head regular-season win.

This means that the Bengals, who lost the game by a field goal, would’ve had home-field advantage in one of the biggest, closest games of the year. There is no telling how the 2022 playoffs would’ve ended if the Bengals went into them with the No. 1 seed.

Cincinnati Bengals players see the value in preseason games

Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins explained in an article from the Bengals website that preseason games had value because it allows the team to go up against someone other than themselves.

“It’s very important to get game-like reps,” Higgins said after Thursday’s practice. “You want game-like reps in practice, but you’re going against the same guys every day, so it’s good to go against a different opponent.”

Head coach Zac Taylor explained that he is trying to make sure the team is ready when week one rolls around. Their lack of preparation coming into the season has come back to bite them in the past.

“We’re just trying to make sure our team is prepared for the first week of the season, what work do we need to get done, and so these games factor into that,” Taylor said.

Burrow’s only other preseason experience was a three-play drive that featured a botched reverse, 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty and a handoff. The prospect of a full drive in a game situation before the season is something that will be new to Burrow.

“Those didn’t exactly go great,” Burrow said. “Those were just three plays to kind of get my feet wet, I guess. I don’t think they were three plays that were really even in our offense. It’ll be nice to have a full drive.”

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