Bengals are ready to start hitting
O-line, rookies Mixon, Lawson worth a look in preseason opener.
Cincinnati will hit the field tonight at 7:30 for the team’s 50th year in a preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After unfurling banners, standing sculptures and counting down legends to honor their 50th season, the Cincinnati Bengals will finally get to hit the field and an opponent at 7:30 p.m. today when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in both teams’ preseason opener.
Other than a couple of goalline plays, the Bengals haven’t done any live tackling through the first 11 days of camp, which is a far cry from the spirited joint practices the team held with the Minnesota Vikings in 2016, New York Giants in 2015 and Atlanta Falcons in 2013.
How that lack of physicality will affect the team is worth keeping an eye on tonight, as are these six other things:
Mixon’s moves: As explosive as rookie running back Joe Mixon has looked in training camp, he hasn’t had anyone actually try to tackle him yet.
With Jeremy Hill and the starters likely to see limited action and Giovani Bernard a good bet to sit out, Mixon should get plenty of chances to demonstrate his ability to make defenders miss rather than simply running away from them.
Using history as a guideline, Mixon could record double-digit touches. Hill shared the team high with six carries in his first preseason game as a rookie in 2014, and Bernard had a team-high 10 rushes to go along with five tar-
gets and three receptions in the 2013 preseason opener.
Coach Marvin Lewis was asked Wednesday what has impressed him the most about Mixon.
“His personality, his work ethic, how he comes and approaches practice every day,” Lewis said. “From the very first rookie camp here in Cincinnati, you felt that, but you aren’t sure because it’s a very limited exposure.
“Now that’s a day-to-day thing with the ups and downs in camp — being tired, being asked to run and finish every play,” Lewis added. “He likes to do that. He likes to run down that field like he is scoring a touchdown, and we are going to give him a lot of opportunities to do that.”
Lawson’s leverage: Mixon may lead the team in cheers from the fans thus far in camp, but there’s another rookie giving him a run for the label of “most impressive.”
The biggest question surrounding fourth-round pick Carl Lawson is whether he’s actually that good or the offensive line is that bad. The fourth-round pick has been beating all the tackles he goes against when he lines up at defensive end, and he’s coming along when it comes to playing as a linebacker.
It will be interesting to see if the Bengals give Lawson some snaps while the Buccaneers have their first-string offensive line in the game.
O-line or Oh, line: The biggest question coming into training camp was the offensive line and so far it’s yet to be answered.
Young tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher have looked good at times, and they have struggled at times. But that kind of inconsistency cannot continue if the Bengals want to find their way back to the postseason.
In addition to the tackles, keep an eye on Trey Hopkins, who is pushing Andre Smith for the starting job at right guard. Smith has been slowed by an arm injury, so Hopkins, who has appeared in one game in three years with the team, could get some needed additional reps.
It’s going to be a limited sample size for the starters, but how Ogbuehi, Fisher and the rest of offensive line perform against a solid Tampa Bay defense could be one of the biggest story lines to come out of the opener. McCarron’s mark: Whether it’s due to his disappointment of not being traded in the offseason to someplace where he can start or simple rust from not throwing a meaningful pass since the wild-card loss to Pittsburgh at the end of the 2015 season, backup quarterback AJ McCarron has struggled through the first part of camp.
“He’s had his ups and downs,” offensive coordinator Ken Zampese said. “He’s working through it. I’m sure he’ll come out the other side.”
McCarron should get the majority of the snaps, with starter Andy Dalton probably only slated to play one series, maybe two, and thirdstringer Jeff Driskel likely to handle the final few drives.
Even though the Bengals have made it clear they value the insurance McCarron provides, if he can string together some solid outings in August, it could drive up his value and lead a team in need of a quarterback to sweeten its offer. Kicking competition: You have to believe rookie fifth-rounder Jake Elliott has the inside track after becoming the second kicker the Bengals have drafted in Lewis’ 15 years as coach, but Randy Bullock has had the more reliable leg thus far.
Starter snaps: Lewis wouldn’t comment on how long the starters will play because he said the decision hasn’t been made.
He has an idea, but it could change if he doesn’t see the type of sharp, crisp play he expects.
“We better see it, or they might get a little winded,” he said. “It’s happened before.”