Rookie Fairchild making strides on offensive line as Bengals set to face Eagles in preseason opener

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Dylan Fairchild in April with the expectation that he would be their starting left guard when the season opens on Sept. 7 in Cleveland.

During the first two weeks of training camp, Fairchild has looked every bit like a starter.

Fairchild and the rest of Cincinnati’s expected starters should get at least one quarter of action during Thursday’s preseason opener at Philadelphia.

“If you’re gonna be in there with the ones, you better be up to par. So we better just expedite that growth and learning curve,” offensive line coach Scott Peters said about Fairchild. “For most of the guys from college, it’s like they got to forget about what you did there. It like two different games, checkers and chess. Don’t go out there like a meathead and try to head bang somebody because it won’t work. So he’s done a really nice job getting those things corrected.”

Fairchild started 14 games at Georgia last season and was a Associated Press All-America second-team selection.

Fairchild was a teammate of Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims at Georgia from 2021-23. The consensus among scouts during the draft process was that he was a physical pass protector, which was sorely needed after Joe Burrow was sacked 48 times last season, tied for fourth most in the league.

Fairchild — who admitted he is still adjusting to the speed of the pro game and refining his footwork — has embraced the expectations for him to contribute immediately.

“I love being here to provide value for this team. They believed in me and I believe in them,” Fairchild said. “Now, it’s us together working for one common goal. It’s just continuously improving. You better come here with your head on straight every single day because if you don’t, you get exposed. The stakes are shown.”

Lucas Patrick signed with the Bengals in free agency and is penciled in as the starter at right guard. Of Patrick’s 64 career NFL starts, 37 have come at guard with 17 on the right side. He started 11 games at left guard for New Orleans last season.

Cordell Volson, who is entering his fourth season, has 51 starts in three seasons with the Bengals, but struggled at left guard. Cody Ford offers versatility at either tackle or guard.

In addition to the guard spots, right tackle is a concern as Mims has battled a wide array of injuries since being drafted in the first round last year. Rookie Jalen Rivers, taken in the fifth round in April’s draft, should get plenty of snaps on Thursday.

Coach Zac Taylor has stressed for the past eight months that his starters will receive plenty of playing time in the preseason in order to try and prevent another slow start. Cincinnati was 9-8 last season but dropped four of its first five games.

Taylor said on Tuesday the first unit could play into the second quarter if there is a long drive on either side of the ball in the first 15 minutes.

“We don’t have this targeted for our biggest play time for all of our guys. We picked (Aug. 18 at) Washington to be able to do that,” Taylor said. “I think just those 11 guys being in the huddle on both sides of the ball and all the communication that’s got to occur. It’s just a good opportunity for those guys to get some additional reps.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a go-ahead, two-run homer for his 1,000th career hit and struck out a season-high eight over four innings Wednesday in the longest mound outing yet this season for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar.

The right-hander made his eighth mound start of the season after not pitching in 2024 while recovering from elbow surgery. He closed his outing against the St. Louis Cardinals by striking out the side in the fourth and walked off wiping his face on a 90-degree (32 Celsius) day. Masyn Winn tossed his bat in frustration after going down swinging.

“I thought it was a big day for me personally getting to the fourth inning. That was really good in terms of building up,” Ohtani said through a translator.

Ohtani threw 54 pitches, 37 for strikes, and gave up one run and two hits. The Dodgers lost 5-3.

Ohtani’s 39th homer traveled 440 feet to center and scored Alex Call, who doubled leading off in the third, to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. In the first, Ohtani swung at the first pitch and reached when first baseman Alec Burleson booted the ball for an error.

“I don’t really try to think too differently on days that I pitch,” Ohtani said.

Ohtani retired the side in the first and second innings. He touched 100 mph on a four-seam fastball to Iván Herrera, who struck out swinging in the third. Jordan Walker singled leading off and stole second, the first swiped bag against Ohtani this season.

“It really felt good, the command of the fastball,” Ohtani said. “Overall, the slider and curveball was really good.”

Brendon Donovan’s bunt single scored Walker, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

Ohtani had to leave his last start at Cincinnati with right hip cramps on July 30.

“Figured he would come back and really throw the baseball well today,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The pitching, fastball command, fantastic. Really impressive. Offensively, the walk, the homer, just really looked good.”

Roberts said before the game that Ohtani won’t be going beyond five innings during his next few starts.

“We don’t need him to,” he said. “The five-inning threshold is something that we feel can get you through a game and use relievers. We’ll see if that changes.”

The Dodgers have taken a cautionary approach to Ohtani returning to being a two-way player, which is what he was for six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

“It’s been over two years since he’s done this, so he’s still sort of getting adjusted to this lifestyle as far as the day to day,” Roberts said before the game. “I don’t think he’s there yet. I think it’s going to get better as he gets more time in.”

Ohtani’s strong performance came hours after he scored three runs in a 12-6 victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday night.

“I don’t think any superlatives can do it any justice,” Roberts said. “He’s obviously physically talented, but he’s very disciplined in his preparation. He’s very strong of mind. He’s just a great competitor and obviously uber-talented.”

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