Bengals’ Zac Taylor discusses preparations leading into NFL preseason
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor discussed the team’s preparations heading into Preseason Week 1 during a press conference on July 31, 2025.
PHILADELPHIA –The Cincinnati Bengals lost their preseason opener 34-27 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.
In hopes to fix the Bengals’ chronic slow start issue, head coach Zac Taylor opted to play his starters for a full quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles rested most of their starters, and while Cincinnati didn’t win the game, the team finished the game fully healthy and that in itself is a win.
Here’s what we learned from the Bengals’ first preseason game.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase get off to an electric start
After finishing the 2024 season as one of the NFL’s best offensive units, the Bengals appear to be picking up right where they left off.
Quarterback Joe Burrow started and played the first quarter. He completed nine of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in his preseason debut.
Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Burrow’s connection was in mid-season form with the league’s triple crown winner hauling in all four of his targets from Burrow for 77 yards and a touchdown.
There should be no questions about Cincinnati’s passing attack heading into this season based off what was on display on Thursday night.
Bengals first-team defense gives uninspiring performance
The energy surrounding the Bengals’ defense was the story of the team during the first two weeks of training camp.
With new defensive coordinator Al Golden calling the defense and a newfound injection of confidence, improvement is expected. And while it’s important to note the final result doesn’t matter in the preseason, the performance from the first-team defense was disappointing.
Cincinnati’s starting defense allowed 10 points and a lot of what transpired on the field resembled what you saw from the unit last season. The Bengals were without several key players on defense in defensive tackle BJ Hill, defensive end Trey Hendrickson, cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt and Dax Hill.
All four of those players will help the unit. But to see gaping holes in the defense with Eagles’ wide receivers running wide open was a cause for concern because it happened too much last season.
Shemar Stewart, Tahj Brooks make impression in rookie debut
The two rookies who stood out the most for the Bengals against the Eagles were first-round pick defensive end Shemar Stewart and sixth-round pick running back Tahj Brooks. Both look like they’ll contribute right away this season.
Stewart is still working with the Bengals’ second-team defense as he gets acclimated to the playbook after missing the offseason and the first few days of training camp. Since he signed his contract and joined his team, he’s made noise in the right way.
Cincinnati has high hopes for Stewart and he looks the part. He finished the game with one tackle for loss for three yards. The Bengals are hoping that over the course of the next two preseason games, he’ll be able to get his conditioning level where it needs to be and he’ll be ready to be a factor come Week 1 in Cleveland.
Brooks continues to impress with his pass blocking which is the easiest way for a rookie running back to earn playing time. Chase Brown looks primed for a breakout year as the Bengals’ top running back, but Brooks is carving out a nice role for himself. He finished the game with eight carries for 21 yards.
This story was updated to add a gallery. Â