Preseason scouting report: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Offensive notes and players to watch

While Chiefs fans will only see the starters for a series or two, the Bengals have impressive talent on the offensive side of the ball. Andy Dalton is often denigrated as a sub-par quarterback and rightfully so in some cases. However, he’s actually had some very effective seasons and we should expect to see a bump from him this year playing for an offensive-minded coach.

The challenge for Taylor, Dalton, and company is their receiving corp. Green suffered a major injury this offseason that looks to keep him out for up to half of the regular season. Needless to say, fans won’t be seeing him in this game. What’s more, Tyler Eifert, a player cast in the mold of tight ends like Travis Kelce, also struggles to stay healthy.

Bengals fans will have to be patient. It’s unlikely this season will put them on a level where they are competitive with a team like the Chiefs. However, there are still a couple key players for Chiefs fans to keep an eye on when the Bengals’ offense hits the field.

It’s tough to say how long he will play on Saturday, but given Green’s injury, Tyler Boyd will become the de facto number one receiver until he returns. Will he be able to handle the pressure and expectations that come along with it? Is he a player that can consistently beat his man, who will now likely be a number one corner, or is he a player that benefitted from opposing defenses’ focusing on Green? Only time will tell, but after a strong showing last season, he will be an important factor for the offense going forward.

Behind Boyd is a big, but promising question mark. A less prominent player to watch at this position, at least in terms of his recent feature in the offense, is John Ross. Ross is a former top-ten pick who possesses blazing speed, running a 4.22 second 40-yard dash at the 2017 NFL combine.

Unfortunately for Ross, he hasn’t had the opportunity or good fortune to display that speed on the field in his brief career as a professional. Will Taylor be able to change that? He is currently on the mend from a hamstring injury but sounds likely to play. A lot is riding on Ross’ performance this season in terms of his continued place on the Bengals’ team. If he is able to play Saturday, expect him to get plenty of reps to prove himself.

Another position of note for the Bengals this Saturday is running back. The unquestionable starter will be Joe Mixon. He made a decent leap in his second year starting and looks to be a quality three-down back. Who will actually back him up is another question.

The Bengals already had talented veteran Giovani Bernard when they drafted not one, but two running backs in the 2019 NFL Draft. As recently as last week, rumors have been swirling that Bernard is on the trading block. What’s more, one of their draft picks at running back this year played under their current offensive line coach. Other reports have denied trade talks, and even hinted at an extension, so there are definitely some mixed messages given the running backs they drafted.

In the sixth round the Bengals selected Trayveon Williams, an extremely productive back out of Texas A&M and former player to the Bengals’ current offensive line coach. They also drafted Rodney Anderson, a talented yet injury prone back out of Oklahoma, who’s currently on the Non-Football Injury list. Per Zach Taylor, Mixon and Bernard will only play sparingly, so expect Trayveon Williams to get a large number of carries on Saturday.

Other Offensive Players of Note:

• Drew Sample – 2019 Second Round Pick – Rookie Tight End, University of Washington
• Ryan Finley – 2019 Fourth Round Pick – Rookie Quarterback, North Carolina State