The Cincinnati Bengals would have made the playoffs in 2024 if their defense had carried its weight. While Joe Burrow and Co. averaged the sixth-most points in the league (27.8) on offense, they were the eighth-most (25.5) on the other end. The struggles led Cincinnati to finish .500 (4-4) in games where they scored 30 points or more.
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If the Bengals are to return to the postseason this year, that record needs to be bettered. Fortunately, they have Burrow to lean on. On Tuesday, head coach Zac Taylor told Kay Adams that Burrow has been working with Cincinnati’s young defenders in training camp.
Adams mentioned hearing that Burrow had been “talking through what to do” with linebacker Demetrius Knight. The 2025 second-round pick ended up intercepting Burrow during practice, potentially because of Burrow’s assistance.
“He’s just a tremendous resource, so shame on you for not using Joe Burrow. And it’s not that Joe has to go to every player and say, ‘Here’s how I can help make you better,'” said Taylor on Up & Adams.
“A lot of it is the ownership of those players to go to Joe and not be afraid of a guy who’s in his sixth year and been a Pro Bowler… those guys have really taken [his] information and run with it,” he added.
Taylor knows Burrow will do everything possible to get the Bengals back to the Super Bowl. That includes switching up his preseason routines. In the past two years, Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins have barely participated in the preseason.
In the succeeding Week 1 contests, Cincinnati played poorly. They notched a combined 13 points and 366 yards in those games, losing 3-24 to the Cleveland Browns in 2023 and 10-16 to the New England Patriots in 2024.
Taylor and Burrow want to explode out of the gate in 2025. So they have approached the preseason in a drastically different fashion. In 2025, the trio will see real preseason action.
Taylor says his mindset on preseason snaps for starters hasn’t changed. Burrow’s injuries forced their previous moves. “[Joe Burrow] has not been healthy [in training camp] until this training camp,” he said.
“When your quarterback’s not playing, why is your left tackle playing? Why is Ja’Marr playing? So there’s a ricochet effect… now, we’ve got guys that are ready to go. We want to give these guys those snaps… we’re excited to get them started,” added Taylor.
The Bengals’ schedule lays out favorably for a good start. They battle the Browns on the road in Week 1, then host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. If they can win those games, they’ll probably find themselves playing playoff football.
If they lose them, Taylor will likely be looking for a new job come January. In other words, it’s pivotal that they start hot. We’ll find out if their new path bears fruit in early September.
