Both the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals struggled to get things going in their first action of the 2019 preseason last week, so everyone will be trying to get things back on track Thursday night. The Redskins fell to the Cleveland Browns, 30-10, and the offense was next to nonexistent the whole night. In the same vein, the Bengals were topped by the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-17. The offense got off to a hot start, but the defense struggled to put a cap on the Chiefs offense.
With this matchup on tap, Redskins Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Bengals Wire managing editor Chris Roling.
Redskins Wire: The Bengals are coming into 2019 with a new head coach for the first time in over a decade. What are a few things that Washington fans should know about Zac Taylor ahead of Thursday’s game, and how has he changed Cincy’s game plan?
Chris Roling: Zac Taylor has changed quite a bit for the Bengals. He’s assembled one of the NFL’s biggest coaching staffs, remodeled the interior of Paul Brown Stadium and made sweeping rule changes such as — get this — allowing players to listen to music in the locker room. Star players have talked about a new energy, which is quite fair. On the field, Taylor is an innovative mind who, unlike those before him, isn’t afraid to take risks. He wants to mimic some of what he did in Los Angeles, meaning a massive amount of possibilities out of similar-looking formations. He’ll use running backs at wideout and other creative ideas. It doesn’t sound too outlandish, but like the music, it’s a big step toward a modern approach.
RW: Andy Dalton, AJ Green, Tyler Eifert and Joe Mixon are all leading the charge still for Cincinnati, but who are some fresh names that Redskins fans can expect to hear a lot of during the game?
CR: Tyler Boyd broke out last year with 1,000-plus yards and is a top-tier slot guy, and Giovani Bernard is still a Swiss-Army knife type who can hurt defenses from the backfield or slot. Defensively, Carl Lawson has been the team’s most efficient pass-rusher and William Jackson is an elite corner, though last year that didn’t show at times while a coordinator who got fired in the middle of the season used guys outside of their strengths. Guys like Lawson, Jackson and safety Jessie Bates are the new talent backbone as the roster transitions.
RW: Week 2 of the preseason is often when some of the more experienced players start to get a little bit of game-time in. Are there any major players for the Bengals who you expect to actually see the field on Thursday, or will it still be young guys trying to make the cut?
CR: Andy Dalton will get a series or two and backs Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard will at least be available, unlike the first game. Geno Atkins is confirmed to be out. Taylor has taken a youth-based approach to the first two weeks, so rookie quarterback Ryan Finley, for example, is going to see a massive amount of time while running with the second team. These guys have already been snake bitten with injuries to Jonah Williams and A.J. Green, so they aren’t going to risk much.
Everybody loves to be the judge of a good position battle, so where should we turn our attention? Who has the chance to secure their spot on the 53-man roster against the Redskins?
CR:Wideout is a bigger fight than it has any right being given the talent at the top of the depth chart. But undrafteds Damion Willis and Stanley Morgan are making strong pushes, which puts guys like Cody Core and Josh Malone in danger. Sophomore defensive lineman Andrew Brown could make life difficult on those in charge of cut decisions by continuing his solid preseason, too.
We all know it doesn’t matter, but if you had to allocate some of your own capital, who do you see winning this game, and what’s the final score going to be?
CR: I think the Bengals come away with it 24-20. Generally the outcome relies on quality of depth, which I think the Bengals have more of at this point. They’ll also be running starter-caliber offensive linemen for most of the game as they try to figure out the starters there, so a deep backfield featuring talented rookies should have an easier time than usual on the ground. Finley will have matchup nightmares like Auden Tate to lean on in the passing game, too.
