In a nice twist, Week 2 of the preseason was more important than usual for the Cincinnati Bengals during the Zac Taylor era.
During Friday night’s exhibition against the Atlanta Falcons, one key offensive starter actually suited up to play, as did most of the starting defense.
That means plenty of notes and takeaways about what the reps meant for key parts of the defense and some detailed focus on a starting spot along the offensive line — plus some highlights of the best moments from the game.
Here’s a look at some of the notes, thoughts and takeaways exiting the game for the Bengals.
Jonah Williams shows up big
Put a fork in the Jonah Williams conversation. He was the only starter to play on the offensive side of the ball Friday night and he looks great. Back from the knee injury and the first position change of his pro career, he’s the guy at right tackle in Week 1.
Defensive line depth is outstanding
Nowhere to go 🙅
📱: Stream #CINvsATL on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/mrypqpkpf3
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2023
The defensive line has two possible breakout depth pieces — interior pass-rusher Zach Carter and edge rusher Cam Sample. Those two looked more improved than expected while continuing to develop.
Joseph Ossai steps up
INTERCEPTION 😱
📱: Stream #CINvsATL on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/ek85NoOo57
— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2023
Think Ossai is still dwelling on the problems from the playoffs? He got an interception in the highlight above and was wreaking havoc all over the field from the edge, interior and even in coverage.
Deep sleeper: Raymond Johnson III
Get familiar with the name. Johnson had a sack last week and was making noise early in this game too. He’s yet another defensive lineman helping to make this a brutal set of cut-down decisions when the time comes.
Big Blunder
Rookie safety Jordan Battle will be running extra this week. The unexpected draft pick expected to make some noise at the position this year got whistled for taunting during a third-down stop. He got yanked from the game momentarily.
Myles Murphy's absence
Bengals first-round pick Myles Murphy missed this one with an illness, per Pro Football Network’s Jay Morrison. A brutal missed opportunity for the early pick to show his slow start to the summer isn’t a sign of things to come.
