Zac Taylor said DJ Turner II was good to go for Sunday’s opener against the Bucs after Friday’s practice, a useful update for a Bengals defense that had already been managing the cornerback through a hamstring issue. Turner was limited on Thursday and Friday, but Taylor’s final practice check pointed to a full go when the season starts at 1 p.m. at Paycor Stadium.
That is why the timing matters now. The Bengals are headed into their Sunday opener with the kind of availability news teams want in the final workout before kickoff, and Taylor said he felt the club was healthy coming in. He added that the usual opener variables — health and weather — looked manageable, while Marvin Lewis was at practice on Friday before his national radio call on Sports USA Radio with Larry Kahn.
Lewis did not sound like a former coach peeking in from the outside. He called the Bengals the favorite in the AFC North, pointing to offensive firepower and a defense that has been revamped. He also said the team has continuity in the division with Joe Burrow and a defense in its second year, plus Darrin Simmons, a great kicker and a great punter. For a team trying to turn a clean injury report into a fast start, that kind of outside confidence carries real weight.
There is still a small wrinkle in the picture. Taylor said the team was healthy coming in, yet Shemar Stewart was listed as doubtful after being out on Friday because of a knee issue. Ja’Marr Chase had Friday off after full work on Wednesday and Thursday, and Tee Higgins finished a full week, so the offense appears to be in good shape. The defense, though, is not completely untouched, and that is the one note that keeps the opener from feeling fully settled.
Lewis’s view came from more than a quick visit. The only Bengals head man to win four division titles, he has seen the North from both the Bengals’ sideline and the other side of the rivalry, and he said the matchup board has changed again. He pointed to Jesse Minter having been in Baltimore’s building before but said this is new, noted that Lamar Jackson has a new coordinator, and said there could be uncertainty if Aaron Rodgers gets injured. He also told Mike Brown the trade for Dexter Lawrence was great, calling Lawrence very impressive and explosive on tape last year.
For Taylor, the opener is just his eighth as Bengals head coach. He said the club has had some funky openers before, including the 2019 loss in Seattle and a 90-degree opener in 2002, but the task now is simpler: get the team ready and have everybody do his job. The forecast adds only a small extra layer, with AcuWeather calling for a 24% chance of rain, a 6% chance of thunderstorms and an 88 high, well short of the 90-degree opener the Bengals once played through in 2002.
That leaves the Bengals with a cleaner path into Sunday than they often have had at this point in the week. Turner looks set, Higgins has a full week behind him, Chase is rested, and Lewis is already calling them the team to beat in the AFC North. The one thing still worth watching is whether Stewart’s knee keeps him out and whether the healthy lineup Taylor described on Friday is the one that actually takes the field.
