Cincinnati Bengals: Analyzing Top Takeaways from Preseason Opener vs. Giants
The Cincinnati Bengals had the look of a well-polished machine in their 2015 preseason debut Friday, a 23-10 victory against the New York Giants.
Cincinnati's starters looked great during their brief time on the field, with Andy Dalton calm and collected and Tyler Eifert acting as the game-changing presence many project him to be. On defense, tackle Geno Atkins put on a show as the highlight of an encouraging unit.
It was much of the same all down the depth chart. All layers of the offense looked good, with running back James Wilder Jr. making his case for the roster with 53 yards and a score. Ditto for wide receiver Greg Little and his three grabs for 65 yards.
On defense, tackle Pat Sims announced his return to the team in emphatic fashion, while young defensive backs such as Josh Shaw and Troy Hill posted strong performances.
While it was just the first of four exhibitions, the Bengals came out of Friday's contest healthy and improved. Let's take a look at some of the biggest takeaways.
Rex Burkhead Is Just Getting Started
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The Cincinnati depth chart isn't an easy thing to figure out, but Rex Burkhead continues to make things easier.
He has been one of the bigger winners of the summer this far, and it translated to live-game action Friday against the Giants. He took four carries and found room for 23 yards before exiting the game with a slight injury.
Still, what Burkhead flashed was encouraging with a couple of big runs. As Raymond Summerlin of Rotoworld pointed out, he even received more playing time than Giovani Bernard on an early drive.
Burkhead is a versatile presence who can line up in the backfield or at wideout in the slot, which means the Bengals have options when it comes to him, Bernard and workhorse Jeremy Hill.
If Friday is any indication, Burkhead will see the field quite a lot this year.
Geno Atkins Looks Great
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One of the offseason's biggest questions coming into Friday centered on defensive tackle Geno Atkins.
He didn't look 100 percent last year on his way back from a knee injury, and his lack of burst off the snap was one of the reasons the unit struggled in both phases.
Yes, it's early. Yes, it's the preseason. But Atkins looked great Friday night in the few minutes he saw, shedding blocks with ease and even wrapping up a play behind the line of scrimmage.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey put it best concerning Atkins' first drive: "First time seeing Geno Atkins in live action. Yeah, looks like his old pre-2014 self. Wrapped around to come up with big backfield run stop."
It's not wise to overreact just yet, but this is a first great step for Atkins. He's the most important piece of the Cincinnati defense, so Friday was encouraging, to say the least.
Defensive Line Depth Impresses
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This goes hand-in-hand with the last point about Atkins, but on Friday the Cincinnati defensive line showed through four quarters that depth is once again a strength.
Even with Michael Johnson watching from the sidelines after coming back to town to help, the Bengals line put on a show.
Carlos Dunlap stuffed a play five yards deep.
Project Will Clarke posted a few nice plays, including one detailed by Harvey: "Good rush by Will Clarke off right edge. He put a spin on the left tackle, got free and very nearly got a sack. Forced Nassib to throw away."
Even defensive tackle Pat Sims put on a show with the second-team defense, placing more pressure on others such as Domata Peko, Brandon Thompson and Devon Still when it comes to upcoming roster cuts.
Friday wasn't some major reveal, as things looked good on paper thanks to the moves the front office made. Still, the coaching staff had to like seeing it translate to the field, exhibition or not.
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Wide Receiver More Difficult Than Advertised?
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Going into the summer, it was quite clear wideout would be one of the most difficult positions to figure out in Cincinnati, if not the most difficult.
That makes sense. After A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones, things looked wide open.
It's a thought process that came to life Friday against the Giants. The starting three all pitched in well enough, but then there was Denarius Moore with one catch going for 30 yards, showing off his deep speed the team needs.
Rookie Mario Alford also looked good in patches as a quick weapon the staff could use. Perhaps most impressive—and most surprising—was late addition Greg Little. The former free agent caught three passes for 65 yards to lead the team, including a highlight-reel grab of 42 yards.
Friday is just what the coaching staff wanted. Because of injuries and a lack of proper depth, the Bengals struggled at the position last year. It's clear after the first exhibition that they addressed those issues. Now the hard part is constructing the final roster.
Tyler Eifert's Impact
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Friday's biggest takeaway despite a small sample size?
Tyler Eifert's vital role on offense.
The globe saw glimpses of it last year in Week 1, when Eifert played a huge role in the offense before going down with an injury. He's back now, and the story was much of the same, as the Notre Dame product caught both of his targets for 30 yards, both of which went for first downs.
Sports Illustrated's Andrew Perloff hit the proverbial nail on the head: "I know it's preseason, but watching Tyler Eifert reminds me of how much not having him hurt the Bengals last year. He will be very good."
It's easy to see why the Bengals were confident in letting Jermaine Gresham walk this past offseason and why they didn't use a high pick on the position. Eifert looks like the most important target on the field thanks to his ability to create mismatches and take attention off others.
Friday, health provided, was just the beginning.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of August 14. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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