Bengals at Giants: Position Battles to Watch in Second Preseason Game

New York is expected to play some of their starters on Sunday night.

The Bengals head to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants for Week 2 of the preseason. Zac Taylor will play a similar lineup to last week, which means the starters won't dress for a second-consecutive game. 

Brian Daboll said a number of Giants starters will get reps in the game. Players like Dax Hill, Joseph Ossai, and Cordell Volson will have chances to go against first-string talent.

Reserve players will again receive an ample amount of playing time to display their value for a spot on the final 53-man roster. Although most of the starting positions are secured in Cincinnati, there are plenty of position battles occurring to seal up the back-end of the roster.

Let’s take a look at what to watch for Sunday night.

Left Guard

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The left guard competition has been the most advertised position battle in training camp. Jackson Carman was the favorite for the starting position heading into last week’s preseason opener, but the script flipped following his performance.

Volson has taken a majority of the first team reps this week in practice. Although Carman was dealing with an elbow issue earlier in the week and tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday, the coaching staff wanted to give Volson a chance with the ones to prove himself. 

"It's a good competition,” Taylor said. “Both guys have shown really well and we're just looking for the overall consistency for someone to grab ahold of that job and move on with it."

Volson will start on Sunday with Carman in COVID protocol. 

Trey Hill is a dark horse in the left guard competition according to Frank Pollack. Pollack praised the second-year lineman earlier this week. Hill will play both guard and center on Sunday.

Punter

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Punter

Kevin Huber is tied with Ken Riley for the longest tenured player in Bengals history with 207 career games played. Despite the veteran reaching this milestone and becoming the best punter in the franchise’s history, Drue Chrisman could take his spot.

The young punter has a strong leg and has shown improvements in directional punting and hang time this offseason. Chrisman needs to continue the successes of his individual work into team activities and preseason games to beat out Huber.

Chrisman had two punts for an average of 46 yards, while Huber had three punts for an average of 47.67 yards with one inside the 20 against the Cardinals.

Holding duties on field goals are a major factor in who wins the job as well. Huber and Chrisman rotated holding duties last week.

Defensive Line

James Rapien

The Bengals saw flashes of potential from their rookie linemen last week. Zach Carter showcased both his strength and speed in the trenches as both a pass rusher and run stopper.

Cincinnati lacked a player of Carter’s athleticism with his size in the middle of the defensive line last season. He’ll look to build off his performance last week and continue to make a fight as the first rotational player behind DJ Reader and B.J. Hill.

Jeff Gunter applied pressure off the edge forcing Trace McSorely to scramble on multiple drop backs. He recorded a sack on one of his rushes.

Gunter put his name in the mix with Khalid Kareem, Noah Spence, Tyler Shelvin, and Tariqious Tisdale to fight for the back-end of the defensive line room. NFL teams normally keep nine or 10 defensive linemen on their 53-man roster.

Linebacker

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Akeem Davis-Gaither had three tackles in his first action last week since going down with season-ending foot injury mid-season. He will jump back into his rotational slot behind Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt this season.

Linebackers are a core part of special teams. Darrin Simmons, Lou Anarumo, James Bettcher and company will evaluate who can best benefit both units.

Markus Bailey is likely to grab a linebacker spot for his special teams capabilities though he won’t play Sunday with a hamstring injury. That leaves Clay Johnston, Keandre Jones, Tegray Scales, and Clarence Hicks to contend for the remaining role.

Johnston made the great two-point conversion stop against Derrick Henry in the AFC Divisional Round last season. He led the team in tackles last week, including a tackle for loss. His most notable contributions have been on special teams. Despite only playing seven regular season games for the Bengals in 2021, he finished second on the team in special teams tackles with six.

Joe Bachie is still on the PUP list as he continues to rehab his season-ending knee injury suffered against the Broncos last season. Once he is cleared, Bachie will be thrown into the mix as well.

Wide Receiver

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Stanley Morgan is a shoo-in at the number four receiver spot behind Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd for his special teams and run-blocking abilities.

Special teams value will be the determinant on who grabs the final positions. Mike Thomas has been a special teams ace, while Trent Taylor immediately ignited the Bengals punt return game late last season.

Kendric Pryor and Kwamie Lassiter are looking to shake up the room as undrafted free agents. Both have flashed their potential throughout camp.

Lassiter should see more punt return opportunities Sunday following Pooka Williams' release.

Trenton Irwin is another name to keep an eye on. He has spent time between the Bengals practice and active roster since 2019. The coaching staff value what he can bring both as a receiver and special teamer.

Long Snapper

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Cal Adomitis was brought in as a highly touted undrafted free agent to challenge Clark Harris for long snapping duties. Harris hasn’t shown any drop off from prior years.

Harris took the first half snaps on field goals and punts, while Adomitis handled the second half duties.

Running Back

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Chris Evans has a chance of passing Samaje Perine as the second running back on the team. He could also be their kick returner this season.

It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff decides to play Evans this week or give players like Trayveon Williams and Jacques Patrick more reps.

Williams has bounced from the Bengals practice squad and active roster the last few seasons. He will have to continue to make the most of his opportunities in the remaining preseason games and practices to make the final roster.

Cornerback

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Cam Taylor-Britt had surgery on his core earlier this week and will be out for at least the rest of training camp.

The rookie didn't play in the first preseason game, which meant more reps for Tre Flowers, Allan George and Delonte Hood. Depending on how long the rookie’s injury actually keeps him out, one of these corners will have to step into Taylor-Britt’s role until his return.

Jalen Davis has had a good training camp and preseason game showing in the nickel corner reserve spot despite missing most of this past week of practice with injury.

The next round of cuts will come fast after the Bengals second preseason game. All NFL rosters must be trimmed from 85 to 80 players by 4 pm ET on Tuesday. Final cuts have to be made by Tuesday, Aug. 30.

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