While Jalen Davis is about to make the first Opening Day start of his nine-year NFL career, the Cincinnati Bengals believe they know what they’re getting.
“Jalen Davis is the most consistent player I’ve ever coached,” Bengals cornerbacks coach Charles Burks said. “There has never been a difference in his approach or his playmaking abilities. Jalen has always had great camps. Whenever he was called on to get in games, Jalen has always done well. He’s a consistent good player.”
The Bengals labeled it a competition at slot corner in training camp, but Davis always felt like the frontrunner. Ja’Sir Taylor getting injured and Bralyn Lux landing on the practice squad instead of the 53-man roster clinched the win for Davis (for what it’s worth, the Bengals’ backup slot corners look like Josh Newton and Dax Hill — Hill would go inside with DJ Ivey or Tacario Davis stepping into the lineup out wide).
This week, defensive coordinator Al Golden praised the way that Davis reaffirms calls, communicates and allows the guys around him to “get their cleats in the ground and read their keys and play football.”
Davis is also a very instinctive player, a feisty blitzer and a good tackler.
“He’s a really good football player,” Burks said. “He’s just consistent.”
Davis says that consistency is something that his parents taught him.
“They tell me to do everything the right way,” Davis said. “Don’t skip any steps. “100%, that’s what kept me in this thing for nine years, no matter what’s going on, doing the right things.”
Davis was an undrafted free agent in 2018, signed to the Bengals’ practice squad in the middle of the 2020 season, spent years backing up Mike Hilton and then opened last season on the practice squad. After Cam Taylor-Britt suffered a season-ending injury and after Newton put together a series of discouraging games, the Bengals elevated Davis and made him a starter for the first time in his career.
Davis played admirably down the stretch last season.
“I always pride myself on doing my job,” Davis said. “Doing everything I can. Doing the right things on the field. Doing the best I can for my teammates. I’m still here. Still doing the right things.”
Davis needs to be better in coverage, which is especially important in a league where teams are putting superstar receivers like Ja’Marr Chase in the slot. It was very notable that last year, as well as Davis was playing, he was almost always pulled off the field on third down and 5+ for true passing situations for the opponent.
On third downs, the Bengals can sub in elite tight end stopper DJ Ivey. Arguably no one in the NFL does their job more consistently than Ivey, who has never allowed a single first down catch to a tight end.
The wild card is rookie Tacario Davis, whose tremendous length gives him a standout trait that could lead to him carving out a role.
“He’s still growing,” Burks said. “He was a raw prospect. I was very excited to have him. The whole process of learning, the pre-snap process, his routine when we’re not practicing, that’s all been improving. You’ve seen splash plays in the game. What I’m really proud of is him to go out getting aligned correctly, communicating correctly, show up in the run game and be proficient on third down. He’s not even close to being where he needs to be, but he’s getting there.”
Tacario Davis showed a lot of growth in the preseason and training camp, playing his best football at the end to wrap up the summer with some momentum.
“You can tell from Day 1 to where he is now, it’s night and day from a technique standpoint,” Burks said. “The technique that we teach really comes naturally to him because he’s a long press-man corner. In my history, that’s the type of guys I’ve really worked with.”
When the Bengals do with a dime defense (six defensive backs with one in the place of a linebacker) on third downs, then the Bengals could get both Ivey and Tacario Davis on the field and choose to play with a really long secondary.
Especially if Tacario Davis is comfortable enough on special teams to carve out a regular spot on the active game day roster, he’ll have a chance to help.
‘I can’t wait until people really see his ball skills,” Burks said. “I’m always looking for guys with ball skills.”
As the Bengals come up with their defensive back packages for specific situations like third downs, the versatility Dax Hill becomes even more useful. Hill is definitively a starting outside corner on this team, but his versatility offers the Bengals wrinkles that they can use on passing downs.
“Dax, just as a football player, is outstanding,” Burks said. “At corner, his game has grown there. He can move around. He’s definitely a guy who’s one of our top players on defense. His versatility is always a weapon. You want to figure out how to use that.”
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When Joe Burrow is at the peak of his powers, his legs are a big part of his game.
He wasn’t at the peak of his powers last season. Burrow suffered a toe injury last year in Week 2. When he returned on Thanksgiving, he wasn’t quite the same runner that he typically is.
During training camp, with a full offseason of rehab behind him, Burrow showed that he can really move around again.
“I’m excited to break that back out again,” Burrow said. “Last season, I certainly couldn’t when I came back. That’s a big part of my game. It was a good experience last year, figuring out how to play without that. I can pull that out (now) when I need to. I’m sure I will.”
The numbers from previous seasons underscore what his speed can do for his game.
In 2025, he only hit 15+ mph three times all season in the eight games that he played: One time was in Week 1 before he got hurt, one time was on a three-yard gain where he rolled to his right and ran right out of bounds and one was on a broken play where the running back went in the wrong direction on a designed handoff and Burrow had no choice but to scramble on the fly to avoid a sack. Burrow’s three scrambles of 15+ mph last year totaled in 13 yards.
In 2024, Burrow hit 15+ mph on 13 plays that totaled 171 yards. Most memorably, he ran for a 47-yard touchdown against the Giants. But there were also some critical under-the-radar first down scrambles — the Chargers game from 2024 (against a defensive coordinator in Jesse Mitner who’s now the Ravens’ head coach) stands out in that regard.
“Every great quarterback in the league makes plays with their feet,” Zac Taylor said. “They make big plays when there’s not a play to be made. They make plays when you have that guy in your stomach saying, ‘Get rid of the ball. Let’s punt it.’ Those guys go make a play for you, extend the drive and score a touchdown. Any team that has high aspirations, their quarterback is usually able to do that.”
There’s is a balance that Taylor wants Burrow to strike.
“There are times in the game you don’t need that,” Taylor said. “He has learned over the years with experience, when that time comes or when it isn’t. You get a feel for how your defense is playing and how your special teams is playing, and it isn’t that game where you need to do this.”
But there are times where Burrow needs to really turn on the jets and make a play.
He should be able to do that this year. When asked about Burrow’s legs, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher thinks back to times in training camp where Burrow “gassed it a bit trying to get the edge on a keeper, or extended the play.”
That’s an essential component in Burrow’s game, especially on third downs.
“As somebody who used to devote 48 hours of my life every week (as the former Bengals quarterbacks coach) to just the third down plan, you can get really deep in the weeds of trying to come up with the perfect call versus a perfect coverage,” Pitcher said. “Sometimes, you do that. Most of the time, you don’t. When you don’t, you’re reliant on your players making plays.”
Outside of the 2025 season and the stretch in 2023 where he battled a calf injury, Burrow has consistently made these plays.
His ability to make plays on the run really shined in 2023 against the 49ers and Texans.
In 2022, he hit 15+ mph on 18 different plays, including a QB draw for a touchdown in New Orleans and two first down runs in the regular season matchup against the Chiefs. In 2021, in the AFC title game in Kansas City, Burrow famously evaded Chris Jones for a first down run on a third down late in the third quarter.
Burrow needs his scrambling as an option in his tool box to be at his best.
This year, he has that option again.
“He looks plenty fast enough to do what we need from him,” Pitcher said.
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The story of Evan McPherson’s career has been health.
In 2022, he strained his groin. While he didn’t miss any time, he had a down season.
In 2023, he was healthy, had a terrific season and earned a contract extension.
In 2024, as he had another down season, a strained groin eventually tore and became a season-ending injury.
In 2025, he was healthy and had a career year.
“Health is a huge thing,” McPherson said. “Whenever you don’t feel any knicks, bruises or strains, you have confidence to perform and do what you always do. I had a really good year (last year). As my NFL career stands, it was probably the best year that I’ve ever had.”
McPherson looks even stronger entering 2026. He was nearly perfect in training camp — Darrin Simmons says that he missed twice, according to McPherson, but one of those “misses” was deemed a make on the field by the umpires on the field.
There should be a lot of confidence in the Bengals’ field goal operation entering 2026. It’s the first time in McPherson’s career that he has had the same returning punter and holder.
“I feel a huge relief having the same operation as we did last year,” McPherson said. “You get the time to grow together and not wonder who’s going to be here and who’s not. Having that core unit has been huge. For us to get to spend time even outside of football together, that helps us in here. It’s been a huge positive for me.”
Between Week 1 and Week 17 last season, McPherson was lights out. He ended the season with a very odd Week 18, missing two extra points against the Browns.
“We put such a big premium on Myles Garrett,” McPherson said. “You’re thinking about where he’s lining up. Maybe he was making me find him before the kick and not focusing on the kick.”
Another lesson learned.
The development of Ryan Rehkow as a holder and the addition of long snapper Will Wagner made a big impact last year. The unit really clicked.
“Continuity definitely helps,” Rehkow said. “We’re coming off a year where we were able to work together. Me, Evan and Will get along really well. A lot of the time, it doesn’t feel like there’s much pressure because we’re having fun and enjoying each opportunity.”
In addition to being friends who go golfing and have family dinner, McPherson, Rehkow and Wagner simply have the reps to know how it’s going to look in big moments.
“I go into it with the same confidence I had last year, knowing that whatever I do and whatever stadium I’m in, I have the same confidence,” McPherson said. “I feel like I’m actually going to make every kick I step out there for.”
The Bengals added Rehkow in 2024 because of his leg strength. Over the last two years, he has developed into a very reliable homer.
“It’s been a lot of work in the offseason,” Rehkow said. “Will has had a huge part to do with that. He puts me in really good positions, and that puts Evan in the best spot possible.”
Wagner very quietly had a terrific 2025 season.
“It takes a specific mentality to be a specialist,” Rehkow said. “Will doesn’t ever read into things too much. That helps us stay loose and stay in the moment. When the moment is needed, he locks in. I trust him a lot.”
McPherson is the star of the unit and the captain of the unit. The Bengals know that he can handle a clutch kick.
“His mentality is second to none,” Rehkow said. “He’s never fazed. He’s never too high or too low. He’s really even-keeled. He has a great perspective on football and life.”
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Apparently, punting is like pitching.
As Ryan Rehkow discusses the next steps in his game this season, he says that he’s a six-pitch punter this year instead of a four-pitch punter that he was last year.
Rehkow has added a “banana punt” as well as a specific type of line drive out of bounds to his game.
Situational football was the theme of training camp this year, and that even applied to Rehkow.
“Each game is going to be a different situation,” Rehkow said. “Each situation might call for a different punt or a different mentality. I’ve found different things I can use as tools instead of just having one punting style.”
Rehkow’s leg strength has been obvious since his NFL debut when he set the franchise record with an 80-yard punt. Distance has never been a problem for Rehkow. He has learned over the years, though, that he was focusing too much on the big punts.
Touchbacks have been a problem for Rehkow. He worked a lot on the offseason on being much better on punts from ahead of the 50-yard line.
“This offseason was about really getting a lot of reps with that,” Rehkow said. “When I was evaluating after last season what was translating and what wasn’t from practice, I simply didn’t focus on that area enough.”
The preseason was encouraging for Rehkow. In the preseason opener, in the final minute, he executed a clutch punt and pinned the opponent at the 9-yard line. In the second preseason game, Rehkow pinned the opponent at the 12 late in the game.
Rehkow says that his new types of punts give returners more to think about when they step on the field.
“Darrin (Simmons) stressed that to me — the more tools you can have, the better,” Rehkow said.
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The Bengals have a winner for the swing tackle position battle, backing up Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims. They’re not going to share who it is.
The candidates are Jalen Rivers (who spent most of the offseason at guard but finished the preseason at tackle and would be able to be the backup at four different positions), Javon Foster (who spent last year on the practice squad but had the best preseason at tackle), waiver claim Myles Hinton (who arrived in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago) and Blake Freeland (who’s on the practice squad but has intriguing traits as well as the most NFL experience of this group).
An injury to Mims or Brown would present a really difficult challenge for the Bengals because the team’s swing tackle depth isn’t up to par.
Dan Pitcher confirmed that the evaluation process would be ongoing over the course of the year.
“Those guys know that we’re going to continue assessing,” Pitcher said. “How many true competitive reps are left, they’re few and far between. They’re not non-existent, but you’re still out there on scout team and we’re watching you and you’ve got to be sound in your set landmarks and do the things that we expect our guys to do if they need to play for us. We’re comfortable with where we’re at, but that doesn’t mean that that’s where we’ll be in three weeks, six weeks or 10 weeks.”
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The question of “who’s the Bengals’ No. 3 receiver” is a much more complex one than it would have been a few years ago.
The return of Erick All Jr. gives the Bengals the chance to dive into two tight end sets more than they have in years, and All’s potential role fits well with the under-center packages that the Bengals have worked on all summer.
While the Bengals will never major in two running back sets, they worked on them more in camp this year than they had in any other of Taylor’s tenure as the Bengals head coach.
Also, tight end Mike Gesicki is a de facto wide receiver who will get a lot of reps in the slot.
The Bengals’ best true No. 3 receiver remains Andrei Iosivas. Colbie Young and Dohnte Meyers give the team intriguing depth, and they each have a standout trait (contested catches for Young, speed and YAC for Meyers) that could help get them onto the field.
“We have a multitude of guys who will factor into that quote-unquote third receiving role,” Pitcher said. “(Iosivas) is certainly one of them. We’ll see how it all plays out. We feel good about our skill guys.”
Iosivas said that he just wrapped up the best training camp of his NFL career.
Iosivas’ versatility, speed, blocking and understanding of the offense is an important component. In a system where the Bengals prioritize ways to move Ja’Marr Chase around to get him the ball a ton, you need a dirty work guy like Iosivas who can also move around and fill in the gaps.
What was viewed as a potential breakout 2025 season didn’t get off the ground for Iosivas, but he still continues to demonstrate specific strengths in his game.
“I’ve won at every position,” Iosivas said. “I’m more in the flow of the game whether I get the ball or I don’t. I run away from guys. I win over the top. My releases are great. I’m physical.”
He says that he’s entering this season with a different mindset than he had in years past.
“I don’t really care what anybody has to say about me,” Iosivas said. “That’s it. I don’t need people to tell me I’m good if I know I’m good.”
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Ke’Shawn Williams and his friends called the game “Throw Up.”
The ball would get thrown up in the air, one person would catch it and everyone else would try to tackle the guy with the ball.
Williams played that all the time as a kid.
“I always had a natural knack for making people miss,” Williams said.
That ability earned him a spot on the Bengals’ 53-man roster. He gives the Bengals a different style of returner this year.
“There are only a few times you get the chance to make a play,” Williams said. “To have that fearlessness, it helps you with your decision making.”
He said that he didn’t put much thought into the training camp competition that he was a part of.
“I focused on myself, not the competition part of it,” Williams said. “I wasn’t being comparative. I wasn’t worried about what the man next to me was doing. I was focused on being great every chance I have.”
He showed that he was a playmaker with the shot that he got down the stretch last season. Williams kept that up during the summer to earn a spot on the Bengals’ 53-man roster.
“I’m in a good place,” Williams said. “Very confident in my ability to catch the ball. Very confident in my ability to make plays with the ball in my hand and to make smart decisions. I’m very confident.”
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