Burrow Goes Under Center as Bengals Rookies Push for Jobs

Joe Burrow’s first completion Thursday night at Paycor Stadium came after he turned his back to the defense.

The Bengals quarterback took the snap from under center, sold the handoff and found Ja’Marr Chase for 16 yards.

It was the first live look at the Bengals under-center offense, the wrinkle Cincinnati built all summer. In fact, Burrow played only 13 snaps in the postgame recap. He completed five of six passes for 39 yards in a 16-14 win over Detroit. Seven of those 13 snaps came from under center. Bengals.com’s roster review put last year’s number at 11 of 16 shotgun snaps in the Philadelphia opener.

Still, Cincinnati did not turn the change into a touchdown during Burrow’s two series. The first-team offense produced three points, then Burrow’s final throw ended with a blindside rush hitting his arm. Yet the 16-yard play-action completion to Chase showed why the Bengals are spending August on the experiment.

The Bengals Under-Center Offense Finally Shows Up on Game Film

Burrow told reporters that Cincinnati is expanding the Bengals under-center offense to see where it can take the group. Head coach Zac Taylor, however, sounded more measured. In his postgame quotes, he said the group still wanted more than three points from Burrow’s two drives.

That is the useful tension from the opener. The formation change can give the Bengals another way to sell play action and make a defense hesitate. But it also asks the quarterback, running backs and offensive line to operate differently. Burrow also said those three groups feel the biggest effect.

Burrow reworked his contract this offseason for cap flexibility, so protecting him from unnecessary hits carries even more weight. The protection remains part of the equation. Burrow took a coverage sack on the first drive. He then had his arm hit on the final pass of his night. Taylor acknowledged that seeing Burrow hit was not what the Bengals wanted. He also said Cincinnati’s defensive front has tested the offensive line every day of camp.

One preseason game cannot establish whether the new package will survive into September. It did establish that Cincinnati is willing to put the Bengals under-center offense on film with Burrow. That is not the same as just rehearsing it in practice.

Dohnte Meyers Turned a Text From Burrow Into a Roster Case

Dohnte Meyers arrived at training camp with a different kind of resume. The 26-year-old receiver had played professionally in the Canadian Football League. He then entered Cincinnati’s crowded receiver room without an established NFL role. It was the same summer the coaching staff spent installing Joe Burrow under center.

Before camp, Burrow texted Meyers and asked him to be at Paycor Stadium the next morning for a throwing session. Meyers was in Atlanta. He drove to Cincinnati that night and showed up the next day. That kind of personal invitation from a franchise quarterback is rare for players buried on a receiver depth chart.

That detail became more relevant Thursday. Meyers caught three passes for 29 yards, ran a jet sweep for 13 and added an 11-yard punt return, according to the box score. His three receptions also tied rookie tight end Jack Endries for the team lead.

Burrow singled Meyers out after the game, pointing to his quickness, experience and understanding of the offense. Bengals.com’s roster review placed Meyers in the competition for the final receiver spots with Charlie Jones, Mitch Tinsley and others.

For Meyers, special teams may matter as much as another catch. Cincinnati is sorting through return options while deciding how many receivers to carry. An 11-yard punt return gave the staff another piece of evidence.

Jack Endries and Landon Robinson Made Seventh-Round Picks Matter

The Bengals used their final two selections in the 2026 draft on Jack Endries at No. 221 and defensive tackle Landon Robinson at No. 226. Even so, both left the opener with more tape than their draft position guaranteed them.

Endries caught three passes for 25 yards, including Cincinnati’s only touchdown, a four-yard throw from Joe Flacco. Flacco relieved Burrow once the Bengals under-center offense gave way to the rest of the roster. Endries’ other notable catch went for 17 yards after he made multiple Detroit defenders miss. Burrow later compared Endries’ feel for the game to Tanner Hudson, a veteran who has earned Burrow’s trust.

The competition at tight end is crowded enough that one August touchdown will not decide it. Endries also has to block, contribute on special teams and prove he can repeat the receiving flashes. But the first game gave coaches something concrete to compare with the veterans ahead of him.

Robinson played 46 defensive snaps, the most on the Bengals defense, according to the team’s roster review. Bengals.com also credited him with a sack, a quarterback hit and a run stop. Veteran Dexter Lawrence II, who played only three snaps, said Robinson held his own and played well. He then added the usual reminder that the tape would tell more.

Kris Jenkins Jr. also made a strong case for snaps in Cincinnati’s deeper defensive line rotation. He finished with five tackles and a sack after Lawrence and Jonathan Allen exited early. The Bengals forced two early turnovers. Then Russ Yeast intercepted Luke Altmyer with 25 seconds left to preserve the win.

Brian Parker’s 57 Snaps May Matter More Than a Preseason Score

Rookie lineman Brian Parker II did not have a touchdown or a highlight return. He did something roster builders value just as much in August: he stayed on the field.

Parker played 57 snaps, more than any Bengal, and worked at guard with some time at center. Cincinnati brought back the starting line that runs the Bengals under-center offense. The real question is which reserves can cover multiple jobs when injuries arrive. Parker’s ability to move inside gives the Bengals another option while they sort through those backup spots. Versatility like that will matter more on cutdown day than any highlight would.

Evan McPherson supplied the night’s most obvious special-teams positive. He hit field goals from 56, 33 and 41 yards in the rain. The Bengals’ official recap notes that he is now 29-for-31 on preseason field-goal attempts in his career.

There is a reasonable limit to all of this. Detroit used backups for much of the night, and several Cincinnati starters barely played. Lawrence and Allen each logged only three snaps. A good August performance is not proof that a seventh-round pick or CFL import will hold up. The regular-season depth chart tightens fast.

Preseason does, however, give coaches live evidence for the decisions they actually have to make. The Lions’ reserves were also auditioning for their own roster spots, not mailing in an exhibition, which is part of why beating them still counts for something. Taylor said after the game that some players rise and stand out when those opportunities arrive. Meyers, Endries, Robinson and Parker all gave the staff more to evaluate than it had before kickoff.

The next round comes at Paycor Stadium. Cincinnati hosts Chicago for a joint practice Thursday before the Bears return for the Bengals’ second preseason game Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. The Bengals under-center offense will keep getting work. The stakes stretch beyond August, too, with Cincinnati’s trip to Spain already on the regular-season schedule. Players at the back of the roster will get another chance to make themselves less likely to be cut.