Well, preseason games are in the books for the Bengals.

Joe Burrow made his first appearance Sunday against the Dolphins, taking three snaps and heading to the bench.

Beyond that, the big news out of camp for the Queen City squad were the drops by No. 1 draft pick Ja'Marr Chase. He dropped Burrow's only pass against the Dolphins, a little bubble screen that probably wasn't going anywhere because a Miami defender was right on Chase.

And that is the issue. If Chase is hearing footsteps this early in his NFL career, he's gonna have problems. As good as SEC defense might be touted, it's not close to the NFL. Chase will hear footsteps on many more throws and if he's gonna have alligator arms, it's going to be a tough road.

Now, everybody has issues so Chase is going through someone other receivers have gone through. He's got a target on his back to boot being a somewhat questionable draft pick ahead of a much more needed offensive lineman.

So keep an eye on it. He was have a good week of practice leading up to it but the last two preseason games were troublesome.

Maybe buy cheap? I would. I have no doubt he'll work his way through it.

Behind Burrow Brandon Allen and Kyle Schurmur played well in the preseason. Well enough to be confidence if Joe goes out? No, let's not get carried away here. Serviceable both. Need to see more to think they'd keep a playoff team afloat.

In the backfield, Chris Evans has had an up and down camp but did line up wide and catch a 20-plus yard touchdown pass. Jacque Patrick also has looked good but Samaje Perine is going to be Joe Mixon's backup. After that it will depend on how may RBs they keep and where does Trayveon Williams fit in. I liked him coming out but he's been behind the 8ball because of injury and a crowded depth chart.

Behind Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd have done exactly what they've needed to do. Stay healthy.

After that locked in trio, Auden Tate, Mike Thomas, Trent Taylor are the veterans behind them. Rookies or less experienced players who have flashed at some point are Stanley Morgan Jr, Trenton Irwin and Scotty Washington.

At tight end, CJ Uzomah is the starter with Drew Sample and Mason Schreck the veterans behind him. Thaddeus Moss is intriguing as is Mitchell Wilcox. Special teams and blocking most important as to who stays and who goes.

Up front, the offensive line has been OK. Does it look improved, yes. Does it look good, well .... at times yes. Consistency will be the key. Can 5 guys play together enough to make a bunch of good players into a great line? Time will tell. It wouldn't be the first time. OL is definitely a group thing more than an individual thing.

The defense played well for the most part in the preseason. How will that translate to the regular is anybody's guess. Last year's pandemic preseason taught coaches the games mean less than even the fans think they do.

Brandon Wilson went down in the preseason finale holding his hand. Not sure what the diagnosis is but if he misses time that hurts the return game. Now kickoff returns aren't as big a thing as they once were but every now and then you get one and Wilson is a good returnee if you play Def/ST as a unit.

As for the kicker, Evan McPherson should win it. He's been impressive in practice and in games. He wouldn't be the first rookie to look good in camp and then bust when the lights go on for real. I think McPherson will be the exception. I also think this offense will be OK, not great, for most of the year and he should have plenty of FG opportunities. With a kicker, you don't want that guy on a team that scores all TDs. You want those FGs. Early as Burrow gets back in shape I think McPherson will be a good one.Next week, with no games on the docket, we'll take a look at how the roster construction turned out and what to look for going forward this season.

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