CINCINNATI — Beating up on your younger brother is always fun, so Zac Taylor was probably thrilled with how things unfolded Thursday during Cincinnati’s joint practice with Chicago.
The Bengals head coach has close ties to the Bears because his younger brother, Press Taylor, is Chicago’s offensive coordinator. The Bengals completely revamped their defense this offseason, and after the starters played just one series in the first preseason game, the battle against the Bears’ offense represented the first big test of Cincinnati’s new-look unit, which features four new starters, including Dexter Lawrence.
If the joint practice was any indication, the Bengals need the regular season to start now because the defense looks ready to roll.
Here are five takeaways from the joint practice. Although the Bengals defense had some big moments, we’re going to start with Joe Burrow because he got into a fight, and anytime a QB gets into a fight, you have to start there.
Joe Burrow got into his first scuffle since college
If there’s been one common theme around the NFL this year, it’s that if you hold a joint practice, there’s going to be at least one fight, and that was the case here. There weren’t any brawls, but there were a few scuffles, including one involving Burrow.
If there’s one rule at an NFL practice, it’s that you never touch the quarterback, and Dayo Odeyingbo slightly broke that rule. The Bears defensive end got his hands on Burrow and wouldn’t let go of his jersey, which caused things to get heated. Burrow wasn’t happy with Odeyingbo, and he let the Bears defender know it.
Burrow was asked about the scuffle after practice, and he gave an interesting two-word answer.
“Shit happens,” the Bengals QB said. “That’s how practice goes sometimes.”
Burrow did admit this was the first time since college that he got into a scuffle.
“Fun to go at it a little bit,” he said.
Although it was fun for Burrow, the scuffle was quickly broken up before it could turn into a full-fledged fight.
Burrow’s teammates were ready to go to battle for him during the scuffle, and that’s what Ja’Marr Chase wants to see more of this year.
“I don’t care what we do, we just better f—ing protect Joe,” Chase said after practice.
The Bengals were in a feisty mood Thursday, and one reason is that everyone on the roster seems to sense the urgency surrounding the 2026 season. And if they don’t realize it, they will soon because Burrow is reminding everyone all the time.
“The urgency is very high in the locker room, you can feel it,” Burrow said. “It’s palpable.”
Burrow was asked if this is a “now or never” season for the Bengals, and he didn’t disagree with that assessment.
“I’m tired of saying next year, next year, next year,” Burrow said. “This is it. Life is too short to keep pushing things down the road.”
Burrow threw just one interception against the Bears, and it actually came on the play that started the scuffle. His pass bounced off Mike Gesicki and into the hands of Chicago safety Dillon Thieneman, who came away with the interception.
Burrow got some revenge on the next play when he hit Chase for a big gain after the receiver made an impressive toe-dragging catch along the sideline. Overall, Burrow had a strong practice, and his favorite receiver was Tee Higgins, who caught at least six passes.
“Tee made some plays today,” Burrow said. “That was good to see. We know what kind of player Tee is, and he’s going to make big plays in big spots, and we’re counting on him.”
Besides Higgins and Chase, Burrow also made some big throws to Drew Sample and Andrei Iosivas. Although the offense was good, the Bengals have to be thrilled with how their defense played, so let’s get to that.
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Play of the day: The Sexy Dexy interception
There’s a reason the Bengals gave up a first-round pick to get Dexter Lawrence back in April, and that’s because the team feels he can be a game-changer. If Thursday’s practice was any indication, Lawrence is going to live up to that hype and more.
As a matter of fact, Caleb Williams might have nightmares about the 6-foot-5, 350-pound defensive tackle. There were multiple plays where Lawrence barged his way through the Bears’ offensive line to get a hand in Williams’ face or “sack” him. Not only did Lawrence wreak havoc on pass plays, but he was also a run-stuffer up the middle.
And then there was his interception, which was definitely the play of the day. Near the end of practice, Lawrence tipped a Williams pass into the air and then picked it off himself.
That’s an athletic play for a guy who weighs 350 pounds.
Following practice, Williams admitted he was wildly impressed with Lawrence.
“He’s an All-Pro guy, one of the best, if not the best D-tackles, up there with Chris Jones,” the Bears QB said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Lawrence still hasn’t played a regular-season game for Cincinnati, but so far, the Bengals’ decision to acquire him is looking brilliant.
Star of the day: Myles Murphy
Earlier this year, the Bengals decided not to pick up Murphy’s fifth-year option, which means the pass rusher is in a contract year. If Thursday’s practice was any indication, Murphy might be setting himself up for a huge payday.
The final offensive possession of practice went to the Bears, and they did nothing with the ball because no one could block Murphy. The 2023 second-round pick sacked Williams on two straight plays, including one that ended with a “safety.” One ref ruled it a safety, but the officials gave the ball back to the Bears at the 1 so they could run another play because this was a practice. On the next play, Williams threw an interception to Jalen Davis.
Murphy also recorded at least one other sack earlier in the day, so he had at least three against the Bears. During an interview after practice, Murphy got an ovation at his locker from Boye Mafe.
The Bengals defense struggled to close out games last year. One of their worst losses came against the Bears, when Williams threw a 58-yard game-winning touchdown pass with just 17 seconds left in a 47-42 Chicago win. This time around, the Bengals closed out the Bears with two sacks and an interception on Chicago’s final offensive possession.
“As a defense, that’s exactly what we’re looking for, to close out games,” Murphy said after practice.
The 6-11 Bengals lost five games last year by six points or fewer, and a lot of those happened because the defense couldn’t close things out. This year, things feel different.
Caleb Williams was … Caleb Williams
It certainly felt like the Bengals defense got the best of the Bears offense during practice, but that doesn’t mean it was all bad news for Chicago. The Bears offense made several huge plays over the course of the day. I didn’t chart all of Williams’ throws, but according to WLWT’s Charlie Clifford, the Bears quarterback went 16 of 26 with three touchdowns and two interceptions during the 11-on-11 portion of practice.
One of Williams’ favorite targets was Colston Loveland, who had no trouble weaving his way through the Bengals defense. He caught a touchdown pass, and it’s starting to feel like he could emerge as one of the top tight ends in the NFL this year after catching 58 passes for 713 yards and six scores as a rookie last season.
Although Williams shined at times, he was under constant pressure, which led to an inaccurate day. However, he did a good job spreading the ball around. He hit Kalif Raymond with a deep shot for a touchdown. Raymond is in his first year with the Bears and already seems to be emerging as one of Williams’ favorite targets. Although it’s his first year in Chicago, Raymond spent four seasons with Ben Johnson in Detroit, so he’s familiar with the Bears’ offensive concepts.
“He’s been in Ben’s offense, so it’s very similar to him,” Williams said of Raymond. “So, he’s not necessarily trying to learn a whole playbook. The names of things changed, but he’s able to find some comfort in that and a familiar face with the play caller, and then him and I just getting on the same page.”
For the Bears, practice ended on a sour note. Williams’ final throw was picked off on a play where he was under heavy pressure. The problem for Williams and the Bears is that it’s going to be tough for the offense to move the ball if he’s under siege all the time, and that was the case for a good chunk of this practice. One issue with Williams’ protection is that the Bears are still trying to figure out who their starting left tackle will be, which brings us to our next topic.
Breaking down the Bears’ left tackle battle
With barely three weeks to go until the start of the season, the Bears still aren’t sure who their starting left tackle will be. Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie have all been involved in the battle for the spot. There’s also Ozzy Trapilo, who started six games at left tackle last year but hasn’t been fully cleared to practice after rupturing his patellar tendon last season.
There’s also Theo Benedet, who emerged as a contender this week after getting some reps at the position in practice. Based on how the reps were divvied up Thursday, it’s starting to feel like this is Jones’ job to lose. He got most of the first-team reps during practice and performed well.
Benedet was the only other player to get first-team reps at left tackle, and he wasn’t as good as Jones. Practice ended with Williams getting sacked twice on the final three plays, and Benedet was responsible for both sacks. Jones feels like the favorite right now, but Trapilo could certainly end up getting the job back once he’s healthy enough to play.
