There are specific things teams attempt to achieve in the preseason—particularly early in the summer. Giving significant snaps to rotational players and others grinding for a job is part-and-parcel of these games, as is prioritizing development over end scores.
We saw a little bit of everything—bad and good—from the Cincinnati Bengals in their Week 1 loss to the Cardinals. Here are the best and worst facets from their 36-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The good
Rookies, drafted and not, contributing early:
First-round defensive back Daxton Hill was extremely active on the evening, as his trial-by-fire continues with Jessie Bates III’s holdout.