4 questions Bengals must answer in Week 1 vs. Browns
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The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have an easy task in Week 1 on Sunday.
There, Joe Burrow and the Bengals open the season on the road against the Cleveland Browns with plenty of questions needing answers right out of the gate.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest questions chasing the Bengals into the opener.
Who starts/remains at guard?
Guard feels like a serious problem for the Bengals. The fact a rookie Dylan Fairchild starting at one spot isn’t the question here is a massive issue. Cincinnati brought on Lucas Patrick in free agency and he’ll start on Sunday, but he struggled with injuries and performance most of the summer. So much so, the team signed Dalton Risner after final cuts. Will the Bengals be willing to yank Patrick quickly if he struggles or risk Burrow behind shaky play?
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What’s with the first-rounders Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy?
Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai, not first-round products Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy, got the nod on the Bengals depth chart at edge this week. Does that play out in the snap counts too? Or will Murphy get a healthy rotational role and show he can break out? Will Stewart’s preseason usage that saw him kick inside often be a thing in the regular season? The Bengals desperately need first-round players to match their value on the field.
Cornerback rotation?
The Bengals went against most apparent expectations this summer by putting Dax Hill (yet another former first-rounder they need more from) back in the slot. That means DJ Turner or somebody will start across from Cam Taylor-Britt on the boundary. What does that rotation ultimately look like? Is it a per-opponent thing or whoever proves themselves? It might be the defining factor in whether new coordinator Al Goldeon succeeds.
Bengals fast start?
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor shook up the offseason program and approach to camp this year in an effort to fix the annual slow starts to regular seasons. Will it work? It feels necessary, considering two of their next three to close out the month of September are road games and they don’t get a bye until Week 10.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: 4 questions Bengals must answer in Week 1 vs. Browns
