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Live NFL football is finally back in our lives, sort of.
Sure, preseason football may not be the same level of football we’ll see in the regular season, but it’s nevertheless football being played by NFL athletes in competition for the first time in over seven months for the Cincinnati Bengals, as they play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their preseason opener.
Training camp and the preseason are part of the road to how far the Bengals will go in the 2017 season. This is also a pivotal time for newcomers looking to take on big roles with this team.
So, which Bengals will impress in the preseason debut? Who will move up the depth chart and who will see themselves off the roster? Those are the kinds of questions for which we’ll learn answers during the next month of preseason action.
The preseason isn’t about Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and Geno Atkins. It’s about guys like Alex Erickson, Deshawn Williams, Chris Smith, Will Clarke, Jake Elliott and more of the guys fighting for their roster lives.
Second-round rookie running back Joe Mixon has been lighting it up in his first training camp, so it will be interesting to see how he does against a solid Buccaneers defense in his first live game action. He’s currently listed fourth on the depth chart at running back, so he’ll need to have a great preseason to ensure he’s getting a big workload once the regular season begins.
Fourth-round rookie linebacker Carl Lawson has been a terror off the edge in camp against every Bengals lineman he’s faced. Now he gets to go against another team’s lineman and prove he’s ready for a big role in this defense.
As for the Buccaneers, they’re looking to build off a promising 9-7 season and look primed for another winning season, which could get them into the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
They feature a high-flying offense led by third-year quarterback Jameis Winston, who some already consider a top-10 passer in the NFL. He certainly has the potential to have a top-10 season with a pass-catching group of Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and 19th-overall pick O.J. Howard.
Though we should only see the starters for a series or two, it will be interesting to see how the Bengals’ defense holds up against that talented offense. As well as how the offensive line does against a solid Tampa Bay defensive line.
Here is everything you'll need to watch and follow these two teams square off in Week 1 of the preseason.
How to Watch Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
Date: Friday, August 11, 2017
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
TV Channel: WKRC-TV (CBS Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WKEF-TV (ABC Ch. 22) in Dayton, WSYXTV (ABC Ch. 6) in Columbus, WLIO-TV (FOX Ch. 8.2) in Lima, WDKY-TV FOX Ch. 56) in Lexington, Ky. and WDRB-TV (FOX Ch. 41) in Louisville, Ky.; Check out 506sports.com for full listings in surrounding areas
Announcers: Bengals Preseason Network coverage features Brad Johansen (play-by-play), Anthony Munoz (analyst) and Mike Valpredo (sideline reporter).
Online Stream: NFL Game Pass
Radio: The Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). The broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).
Odds: Cincinnati (-2), Over/Under 37.5, via OddsShark.com
Replay: Saturday, August 12, 1:00 a.m. and Tuesday, August 15, 1:00 p.m. on NFL Network. You can also watch a replay with NFL Game Pass.
Bengals 90 Man Roster 2017
| 61 | Bodine, Russell | C | 6-3 | 308 | 25 | 4 | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | Bodine, Russell | C | 6-3 | 308 | 25 | 4 | North Carolina |
| 60 | Johnson, T.J. | C | 6-4 | 300 | 27 | 4 | South Carolina |
| 23 | Benwikere, Bene | CB | 6-0 | 195 | 25 | 4 | San Jose State |
| 21 | Dennard, Darqueze | CB | 5-11 | 198 | 25 | 4 | Michigan State |
| 22 | Jackson, William | CB | 6-0 | 187 | 24 | 2 | Houston |
| 24 | Jones, Adam | CB | 5-10 | 180 | 33 | 11 | West Virginia |
| 27 | Kirkpatrick, Dre | CB | 6-2 | 185 | 27 | 6 | Alabama |
| 29 | McRae, Tony | CB | 5-10 | 185 | 24 | 1 | North Carolina A&T |
| 20 | Russell, KeiVarae | CB | 5-11 | 196 | 23 | 2 | Notre Dame |
| 26 | Shaw, Josh | CB | 6-1 | 200 | 25 | 3 | Southern California |
| 37 | Cox, Demetrious | DB | 6-1 | 198 | 23 | R | Michigan State |
| 76 | Brown, Ryan | DE | 6-6 | 276 | 23 | 1 | Mississippi State |
| 93 | Clarke, Will | DE | 6-6 | 280 | 26 | 4 | West Virginia |
| 96 | Dunlap, Carlos | DE | 6-6 | 280 | 28 | 8 | Florida |
| 95 | Gilberry, Wallace | DE | 6-2 | 270 | 32 | 10 | Alabama |
| 91 | Hardison, Marcus | DE | 6-3 | 310 | 25 | 3 | Arizona State |
| 90 | Johnson, Michael | DE | 6-7 | 272 | 30 | 9 | Georgia Tech |
| 94 | Smith, Chris | DE | 6-1 | 266 | 25 | 4 | Arkansas |
| 99 | Willis, Jordan | DE | 6-4 | 255 | 22 | R | Kansas State |
| 97 | Atkins, Geno | DT | 6-1 | 300 | 29 | 8 | Georgia |
| 75 | Billings, Andrew | DT | 6-1 | 325 | 22 | 2 | Baylor |
| 79 | Dean, David | DT | 6-1 | 302 | 24 | 1 | Virginia |
| 67 | Glasgow, Ryan | DT | 6-3 | 302 | 23 | R | Michigan |
| 92 | Sims, Pat | DT | 6-2 | 330 | 31 | 10 | Auburn |
| 68 | Tupou, Josh | DT | 6-3 | 350 | 23 | R | Colorado |
| 69 | Williams, DeShawn | DT | 6-1 | 295 | 24 | 2 | Clemson |
| 44 | Laufasa, Darrin | FB | 6-1 | 235 | 22 | R | Texas-El Paso |
| 65 | Boling, Clint | G | 6-5 | 305 | 28 | 7 | Georgia |
| 64 | Dielman, J.J | G | 6-5 | 309 | 23 | R | Utah |
| 66 | Hopkins, Trey | G | 6-3 | 310 | 25 | 2 | Texas |
| 79 | Lee, Cameron | G | 6-5 | 312 | 23 | R | Illinois State |
| 62 | Redmond, Alex | G | 6-5 | 310 | 22 | 1 | UCLA |
| 71 | Smith, Andre | G | 6-4 | 325 | 30 | 9 | Alabama |
| 72 | Stanton, Dustin | G | 6-4 | 298 | 23 | R | Oregon State |
| 63 | Westerman, Christian | G | 6-3 | 300 | 24 | 2 | Arizona State |
| 82 | Carter, Cethan | H-B | 6-3 | 241 | 23 | R | Nebraska |
| 89 | Hewitt, Ryan | H-B | 6-4 | 255 | 26 | 4 | Stanford |
| 25 | Bernard, Giovani | HB | 5-9 | 205 | 25 | 5 | North Carolina |
| 32 | Hill, Jeremy | HB | 6-1 | 235 | 24 | 4 | Louisiana State |
| 28 | Mixon, Joe | HB | 6-1 | 228 | 21 | R | Oklahoma |
| 30 | Peerman, Cedric | HB | 5-10 | 212 | 30 | 8 | Virginia |
| 39 | Williams, Jarveon | HB | 5-9 | 202 | 22 | R | Texas- San Antonio |
| 4 | Bullock, Randy | K | 5-9 | 206 | 27 | 6 | Texas A&M |
| 3 | Elliott, Jake | K | 5-9 | 167 | 22 | R | Memphis |
| 49 | Albright, Bryson | LB | 6-5 | 225 | 23 | 1 | Miami (Ohio) |
| 52 | Bell, Brandon | LB | 6-1 | 229 | 22 | R | Penn State |
| 55 | Burfict, Vontaze | LB | 6-1 | 255 | 26 | 6 | Arizona State |
| 47 | Dawson, P.J. | LB | 6-0 | 240 | 24 | 2 | Texas Christian |
| 50 | Evans, Jordan | LB | 6-2 | 233 | 22 | R | Oklahoma |
| 53 | Flowers, Marquis | LB | 6-3 | 245 | 25 | 4 | Arizona |
| 58 | Lawson, Carl | LB | 6-2 | 261 | 22 | R | Auburn |
| 51 | Minter, Kevin | LB | 6-0 | 246 | 26 | 5 | LSU |
| 56 | Nickerson, Hardy | LB | 6-0 | 232 | 23 | R | Illinois |
| 57 | Rey, Vincent | LB | 6-0 | 250 | 29 | 7 | Duke |
| 59 | Vigil, Nick | LB | 6-2 | 239 | 23 | 2 | Utah State |
| 46 | Harris, Clark | LS | 6-5 | 250 | 33 | 9 | Rutgers |
| 74 | Fisher, Jake | OT | 6-6 | 305 | 24 | 3 | Oregon |
| 77 | Lechler, Landon | OT | 6-7 | 317 | 23 | R | North Dakota State |
| 70 | Ogbuehi, Cedric | OT | 6-5 | 310 | 25 | 3 | Texas A&M |
| 78 | Perkins, Kent | OT | 6-5 | 320 | 22 | R | Texas |
| 73 | Winston, Eric | OT | 6-7 | 310 | 33 | 11 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 10 | Huber, Kevin | P | 6-1 | 211 | 32 | 9 | Cincinnati |
| # | NAME | POS. | HT. | WT. | AGE | EXP. | COLLEGE |
| 14 | Dalton, Andy | QB | 6-2 | 220 | 29 | 7 | Texas Christian |
| 6 | Driskel, Jeff | QB | 6-4 | 231 | 24 | 2 | Louisiana Tech |
| 5 | McCarron, AJ | QB | 6-3 | 220 | 26 | 3 | Alabama |
| 33 | Carson, Tra | RB | 5-11 | 231 | 24 | 1 | Texas A&M |
| 42 | Fejedelem, Clayton | S | 6-0 | 205 | 24 | 2 | Illinois |
| 43 | Iloka, George | S | 6-4 | 225 | 27 | 6 | Boise State |
| 31 | Smith, Derron | S | 5-10 | 200 | 25 | 3 | Fresno State |
| 36 | Williams, Shawn | S | 6-0 | 210 | 26 | 5 | Georgia |
| 40 | Wilson, Brandon | S | 5-11 | 200 | 23 | R | Houston |
| 85 | Eifert, Tyler | TE | 6-6 | 255 | 26 | 5 | Notre Dame |
| 81 | Kroft, Tyler | TE | 6-6 | 250 | 24 | 3 | Rutgers |
| 86 | Schreck, Mason | TE | 6-5 | 258 | 23 | R | Buffalo |
| 87 | Uzomah, C.J. | TE | 6-6 | 265 | 24 | 3 | Auburn |
| 83 | Boyd, Tyler | WR | 6-2 | 197 | 22 | 2 | Pittsburgh |
| 88 | Brown, Chris | WR | 6-1 | 191 | 23 | 2 | Notre Dame |
| 16 | Core, Cody | WR | 6-3 | 210 | 23 | 2 | Mississippi |
| 12 | Erickson, Alex | WR | 6-0 | 195 | 24 | 2 | Wisconsin |
| 18 | Green, A.J. | WR | 6-4 | 210 | 29 | 7 | Georgia |
| 11 | LaFell, Brandon | WR | 6-3 | 210 | 30 | 8 | Louisiana State |
| 80 | Malone, Josh | WR | 6-3 | 208 | 21 | R | Tennessee |
| 15 | Ross, John | WR | 5-11 | 188 | 22 | R | Washington |
| 17 | Russell, Alonzo | WR | 6-4 | 206 | 24 | 1 | Toledo |
| 13 | Whitfield, Kermit | WR | 5-8 | 184 | 23 | R | Florida State |