Bengals snap count distribution vs Bears: Young players get the spotlight

The preseason is interesting, as you get to see all these players you’d normally never get to see. It is also our first chance to see what these players look like on the field after an offseason full of speculation.

We don’t get to see much of the starters, but it is still nice to just see the major contributors flash their talents.

Here is what we saw.

• A much sharper Bengals offense started the game. Last year, the Bengals struggled out of the gate, but we quickly saw that wouldn’t be the case again. Andy Dalton (17) went six of eight throwing the ball. Not to mention the pocket he was standing behind looked more secure. The first-team offense looked great outside of John Ross falling on a route that led to an interception for a touchdown.
• Christian Westerman (44) gets the nod as the player with the most offensive snaps. His name often gets forgotten about during the talks about competition along the offensive line, but clearly there is a confidence there from the team. The player with the second most was wide receiver Josh Malone (37), which is fairly surprising considering the amount of receivers on the team, He likely saw more time as A.J. Green got to bow out after only nine snaps. This probably put Malone in at the end of the first team as well as the top of the second unit. He finished second on the team in receiving with 41 yards.
• Rookie cornerback Davontae Harris (56) received the most snaps on defense. It was a good learning experience for Harris to just be out on the field that much. That is pretty much the amount he would play if he was starting, and he probably won’t see snaps like these once the season begins. That being said, he didn’t really stand out, but at least he didn’t get beat repeatedly.
• The Bengals need some more defensive ends to get through preseason. Jordan Willis and Sam Hubbard both played 55 snaps on Thursday night. These are two guys that will likely be major parts of the Bengals rotation once the season begins. They are too important to be playing 55 snaps in a game that doesn’t matter. Hubbard had a fairly solid night. He even got to realize the speed of the NFL when a Bears receiver blew by him on an end-around of a touchdown. You could see Hubbard stumble almost from shock during the play. It should be noted it would’ve been a heck of a play for Hubbard to make, so no one is belittling him for it.
• There are a few players who should be concerned about their low snap totals. The easiest ones to point to are the receivers. Guys like Ka’Raun White (5), Kermit Whitfield (11) and even Cody Core (13) each drew a pretty short end of the stick. It is clear there aren’t too many wide receiver spots up for grab, and they all just watched a guy like Auden Tate (17) catch a touchdown in a huge game situation.
• Another name who should start to get worried is the running back Quinton Flowers. Flowers got two snaps near the end of the game. When the Bengals signed the undrafted free agent, it was his versatility as a athlete that was so appealing. However, it seems like the former quarterback has been backed into a box. With players like Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard and Mark Walton having spots seemingly secured, it has to be hard for Flowers to also watch guys like Brian Hill (9) and Tra Carson (14) both out snap him as well.