Taylor Brothers Stage 1st Bengals-Bears Joint Practice in 2 Years
Updated
Updated · Bengals.com · Aug 20
Taylor Brothers Stage 1st Bengals-Bears Joint Practice in 2 Years
3 articles · Updated · Bengals.com · Aug 20
Summary
Thursday’s Bengals-Bears workout at Kettering Health Practice Fields put brothers Zac Taylor and Press Taylor on the same NFL field ahead of Saturday’s 7 p.m. preseason game at Paycor Stadium.
The session happened because Zac Taylor and Bears coach Ben Johnson agreed on how to structure it, giving Cincinnati a rare joint practice after skipping them last year.
For Cincinnati, the practice offered an early test for a rebuilt defense featuring Dexter Lawrence II, Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe against Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift and a mostly intact Bears offense.
Chicago entered short-handed too, with Bengals defensive backs Bryan Cook and Dax Hill also not expected to practice or play, keeping some key defenders out while leaving both offenses largely intact.
Beyond the football, the meeting reunited the Taylor family in Cincinnati for the first time in 2 years, turning a usually high-stakes sibling coaching rivalry into a lower-stakes preseason showcase.