The Bengals start the preseason at home when they host the Detroit Lions at Paycor Stadium on Thursday night. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the Bengals Preseason TV Network (Cincinnati’s channel 19).

Here is what to watch for:

New Stripes

While Zac Taylor confirmed that offseason free agent acquisition Bryan Cook will be among the players who will not see action in Thursday's preseason opener, fans will get a look at several other Bengals who joined the team over the past five months. Notably, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, who Cincinnati acquired in a trade less than a week before the NFL Draft, has garnered high praise from his new teammates and coaches throughout the early stages of training camp.

"Honestly, he's been terrorizing practice," wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. "I can honestly say that."

"He's bult differently than a lot of humans, obviously," quarterback Joe Burrow told Kay Adams this week. "He's big, strong, athletic, fast. His hands are quick. You can tell he works on his craft. He's as motivated as ever, as we all are."

Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowler during his tenure with the Giants, will line up alongside other veteran additions like defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, defensive end Boye Mafe and safety Kyle Dugger, among others.

Other players making their first game appearance in stripes are the team's rookie class, headlined by second-round draft choice Cashius Howell. The defensive end out of Texas A&M is coming off a breakout 2025 season in which he racked up 11.5 sacks, was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-America honors. Offensively, wide receiver Colbie Young (fourth-round pick out of Georgia) has treated fans to some highlight-reel catches during camp.

Offensive Starters Set to Play

Taylor told reporters on Tuesday that Burrow, Chase, wide receiver Tee Higgins and halfback Chase Brown will be among the returning players who will suit up on Thursday, even if it is for "limited" snaps.

"I want our guys to come out in our stadium out of our tunnel where we play Week 1 in front of our fans, and our fans to be able to see the group that's running out there," Taylor said. "Just the 11 guys out there on the field by themselves, everybody else on the sideline, people in the stands — just get that feeling."

In last year's preseason opener at Philadelphia, Burrow and the starting offense marched down the field for two touchdown drives before being pulled for the rest of the night. Burrow compiled a 157.5 passer rating, going nine of 10 for 123 yards and two passing scores. Chase capped his night with a 36-yard catch and run to the end zone, while Brown averaged 4.6 yards per carry on five rushing attempts.

Position Battle at Returner

Assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said at the start of camp that he anticipated an open competition for the roles of kickoff and punt returner. The team's primary returner over the past two-plus years has been wide receiver Charlie Jones, who is one of two players in Bengals history with at least three returns for a touchdown in his career alongside Ring of Honor member Lemar Parrish.

With an ankle injury keeping Jones out of the lineup for the final three games of last season, Cincinnati acquired Ke'Shawn Williams on waivers, and the former Steeler contributed nine punt returns for 95 yards along with eight kick returns for 425 yards (23.6 average). He had a career-long 43-yard punt return in the Week 17 win over Arizona, setting up a short touchdown drive for the Bengals' offense.

"You've got to be dependable," said Taylor on what he and Simmons seek in that role. "I think the biggest thing is you've got to make sure you secure the catch. We've had games in our lifetime here when that was a problem. I think Charlie has done a really good job of that. That's something you know with Charlie, you know he's going to secure the ball. You obviously want the explosiveness and things that people are going to worry about on the other team, that's a key element. I certainly think there's a battle there. Everybody is going to get opportunities, and these games are going to go a long way."

Money Mac in Preseason

Evan McPherson has shown off his long-distance kicking ability during the preseason over the last five years. He is 26-for-28 overall on field goal attempts in the preseason, with 11-of-13 of those coming from 50+ yards.

Some of his highlights include a 57-yarder in the 2021 preseason against Miami, a 58- and 56- yarder in the second quarter alone in 2022 versus Arizona, and another 58-yarder in 2023 at Washington. He also is a perfect 21-for-21 on PATs in his preseason career.

McPherson culminated last Friday's practice inside Paycor Stadium by going seven-for-seven on field goal attempts, with the last one being a 65-yarder that split the uprights with room to spare.

Check out the Bengals 2026 Schedule.