Head coach Zac Taylor flipped this week on the Bengals, but when they return Monday to start preparation for the Sept. 13 opener (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's FOX 19) against Tampa Bay at Paycor Stadium, they'll be right on time.

The Bengals broke for the weekend immediately after Thursday's brief workout in the indoor facility mirrored what they would usually do on a Friday morning before a Sunday game. That followed a week where Taylor had a Wednesday-type workout on Tuesday and then followed on Wednesday with a Thursday-ish schedule that is usually their heaviest day of a week that has a Sunday game.

"More so like an extra game week," Taylor said when the week began. "We did a lot of work on Sunday, too … We do have enough new guys where it is good to see them go through the flow of the week.

"How our meeting breakdown is on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. How we're off a day. We're on Wednesday night now. And what the practice flow is. I think it's good for them to see a week that way before we get into Tampa week."

Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase (knee) and Tee Higgins (heel) didn't work, but Taylor has indicated optimism for the opener.

Slants and Screens

Veteran linebacker and special teams ace Joe Giles-Harris begins the season on the practice squad again, but the regard the Bengals have for him can be seen in the corner locker he has at one of the locker room entrances.

Harris, 29, came off the practice squad last year in the last 10 games to rack up a machine-like 20 tackles in the kicking game as he led the Bengals to a No. 4 ranking in the Pro Football Focus special teams rankings. That was a year after they finished first under Darrin Simmons, the longest-tenured kicking-game coach in the league.

Simmons is a big reason Giles-Harris says he had no desire to look elsewhere.

"I like how this team is built," Giles-Harris said after practice Thursday. " I trust Darrin and I love playing for Darrin. That's why I'm here. I'm just excited about what this group can do. There's enough talent in this room to win a lot of games and it's s on us to execute and do our part. I love the energy coming from here and how we're built so far."

And, it goes without saying because he did it last year.

"I'll be ready to go," Giles-Harris said …

Waiver wire pickup Myles Hinton and new practice squad addition Blake Freeland have been inseparable since Tuesday as the Bengals' newest tackles. Before practice they've been in  the O-line room with coach Scott Peters and assistant Mike McCarthy, and have spent the half hour after practice Tuesday and Wednesday grinding with McCarthy on the field.

They've got the specifications of the Bengals' towering starting bookends, left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., and right tackle Amarius Mims. The 6-6, 323-pound Hinton said that Brown and Mims have already talked to him about memorizing pieces of the scheme …

The 6-7, 302-pound Freeland arrives with more experience than most young practice squadders. A fourth-rounder of the Colts in 2023 and made nine starts as rookie on an injury-plagued line.

According to PFF, Freeland had an estimable 74.5 run-blocking grade on 153 preseason snaps after he missed all last season with a broken leg. And he has his online backers out there, such as Bengals guru Joe Goodberry. Goodberry notes that when Freeland started against the Bengals in 2023, he allowed one pressure on 45 passes.

On Thursday, Freeland admitted he was surprised he didn't get picked up, but he did have other options. He was drawn to Peters and the opportunity at the position.

Freeland, a BYU product who grew up in Utah, worked out with Peters' disciple Mike Pollak, a former Bengals guard-center, at the Tip of the Spear facility in Arizona.

"Scott Peters does a great job with his dudes," Freeland said. "I'd like to see how he rolls." …