As on Thursday, Turner went limited Friday. All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (knee) had the day off after going full Wednesday and Thursday. Wide receiver Tee Higgins (foot) finished a full week Friday. The only Bengal listed as doubtful is defensive end Shemar Stewart (knee) after he was out Friday.
All of which gives Taylor a pretty good feeling for Sunday even though he admits it's tough to get his arms around an opener as he gets ready for his eighth one as the Bengals' head man, which puts him behind only Marvin Lewis in franchise annals.
"They have all been (strange)," said Taylor with 2019's fourth-quarter loss in Seattle bookended by last year's win in Cleveland despite being more than doubled in yardage.
"I feel like we're healthy coming in, that's a positive," Taylor said, "All those factors you can't control, typically health, weather, it feels like we're in good shape there. We've had some funky openers in the past that way. But now it's getting the team ready and everybody doing their job and playing really well."
AcuWeather is calling for 24% chance of rain and 6% chance of thunderstorms with a high of 88. Which would make it tied for the second hottest home game in Bengals history, right behind the 90-degree opener in 2002.
Marvelous Marv
Speaking of Lewis and his 16 Opening Days, he visited practice Friday in preparation for his national radio call on Sports USA Radio with play-by-play voice Larry Kahn. He spoke with Taylor as the only head coaches the Bengals have had in the last 24 years huddled, which has become more of a common occurrence in the last few seasons.
Lewis sends texts to Taylor before training camp and the opener and pretty much before every AFC North game. When they see each other in person, which is usually around Paycor, they catch up on family.
"Hopefully I'm kind of a calming force for him," Lewis said.
No one still has quite worked the AFC Central-North divisions like Lewis. Four seasons as the Steelers linebackers coach and six as the Ravens defensive coordinator before coming to Cincinnati. And he's the only Bengals head man to win four division titles.
He says the Bengals are the 2026 North favorites, and one of the reasons is Darrin Simmons, the man Lewis brought to Cincinnati in 2003 as special teams coordinator and is still here.
"I think they're the favorite with that offensive firepower and the revamping of the defense," Lewis said. "Dexter Lawrence with Jonathan Allen and B.J. Hill coming back.
"Jesse (Minter) has been in Baltimore's building before, but this is new. Lamar (Jackson) has a new coordinator. We'll see how that goes. If there's an injury to Aaron (Rodgers), where does their season end up? That's the thing. Can they run it enough to protect Aaron?"
The Bengals, he says, and stability.
"They have the continuity in the North with Joe (Burrow), the defense in the second year," Lewis said. "They've still got Darrin and a great kicker and punter."
Lewis also saw Lawrence Friday in a meeting of two of the most influential Bengals defenders of the century. Lewis let Lawrence know that he told Bengals president Mike Brown how great the trade was that brought him from the Giants.
"I watched him on tape last year getting ready for a game, and he was just very impressive," Lewis said. "So explosive. He's strong. He plays with low pads. Plays with extension. And I know he had a great (Giants defensive line coach) in Andre Patterson, who goes back with Mike Zimmer a long way.
"Really impressive. Just his style of play and everything I've read about his leadership is just awesome. Now he comes here and gets to influence those two young linebackers who were here last year. That's going to be a difference."
And how about a Bengals starting safety who once attended a Marvin Lewis Football Camp right on this very field?
"Hey, it's nice to meet you," Bryan Cook said.
"Best of luck," Lewis told his old camper.
Slants and Screens
One of the few things Chase hasn't done here is make a run at the two biggest receiving days in Bengals Opening Day history, both authored by A.J. Green.
Green had 180 yards in the 2016 opener in New York on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 when Green and Andy Dalton beat Ryan Fitzpatrick's Jets, 23-22. Three years before in the '13 opener, Green had 162 in a 24-21 loss in Chicago …
Chase has high praise for CFL wide receiver Dohnte Meyers, who figures to make his NFL debut Sunday.
"I think the biggest thing was just his consistency of coming into practice being himself every day, the same person every day," Chase said. "Asking questions and doing it from the meeting room to the field. He had very little (missed assignments), so that was also positive for him. That's why he made the team. He's just been coming in and making plays and being consistent. That's what they want to see." …
No, Chase says, this is not the deepest wide receiver room in his six seasons here. He's sticking with that 2021 Super Bowl corps of Chase, Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Mike Thomas, Auden Tate, Trent Taylor, and Stanley Morgan Jr. …
