Some football fans view the preseason as meaningless, since the games don’t technically count. But, preseason contests are far from meaningless for players on the roster bubble or those looking to climb up the depth chart before the start of the regular season. For those guys, the preseason means a whole heck of a lot.

Here’s a look at three Cincinnati Bengals players who need to perform well during the team’s first preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, August 10.

Bengals who need to ball out in the first week of preseason play

Myles Murphy, Defensive end

Myles Murphy is entering his second season with the Bengals after the team selected him in the first round (28th overall) of the ’23 draft, and following the season-ending injury suffered by Cam Sample in training camp, there will be added pressure to perform on Murphy.

After a relatively quiet rookie campaign, the Bengals will need Murphy to step up in during his sophomore season. As a rookie, Murphy recorded just 20 total tackles and three sacks. He also played just 28 percent of all defensive snaps for Cincinnati.

That number is very likely to increase in the upcoming campaign, as the opportunity will be there for Murphy to become a consistent contributor. The first preseason game will be an excellent opportunity for the former Clemson star to show that he’s ready for a larger role.

Josh Newton, Cornerback

The competition for playing time at the two cornerback spots for the Bengals in 2024 projects to be pretty stiff. Cam Taylor-Britt and D.J. Turner are the projected starters, and the team moved third-year defender Dax Hill over from safety to cornerback over the offseason, and by all accounts he’s been performing very well at his new position.

A bunch of other guys are behind them on the depth chart, including Nate Brooks, Allan George, DJ Ivey and rookie Josh Newton. Of all those players, perhaps newton has the highest upside. He was named to the All-Big 10 team twice during his collegiate career, and he was a very nice value pick for the Bengals in the fifth round of the draft, as some pundits thought he could have gone higher.

How much Newton plays as a rookie in Cincinnati will largely depend on his performance during training camp and throughout the preseason, starting with the first game against Tampa Bay.

Kris Jenkins Jr., Defensive tackle

Kris Jenkins Jr. is in a similar spot to Josh Newton. Both are rookies with a high upside who could potentially use the preseason to show that they’re ready for a real role right out of the gate. Neither player should be expected to start right away, but if they play well in the preseason they could quickly climb up the depth chart.

Jenkins was a force in college. He helped the Michigan Wolverines win the National Championship last season, and he was named a Second-Team All-American for his overall output on the field. Let’s see if he can bring that same success and impact to the professional level.