Aug 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) in action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Bengals Reveal Plan for Joe Burrow, Rest of Starters Ahead of Monday Night Showdown vs Commanders

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By James Rapien | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 10:03 AM ET

The Bengals plan to play their starters on Monday night against the Commanders.

Joe Burrow completed 9-of-10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Eagles. It sounds like the Bengals plan to play their starters for the first couple of drives for a second-straight week.

Cam Taylor-Britt and Dax Hill are expected to start against the Commanders. Guys like DJ Turner II and Geno Stone are likely out. Myles Murphy also could be out due to injury.

The plan is for Shemar Stewart to play with the first-team defense. The Bengals' first round pick has played well throughout training camp. He's got to Burrow multiple times this week in practice.

"To say I'm surprised, it's hard to measure how quickly he's going to get acclimated," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Saturday. "I think he and Jerry have done a great job working through it and making sure he can make an immediate impact.

What stands out?

"The power. The disruptiveness. You can see the impact that he has."

Preseason Game Two

Taylor is hoping that the Bengals play better across the board on Monday night in Washington.

"Better attention to detail. There's so many foolish things we did pre-snap that had nothing to do with Philadelphia," Taylor said. "That part was really disappointing ... I expect to see us much cleaner operationally."

The Bengals were called for eight penalties for 68 yards—including a pre-snap penalty that extended a drive for the Eagles.

"We feel like we're in a really good spot," Taylor said.

Bengals Debut

Tight end Noah Fant's role on offense has continued to grow since signing with the team in the middle of training camp.

He'll make his debut on Monday night against the Commanders.

Other Notes

The Bengals have a light practice on Saturday. They'll work on specific situational drills. Then they'll head to Washington on Sunday and play the Commanders on Monday night.

They have a quick turnaround with Indianapolis coming to town on Saturday, Aug. 23 to play Cincinnati in the preseason finale. Taylor declined to mention if he would play any starters in that matchup, but it would be a surprise if the Bengals played Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase or any of their top guys in the preseason finale.