Bengals get 2 huge updates for Buccaneers clash

The Cincinnati Bengals are just a few days away from kicking off their 2026 NFL season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bengals are hoping for a healthy season this year after their 2025 campaign was derailed by injuries.

On Wednesday, the team got a positive update on two key members of their defense heading into Week 1.

First, head coach Zac Taylor spoke on cornerback Dax Hill.

“He’s looked really good to my eye. I’ve loved how he’s attacked the process,” he said, per Mike Petraglia of the Jungle Roar Podcast on X, formerly Twitter, seeming to indicate that Hill will play on Sunday.

He also spoke on injured pass rusher Shemar Stewart, noting that the rising second-year man playing on Sunday is “a possibility,” per Petraglia.

Hill has been dealing with a hamstring injury for several weeks that kept him out of preseason games and some training camp practices.

Meanwhile, Stewart hyperextended his knee early on in training camp in an injury that looked frightening, but it seems he has been progressing well in his recovery process.

The pressure will be on for the Bengals’ defense to hold up its end of the bargain this year after being among the worst units in the NFL for the past few seasons. The Bengals’ front office finally showed some commitment to building on that side of the ball by trading for former New York Giants pass rusher Dexter Lawrence not too long ago, and the team will have a good chance to show its improvement against an explosive Tampa Bay offense in Week 1.

Kickoff for that game is set for Sunday at 1:00 pm ET from Cincinnati.

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