The first few days of Cincinnati Bengals training camp have already given the defense a chance to flash, and that’s been a theme worth watching. The offseason work on that side of the ball is showing up in moments like Boye Mafe getting early pressures, while linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter have also been around the action.
That doesn’t mean the offense needs to sound any alarms. Joe Burrow has still delivered stretches of excellent ball placement, and this kind of back-and-forth looked familiar even last offseason. Camp is the time to test ideas, and Burrow and the rest of the offense are doing exactly that.
One of the more encouraging signs on defense has been Mafe’s approach. He knows what the opportunity looks like, and he’s leaning into the work.
“One thing about me, I’m out there working trying to crack my craft,” Mafe said. “Camp is where you fine-tune your craft.
You work all summer on different moves, different ways to elevate your game. See what works, see what doesn’t work, see what you can take into the season.”
The expectation around Mafe is clear: if his role grows, his production is supposed to grow with it. Cincinnati’s defense becoming a more complete unit obviously won’t come down to one player, but getting consistent quarterback pressure from him would be a major piece of the puzzle.
There have also been a few other camp moments worth noting. Connor Lew made his debut and described the feeling of being back in contact after the torn ACL he suffered against Missouri.
“You get the happy nerves. I haven’t had contact since the end of October,” said Lew, alluding to the torn ACL he suffered against Missouri.
“We’re at the stage where we’re not ahead of schedule or behind schedule. It’s just day-to-day, and they told me I could go out there and get full-speed contact.
It felt really good.”
Jalen Davis has continued to make his presence felt as well. After the scuffle with Ja’Marr Chase on Day 1, he turned in another noteworthy moment by forcing a turnover. He’s made himself hard to cut for this coaching staff before, and now he’s making it tougher to keep him off the field.
Another ongoing wrinkle has been the use of Mafe and Cashius Howell in pass coverage. Howell talked about the adjustment with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
“That’s something I am trying to work on to get more comfortable with,” Howell told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “My primary thing is rushing the passer and playing on the line of scrimmage, but that is something I am trying to actively work on and actively make sure I’m getting better at day by day.”
There’s a reason teams use that tactic sparingly. Mafe and Howell are more natural as pass rushers than coverage players, and quarterbacks like Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen have seen that look plenty of times.
The trick only works if the rush gets home fast enough to force an immediate decision. If it doesn’t, the quarterback can simply wait for a receiver to uncover the space left behind.
In other words, a lineman can’t be a difference-maker in coverage if the passer has time to let the play develop.
And just as Cincinnati is sorting through its own camp looks, the AFC picture got a little more difficult. The Texans added Jadeveon Clowney, giving Houston another proven threat to line up against Burrow and the Bengals’ offensive line. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. already combined for 27 sacks last season, so Houston now has two defenders who can wreck a game from either edge.
There was also some concern about Clowney potentially ending up with the Cleveland Browns instead. That didn’t happen, and the Bengals will now only have to face him once instead of twice. Cleveland’s defensive front still looks formidable even without Myles Garrett, with Jared Verse stepping into that spot.
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