The Bengals walked off a stormy stadium practice Friday with a clearer picture of where this team is headed, and the message coming out of training camp in Cincinnati is hard to miss: there’s urgency here, and there’s also a lot more talent to work with.
Start with Joe Burrow, whose confidence is rooted in what he’s already shown when healthy. Burrow sees an offense that can handle different kinds of fights, and that belief isn’t coming out of nowhere.
His turf toe injury last year limited his movement when he returned, and that forced him to grow even more from the pocket. The bigger story, though, is the offense around him.
Nearly everyone is back from last season, the install is basically done, and that gives Zac Taylor and OC Dan Pitcher a deep library of plays and concepts to build game plans from every week.
It helps, of course, that Burrow is throwing to Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. But the Bengals’ optimism goes well beyond the obvious star power.
Chase Brown has taken another step and gives the team more ways to use him, while also arriving in camp in top shape as usual. Rookie fourth-rounder Colbie Young has flashed early and could push Andrei Iosivas for snaps.
Drew Sample and Mike Gesicki give Cincinnati steady play at tight end. Up front, the line is back together intact, which matters after the way it helped Burrow in the dropback game late last season.
That continuity is also part of why the coaches are leaning more into under-center concepts this summer. Right tackle Amarius Mims, who already made a big jump in his second year, looks like he may have another one coming.
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals’ rebuilt defense has been making life harder on the offense all summer. That alone says plenty.
The front, in particular, is where a lot of the optimism lives, with the group’s overhaul seen as a real chance to snap out of a two-year malaise. After having Dexter Lawrence in-house for the spring and into the summer, the Bengals believe he remains the kind of presence who shapes what an offensive play-caller does on every snap.
That should make things easier for everyone around him.
Cashius Howell has been one of the standouts. The Bengals had him in the mix internally if they hadn’t traded the No. 10 pick, and landing the Texas A&M rusher in the second round was viewed inside the building as a coup.
He’s brought the speed and explosiveness he showed in college, along with more strength than some expected. Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen have also brought leadership.
Shemar Stewart is out for the next few weeks, which is a setback because he needs that time for his own development, but the talent is still obvious. Myles Murphy has had a strong camp, and T.J.
Slaton and B.J. Hill return with plenty of experience inside.
The defense won’t be complete until next week, when the install for DC Al Golden’s unit should be finished, but the middle of the field is already shaping up as a strength. Second-year linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. played a lot as rookies, took their lumps, and now look ready to make sizable Year 2 jumps.
Both have exceeded expectations with their command at the line of scrimmage. At safety, Bryan Cook’s arrival from Kansas City gives Cincinnati a pairing with Jordan Battle that features two sharp communicators, something the Bengals haven’t had since Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III moved on.
There’s still growing to do as everyone gets used to each other, but the group clearly processes information well enough to make the defense more versatile and tougher to attack.
The cornerback room is in a better place too, even if it still needs to keep improving. D.J.
Turner was playing at a Pro Bowl level by the end of last season. Dax Hill worked through the bumps of returning from a torn ACL and settled in after the bye as a solid outside corner.
Jalen Davis remains dependable in the slot, while Josh Newton, in his second year, is pushing him. Rookie Tacario Davis is pushing for time as well.
More than anything, the position reflects the broader state of the defense: deeper, more stable, and far less prone to the unforced errors that hurt the Bengals over the past couple of years.
In Other News...
Cam Taylor-Britts Fresh Start Just Took A Brutal Turn
Cam Taylor-Britts offseason reset hit a rough patch before he ever got to the first meaningful game of the year. The league handed him a one-game suspension without pay for violating the personal conduct policy, a penalty that stems from a past off-field incident during his time with the Bengals and now shadows his start with the Indianapolis Colts.
The suspension will keep Taylor-Britt out of Indianapolis Week 1 opener, though he remains eligible to practice and appear in preseason games. For a player trying to move forward in a new setting, it is an unwelcome early distraction, and one that brings fresh attention to a situation he was hoping to put behind him. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Just Raised The Stakes For Bengals Camp
Joe Burrow says the Bengals are approaching training camp with a championship mentality, and that mindset feels like more than just preseason talk around Paycor. The emphasis, as Burrow framed it, is on urgency and hard work in practice as Cincinnati tries to set the tone early for what it hopes turns into a playoff push.
One of the clearest signs of that edge is the addition of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who is already making life difficult for the offensive line in camp. For a team trying to sharpen every detail before the games count, having that kind of challenge on the practice field should help reveal where the Bengals are strong and where they still need work. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Munoz Still Sets The Standard For Bengals Greatness
CBS Sports recently stirred the old debates again by unveiling its list of the top 100 players in NFL history, and Anthony Munoz landed near the top of it at No. 19. For Bengals fans, the bigger point was not just the number next to his name, but the familiar reminder that Munoz remains the gold standard at left tackle, a reputation built over 13 seasons in Cincinnati and backed by a Hall of Fame career that still anchors the franchises identity.
Munozs rsum is the kind that explains why his standing never really fades, from nine All-Pro selections and 11 Pro Bowl appearances to his spot on the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998 and remains a Bengals Ring of Honor member, and every new all-time list seems to end up circling back to the same conclusion: if the conversation is about greatness in Cincinnati, Munoz is still the benchmark everyone else is measured against. [Read more 🡒]