For the Bengals, the conversation around offense has long started in the same place: Joe Burrow and the passing game. Since drafting Burrow in 2020, Cincinnati has built one of the league’s more dangerous aerial attacks, and for three seasons from 2021-23, there was a real case that Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd formed the NFL’s best receiver trio.
What hasn’t come easy is the run game. That’s been the recurring issue, the part of the offense that has kept the Bengals from being complete.
Under Burrow, Cincinnati has never finished higher than No. 23 in rushing, and that came in 2021, the season the team reached the Super Bowl. The numbers have dipped hard since then, with the Bengals ranking No. 31 in 2023 at 89.8 yards per game and No. 30 in 2024 at 92.6.
Ted Karras thinks that story can change this year.
“I think we really have a great sense of what our running identity wants to be,” Bengals center Ted Karras said. “We have good continuity (with) the offensive line.
And you better bring your best every day against this defensive line because this is about as grown man of a team as I’ve ever been a part of. It’s very exciting.”
Cincinnati made a coaching change up front after last season, moving on from former offensive line coach and run game coordinator Frank Pollack and bringing in Scott Peters. The new approach brought different ideas and techniques, and the Bengals did show some improvement as 2025 went on, finishing No. 29 in rushing offense at 93.6 yards per game.
Now the challenge is turning that late-season progress into something more reliable. Karras laid out the formula in plain terms: “Winning reach blocks, staying square and Chase Brown finding a lane to use his speed,” he said.
The Bengals also spent the offseason trying to strengthen the defensive line, and Karras says that has raised the temperature for the offense in practice. Going against Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen has made every rep feel more demanding, and Karras pointed to the “level of stress” he feels at the line of scrimmage as the biggest change.
That pressure will only pick up when padded practice begins on Aug. 3. Karras said Lawrence gets him at least once in practice, but he sees the value in that kind of work.
“You have to be ready to go every day,” Karras said. “A little bit stressful August for me, but at least I get to pass it off to our opponents’ center come September.”
In Other News...
Noah Thomas Is Giving Bengals Fans A New Camp Receiver To Watch
Training camp always creates a few new names for fans to track, and Noah Thomas has already worked his way into that conversation. During a Bengals practice, the rookie wide receiver made a notable contested catch that turned heads, then added another grab on a shorter pass from Joe Flacco. It was the kind of early-camp sequence that can matter for an undrafted or late-round player trying to show he belongs in a crowded receiver room.
Ja'Marr Chase noticed, too, and his praise carried some weight. Chase pointed to Thomass ability in jump-ball situations and even drew a comparison to Tee Higgins, which is the sort of endorsement that can get attention quickly around camp. For a Bengals offense built around proven pass catchers, Thomas is still very much in the proving stage, but he has at least given fans a reason to keep watching every rep. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Have An In-House Answer To Shemar Stewarts Absence
Shemar Stewarts injury has pushed the Bengals to look harder at their edge-rush depth, and Isaiah Foskey has emerged as a name worth watching in camp. The former Notre Dame standout joined Cincinnati last season and already has a built-in connection to coach Al Golden, which gives him a familiar foothold as the team sorts through options for shoring up the pass rush.
Foskey flashed in limited action a year ago and has been working toward a bigger role, with the kind of versatility that can matter when a roster spot is up for grabs. For Cincinnati, the question now is whether that early promise and his comfort in Goldens defensive system can translate into the chance to help replace what Stewart was supposed to provide. [Read more 🡒]
Zac Taylor Sent Bengals Camp A Message Fans Wont Ignore
Training camp has given Zac Taylor a chance to reset the tone after a 6-11 season that left plenty of unfinished business in Cincinnati. The Bengals coach, along with newcomers and returning players, has been framing last year less as a weight to carry and more as fuel to push the group forward, with Dalton Risner and DJ Turner also addressing how the team has handled the disappointment.
Taylor said the record from last season is motivation, not baggage, and he has described the upcoming chase as something that brings excitement rather than pressure. Turner, meanwhile, made it clear he is tired of the team being defined by what happened a year ago and wants the focus on what comes next, which is exactly the kind of mindset Cincinnati needs as camp ramps up and expectations follow it every day. [Read more 🡒]