The Bengals are heading into the season with a rare kind of continuity up front, and for Joe Burrow, that matters. Cincinnati is bringing back the same offensive line from last year for the first time since Burrow arrived, and it’s a group that has already shown it can hold its own.
That line also comes with a strong mix of mileage and youth. Orlando Brown Jr. is entering his ninth season, Dalton Risner is heading into his eighth, and Ted Karras is about to start his 11th.
On the other end of the spectrum, Amarius Mims and Dylan Fairchild have already more than held their own. The result has been a level of chemistry that has stood out as one of the best the Bengals have had in Cincinnati.
One of the bigger questions around camp has been Demetrius Knight, and that conversation got a little sharper with the way he described the work behind the scenes. “Another day to put hay in the barn,” Knight said.
“It’s not closing a door. It’s not opening another door.
You just continue to reap what we’re sowing since we’ve been back in OTAs. Continue to plant those seeds.
Continue to watch them grow into that beautiful fruit we want.”
Knight is set to be one of the most closely watched Bengals this season. A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, he ranked among the worst linebackers in the league.
Cincinnati did not bring in much real competition for his starting job, choosing instead to improve the players around the linebacker spot. Whether that approach pays off is still to be determined.
Camp also wrapped with one final full session for the media, and Joe Burrow made sure to squeeze in more work before it ended. After practice, he stayed on the field to throw deep balls to Dohnte Meyers, while Landon Robinson got extra reps as well. Meyers, in particular, has reportedly put in plenty of work to try to make the roster.
There’s also a rookie who has been impossible to miss during the preseason. Parker, a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has logged 119 snaps across the second- and third-team offensive line over the first two exhibition games, making him the busiest Bengal of the preseason.
The next closest player mentioned is defensive end Isaiah Foskey, who has 113 defensive snaps. The point of all that work is clear: Cincinnati wants Parker to get a long look at right guard and show he can back up both spots if needed.
Elsewhere around the league, the 2026 NFL 53-man roster deadline is bringing a few difficult decisions. In Cincinnati, the numbers on the beefed-up defense suggest one or both of the 2024 Day 2 defensive tackle picks could be headed out.
Jackson looks like the likelier release, largely because he has had less impact than Jenkins over the last two seasons. Seventh-round rookie Landon Robinson has also made noise in the preseason and is closing in on a push for snaps.
Lamar Jackson also spoke about how health affected his mobility in 2025, saying, “It really would not [have] put my team in a good position if I was just running hurt -- losing yards, things like that [were] happening,” Jackson said, via ESPN. “But whatever it takes to win, that is what I am all about and [I have] always been about that too.”
How much Jackson runs this season remains to be seen, and so does how much of last year was tied to his health. If he gets back closer to his usual level, he becomes one of the toughest quarterbacks in football to pin down. But injuries can pile up fast, and Baltimore has seen enough to know what things look like without him.
The league also made a notable change to the Pro Bowl, elevating the meaning of the selection while ending the AFC-NFC game itself. “The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, club business, international and league events.
“A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans.”
That shift makes sense in a league where more and more players have been passing on the game anyway. The incentive just hasn’t been there, and the NFL has already tried different versions of the event, including the flag football approach.
In Other News...
Marvin Lewis Reopened A Bengals Debate Fans Know Too Well
Marvin Lewis has reopened one of the Bengals most familiar arguments, and this one goes straight to the heart of how the franchise has operated for years. In talking about Mike Browns approach, Lewis pointed to the long-term planning that has defined the organization, along with a reluctance to spend freely that often shaped how the roster was built and maintained.
Lewis also tied that philosophy to the departures of players during his time in Cincinnati and to the playoff frustrations that followed. The interesting part now is the contrast with the Joe Burrow era, when the Bengals have been more aggressive with spending and roster upgrades, a shift that suggests the franchise knows it has been pressed to adapt even if the old debate never really goes away. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Enter Final Roster Crunch With Tough Decisions Still Looming
The Bengals head into their final preseason game against the Eagles with one more chance to sort out the edges of the roster before the real decisions arrive. Cincinnati has looked organized through camp and is chasing its first undefeated preseason since 2006, but the bigger focus now is the 88-man group that must be trimmed to 53 within 48 hours after the game.
Plenty of spots are still up for grabs, with competition extending beyond the starters and primary backups into the roster bubble and practice squad conversation. The final tune-up should help clarify a few position battles, but for several players, the Eagles game is less about the scoreboard than making one last case before the Bengals start making cuts. [Read more 🡒]
Erick All Jr Could Change What Bengals Offense Looks Like In 2026
The Bengals have leaned more heavily into two-tight-end personnel in recent seasons, and that shift has quietly given their offense a little more versatility without forcing a wholesale change in identity. Even so, Cincinnati still prefers to live in shotgun, which means the next step is not just adding bodies at tight end but finding one who can make those looks matter more when the Bengals do deploy them.
Erick All Jr. is the kind of player who could push that package from useful to genuinely disruptive once hes back from injury. His skill set gives Cincinnati a chance to make its two-tight-end sets less predictable, and if he gets healthy and stays on the field, the Bengals could end up with an offense in 2026 that looks a little different from the one opponents have been preparing for. [Read more 🡒]