Bengals offseason debriefing: How OTAs, minicamp changed the season outlook

New York Times

4 hours ago

The vast majority of attention surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals over the past five months has come off the field. Understandable, from massive contracts for Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase to the best defensive player and first-round pick both taking shots at the organization while standing on team turf.
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That's before even opening the Pandora's Box that is the Paycor Stadium lease.
All those spicy topics can be tabled for today. The Bengals just concluded their offseason program with last week's minicamp. Players and coaches return for the opening of camp in late July.
Although the Bengals maintain one of the lighter offseason programs in the league, there was a notable uptick in tempo and intensity during seven-on-seven this year, with plenty of room for players to alter their outlook on 2025.
Here are the most important trends seen, heard and observed during my time monitoring the team on the field over the last two months.
Outside of the ongoing Trey Hendrickson saga, all of Joe Burrow's public requests of the front office have now been met. He got his way with Higgins and Chase both in Cincinnati and happy. As is Mike Gesicki. Continuity with offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher in his second year set this team up for immediate success.
More than any of those factors, though, Burrow looks undeniably dialed in.
He ripped a pass down the middle of the field to Andrei Iosivas during seven-on-seven that buzzed between two defenders and over a linebacker. It was nearly identical to a throw he made to Iosivas against Carolina last year. This was midseason form stuff.
Go long Yosh.@JoeyB x @AndreiIosivas pic.twitter.com/QZfwZtwunf
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) June 11, 2025
Take the pre-existing chemistry with all his weapons, Burrow's drive and emphasis on starting faster and pushing that organizational focus, plus currently enjoying a healthy summer, and you have a recipe for him to finally start fast.
Injuries and recoveries have played a large role in past struggles in the first two weeks of the season for Burrow and the Bengals offense, leading to a 1-7 record over that span.
Getting to Week 1 without issue will have Bengals fans knocking wood all over the city between now and Sept. 10, but for today, Burrow is in an ideal spot to pick up where he left off.
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Typically, when Burrow puts a change for the season on his agenda, he's enjoyed success. There have been years in which he has worked on more efficient checkdowns. One year, he wanted to use his legs more. He's added weight. Last year saw the growth of playmaking in the pocket.
This year, so much of his language has been about putting it on himself to have a faster start.
'We've got to go out and play better early in the season, and that's on us,' Burrow said. 'We'll take ownership of that. You know, I think we're going to have a plan coming into training camp that'll help with that and get us a little more ready. But at the end of the day, it's on us come week one.'
If picking one winner from the rookie class, linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. would be running away with the title. The 24-year-old second-round pick opened eyes across the locker room with how quickly he blended in and became a stabilizing force next to Logan Wilson. The Bengals have him starting, and his leadership as a more mature player entering the league was exactly what the defense sought.
He's been used in different spots — blitzing off the edge, stacking behind the line — in any way defensive coordinator Al Golden has wanted to tinker. Golden sought versatility from the position and Knight is bringing it.
'Just consistent energy,' Golden said. 'I love his approach to the game. He makes everybody around him better. He's a live wire. He just enjoys the game, and he's got a grateful heart.'
It was even mentioned in the locker room how Knight already feels like a leader of this defense for the next generation. His maturity and drive make it like the Bengals added a linebacker in free agency instead of the draft. That's a large reason why they had him valued much higher than the public perception.
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The summer of Shemar Stewart has been well-documented. His stalemate with ownership became a volatile national storyline.
There's no direct blame on Stewart, a 21-year-old, for fully understanding the issues that have transpired on the business side, but the handling of the situation on the whole left an impression. His verbal bombardment of team brass before even taking a snap left a relevant question about who the Bengals acquired with this pick and how much maturing is necessary to reach his potential.
Meanwhile, Golden was notably forceful in his language surrounding 2023 first-round edge Myles Murphy.
'I think it's time, right?' Golden said.
On a day when Golden praised players up and down the depth chart, the tone was notably different for Murphy, who is expected to soak up the majority of the opportunity on the edge, likely opposite Hendrickson, if he returns.
Behind those two, there was excitement about Joseph Ossai, who picked up five sacks in the final seven games of last season. Also, Cam Sample, who missed last season with an Achilles injury, impressed with how well he's returned and could end up a key rotational piece to fill in gaps up and down the line.
Another name of note, further under the radar, is 2024 sixth-round pick Cedric Johnson. He found himself in regular rotations and has received praise from different corners of the building throughout the offseason program. He's the only edge who fits the speed rusher profile at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, and could find a subpackage role because of it.
Much was made entering last season about the significant jump expected from defensive backs who have been forced into key roles, enduring growing pains in 2023 and expecting breakouts in 2024. They are still waiting and counting on that group, but the Bengals are believing once again that the theory could help solve the most volatile position group on the team.
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Josh Newton, a fifth-round pick last year, impressed despite his rookie mistakes. Coaches love his leadership and how seriously he takes the game. He's constantly mentioned as one of the players standing out this spring. Newton could take over Mike Hilton's role in the slot. That depends on where Dax Hill lands in his return from a torn ACL. Hill said he expects to be fully cleared in training camp, but his role and how long it takes to return to full speed are still unknown. Plus, Golden is using all his corners across different spots, inside and out. Look for that to continue in August.
But don't sleep on Newton. He will play meaningful defensive snaps this season if trends of the last two months are any indication.
A focus on building good vibes and team chemistry early played out weekly. There were more team meetings than in past years and more opportunities for players to get to the front of the room and tell their stories, or to lead football topics.
This comes as a direct result of a team that felt disconnected at times last year and battled the bad vibes of off-field distractions throughout the preparation process.
Head coach Zac Taylor also made the most drastic overhaul of his training camp approach yet.
Taylor rearranged practice times to be in the morning, opted not to participate in joint practices and plans to play starters much more in preseason games. He also pulled back on the number of public practices, keeping things private once the preseason weeks begin.
Players hoping to avoid the afternoon heat and post-lunch malaise appreciated the move to the morning. Taylor allowing starters to play in multiple preseason games shows a major shift in giving his team real game experience before the opener.
Specifically, with no joint practices, the decision-making in all this comes back to a central theme of his planning.
'Just focusing on us right now,' Taylor said. 'I think joint practices have a great benefit for what we need to do this year. We don't need to sacrifice that day before we're preparing for an opponent and practicing that day, and then taking a day, and then going and playing a game. We're just going to get three great days of work on our install, of improving on the things we need to improve on instead of competing against another team.'
Taylor didn't rule out having joint practices returning in future years. But this year he wants to focus on cohesion and camaraderie.
'This was a year we decided we were just going to focus on ourself,' he said.