Albert Breer Empties His Bengals Notebook From Training Camp in Cincinnati

Joe Burrow and the experienced offense are bursting with confidence early on. Plus, the remade defense is putting up a much tougher fight.

Joe Burrow enters the preseason feeling increasingly confident about his own versatility, as well as that of the Bengals’ offense. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

CINCINNATI—A stormy stadium practice on Friday, and plenty to take away from a Bengals team that feels a very real sense of urgency …

• Joe Burrow’s confidence is pretty well-founded, based on how he’s played when he’s been healthy. And as he sees it, if styles make fights, he and the group around him now have the wherewithal to win all different kinds of brawls. Part of it is because his turf toe injury last year really limited him movement-wise when he came back, and led him to develop even more so from the pocket. As an offense, it’s largely because of the group’s capacity to learn. With so much experience in the scheme and playing together (virtually everyone is back from last year), the unit has a lot more than it normally would, with the install essentially complete. That’ll allow for the group to continue refining it, and also give Zac Taylor and OC Dan Pitcher a deep volume of plays and concepts to pull from when they’re building out game plans on a week-to-week basis.

• Of course, there’s another piece to this, which is that a lot of quarterbacks would be confident throwing to Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. But it really is, from a talent standpoint, more than just that. Chase Brown’s growth will allow the team to use him in different ways and he is, as always, in top shape. Supersized rookie fourth-rounder Colbie Young has flashed early, and has a shot to challenge Andrei Iosivas for snaps. Drew Sample and Mike Gesicki are steady at tight end. And the line coming back intact should be huge, given how they were able to support Burrow in the dropback game late in the year. That they’re returning together is also part of the equation in the coaches moving to more under-center concepts this summer. In particular, right tackle Amarius Mims was part of that progress, having made a big jump in his second year, and looks like he might have another leap coming this year.

Dexter Lawrence (left) leads a revamped defense that has a number of pieces coming together nicely. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

• The remade defense has put up way more of a fight in practice against the offense this summer, and its overhauled front is a major source of optimism on the potential that the group breaks free after a two-year malaise. After having Dexter Lawrence in-house for the spring and into the summer, the Bengals see him as still being the guy that affects the offensive play-caller’s strategy on every snap, which should make things easier for everyone around him. Rookie Cashius Howell would’ve been in a clump of players the Bengals discussed if they hadn’t traded the No. 10 pick, so getting the Texas A&M rusher in the second round was seen internally as a coup. He’s been a monster in camp thus far, bringing the speed and explosiveness he flashed in college, and more strength than some expected. Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen have added leadership. Shemar Stewart is out the next few weeks, which is tough because he needs them for his own development, but the talent there is clear. Myles Murphy has had a nice camp. T.J. Slaton and B.J. Hill are back, and bring a lot of experience inside. There’s just a lot to like here.

• The defense, like the offense, has a lot in—the install for DC Al Golden’s unit should be complete next week. And a big part of that is how much the Bengals like what they have up the middle, and well beyond just Lawrence and Co. Second-year off-ball linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. played a lot as rookies, took their lumps, and have benefitted. Both look like they’ll take sizable Year 2 jumps, and the command each has at the line of scrimmage has exceeded expectations. Then, you have Bryan Cook coming over from Kansas City to pair with Jordan Battle, giving the defense two whip-smart communicators at safety, unlike anything they’ve had since Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III departed. There’s obviously some growing still needed as the group gets used to playing with each other, but they can clearly handle and disseminate information in a way that should make the group more versatile and difficult to play against.

• Finally, the corner spot just needs continued improvement that looks like it’s coming. Fourth-year man D.J. Turner was playing at a Pro Bowl level by the end of the year, and Dax Hill overcame some ups and downs coming back from a torn ACL to settle in after the bye as a solid outside guy. Jalen Davis is reliable at nickel, and second-year man Josh Newton is pushing him. And rookie Tacario Davis is pushing for time, too. The position is indicative of the situation across the defense, where the level of play and depth is night-and-day from where it was. That the pieces are fitting together, with a good core to complement the newcomers, is a big reason why the defense has been able to eliminate a lot of the unforced errors of the past couple years.

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