Five Cincinnati Bengals Questions as Team Begins 3-Day Mandatory Minicamp

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals begin their three-day mandatory minicamp today.

Last year at this time, there was a lot of attention on quarterback Joe Burrow, whose ability to throw was limited due to lingering pain from his season-ending wrist surgery.

But Burrow is 100 percent healthy and coming off a career year, which means the attention and questions will be spread through other areas of the team.

Here are five questions entering the minicamp:

Will Trey Hendrickson show?

Hendrickson is unhappy with negotiations as he seeks a new contract, and he is on the record saying he won’t play this year on his current deal.

So he sure isn’t going to practice without a deal. And even if the team were to announce a new deal this morning – it won’t – Hendrickson probably won’t be doing any on field work.

The Bengals informed him he will be fined if he doesn’t show up this week. He can avoid the fine by showing up and not practicing.

Will he show?

The last time he came to town and did an impromptu news conference on the field near the end of practice, Hendrickson had flown to Cincinnati for Sam Hubbard’s charity Fowling event.

Logan Wilson’s charity softball game is Wednesday night, so perhaps that will be the extent of Hendrickson’s athletic activity this week.

If he shows at all.

Will Shemar Stewart practice?

The rookie defensive end is one of a handful of first-round picks who remain unsigned and the only one who isn’t participating in the offseason.

Stewart is unhappy with the Bengals trying to insert language into the contract that would void guarantees for certain transgressions, a clause last year’s first-round pick Amarius Mims wasn’t asked to agree to.

The Bengals drafted Stewart to be the heir apparent to Hendrickson – and a leverage tool – but their haggling over pennies on the dollar and stunting the rookie’s growth by not getting him on the field.

There is a good chance Hendrickson and Stewart will finish with the most sacks on the team, so the front office’s inability to get them on the field for voluntary workouts and, presumably, minicamp is a red flag for a defense desperate for improvement under first-year coordinator Al Golden.

Will we see more “good on good”?

The biggest story of the offseason outside of contract issues has centered on what the Bengals will do differently to try to avoid the slow starts that have plagued them since Zac Taylor arrived in 2019, save for the 3-1 opening to the 2021 season.

They are 1-11 in Weeks 1 and 2 under Taylor.

We didn’t see a lot of difference in the OTA practices, although there was more of the first-team offense going against the first-team defense in 7-on-7 drills than we’ve seen in the past.

Those sessions have been spirited, and the defense has made some plays against Burrow and the offense, giving them a jolt of energy and confidence as they adjust to Golden’s scheme.

Will there be more of it in minicamp?

Will there be any 11-on-11 periods?

How will the corners be deployed?

Even if the competitive periods are just 7 on 7, it will be interesting to see how Golden rotates the cornerbacks.

From what we’ve seen in OTAs, the roles are less rigid with the corners all getting reps in the slot and outside.

Dax Hill is still rehabbing from his season-ending ACL injury, and he could be the player Golden pegs for the primary slot role, although he was playing well at outside corner before the injury.

The rotation could be a way for Golden to identify the best slot option if Hill suffers a setback or gets hurt again in the season.

Or it could be an indication that he intends to use the corners in amorphous fashion.

What’s the pecking order in the return game?

Charlie Jones is inching closer to full health and has been taking part in receiver drills. Will he be the first returner to step under a floating football when the Bengals go into special teams periods?

Isaiah Williams and Jermaine Burton, who said he’s in a good head space after a tumultuous rookie year, are the mix as well.

The order in which they get their reps will indicate how special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons views them heading into the six-week break.

Obviously, plenty can change in training camp, but we’ll get an idea of where the depth chart stands for what should be two of the most wide-open position battles in August.