Camp is just one day away.
Summer’s almost over. At least it is as far as the Cincinnati Bengals are concerned. Training camp officially begins on Wednesday, and will hopefully be the first step forward on a Super Bowl season.
Things have been pretty shaky so far this offseason. Neither Trey Hendrickson nor Shemar Stewart has been involved in OTAs due to separate contract disputes (at least at the time of writing this). I personally get the sense both will be signed before long, but that doesn’t necessarily mean by Wednesday, or even by the end of the week.
It’s not how you start, though; it’s how you finish.
But for the Bengals, a fast start would be nice for a change. Every day that goes by without arguably the most important guy on the entire defense (Hendrickson) and this year’s first-round pick on the field is another day my confidence in this team is shaken.
Speaking of confidence, for the last Tuesday Trenches before camp begins, I’ll share my level of confidence for each position group. Ready? Let’s go!
Quarterback
Come on.
Joe Burrow is either the best or second-best quarterback in the NFL. I’ve seen Patrick Mahomes do things physically that generations of quarterback coaches have begged their best and brightest not to do, and he’s won three Super Bowls.
However, I don’t think he played at the same level in 2024 as he did in years prior. If Burrow continues, or somehow improves upon, what he did during the 2024 season, it’ll be hard to say he’s not the best.
Confidence rating: 5/5
Running Back
The Bengals are looking to hand Chase Brown their lead back role, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to get all the carries. I figure they brought back Samaje Perine for a reason, and I like everything I’m hearing about rookie Tahj Brooks. I don’t know how Zack Moss fits in, if he does at all, but that’s what camp is for.
Confidence rating: 3/5
Wide Receiver
Outside of quarterback, I have the most confidence in the Bengals’ wide receivers. Ja’Marr Chase is the best wide receiver in the league, and Tee Higgins would be the No. 1 receiver on every other team with maybe the exception of the Vikings because of Justin Jefferson. There is a who’s who of talent behind the two of them that could rise to WR3, but when Chase and Higgins are both on the field with Burrow, defenses are only capable of doing so much.
Confidence rating: 5/5
Tight End
I like Mike Gesicki a lot, and I’m really happy he and the Bengals were able to come to a long-term agreement. However, I think he’s most likely to be the team’s WR3 when the season opens than anyone else. He’s a great receiving tight end, but I don’t trust him to open up holes for the running game.
For that, they have Drew Sample, and then they have Tanner Hudson, who is somewhere in between. If Erick All were healthy, he’d make a huge difference here.
Confidence rating: 2.5/5
Offensive Line
They have three of the five positions on the line set. Orlando Brown Jr is a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle, Amarius Mims showed real potential at right tackle, and Ted Karras is reliable as ever at center.
The issue with this is three out of five is 60%, and that still gets you a big fat F.
They cut Alex Cappa, and they tweaked Cordell Volson’s contract as well. They also re-signed Cody Ford, signed free agent journeyman interior lineman Lucas Patrick, and selected Dylan Fairchild on Day 2 of the draft, but I wouldn’t call that “doing everything they could do.”
Will it be enough? I hope so. Will it be better than it was in 2024? I think so.
Is that enough?
No.
Confidence rating: 2.5/5
Defensive line
Because I’m in a good mood, let’s pretend Hendrickson and Stewart are signed and start participating sooner rather than later.
If that’s the case, and Stewart proves to be more than just potential, the defensive line could take some major steps in 2025. I do like the signing of TJ Slaton. I think he’s going to be the best pure NT the team has had since DJ Reader has been on the roster. I don’t think he’s a three-down DT, though, but I expect both Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson to take a step in the right direction. If that all happens, and if Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy and Stewart produce steady pressure opposite of Hendrickson, things could work out.
Confidence rating with Hendrickson/Stewart: 3.5/5
Confidence ratiing without Hendrickson/Stewart: 1/5
Linebackers
Germaine Pratt is gone, and whether he wants to admit he missed a bunch of tackles last season or not (he did) the defense is likely better off without him. I was surprised when the Bengals took Demetrius Knight II in the second round, but I was, and still am, very happy about it. He has everything you want from a defensive leader, and I think he’s an upgrade, given time, over Pratt. I also like Barrett Carter, who was selected in the fourth round, and I think free agent signee Oren Burks has a lot of potential as a defensive contributor.
Confidence level: 3/5
Secondary
I was probably more surprised by the front office’s lack of attention to the secondary in free agency and in the draft than I was about any other position. The secondary was a huge problem in 2024, and while I completely understand injuries had a large part, as did opposing quarterbacks having all day, the guys coming back from injury aren’t really tested. Dax Hill as a corner is still more of a concept than a concrete thing, and DJ Turner doesn’t have a lot of experience either.
Geno Stone was more down than up last year, and when he was up, it was usually against subpar offenses, but the front office seems to be happy with who they have.
I hope they’re right, but I just figured they’d want more to do more for the secondary who gave up 12 40-yard or more passes in 2024, which tied them for second most in the league.
Confidence level: 2.5/5
Special Teams
2024 was a comedy of errors. Outside of catastrophic injury, everything that could go wrong at the beginning of the season did go wrong. The only reason the Bengals were in the conversation late was because of Burrow, Chase, and the team’s offense.
I don’t think Evan McPherson forgot how to kick a football, though. I think he has a bounce-back season. I also like punter Ryan Rehkow and his nuclear-powered leg, and I don’t expect anything out of the ordinary for Cal Adomitis either, though he does have some competition from William Wagner in camp.
Confidence level: 4/5
On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore
So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing