Bengals making progress during quiet offseason
Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor decided to cancel the team's three-day minicamp, and while the dates of training camp have yet to be announced, the Bengals won't likely resume practicing until late July.
Even before minicamp was canceled, it had been a quiet offseason. No major injuries took place during OTAS and attendance was high. No news tends to be good news in the NFL.
With that being said, there's a bit that's changed for the Bengals since they last played a game. Here are some updates on the main storylines:
Bengals rebuild offensive line
After allowing 70 sacks in 2021, the Bengals' top priority this offseason was to protect quarterback Joe Burrow. The Bengals signed three offensive linemen in free agency: Alex Cappa, Ted Karras and La'el Collins.
Cappa suffered a core muscle injury in the early weeks of offseason practices and was immediately sidelined. Ensuring Cappa is healthy by the start of training camp is imperative. Collins and Karras, both veteran players, have impressed Taylor with their professionalism and practice habits in their first few months in Cincinnati.
Left guard battle remains undecided
The position battle to keep an eye on when training camp begins is left guard.
Jackson Carman has spent the offseason taking reps with the first-team offense. After a disappointing rookie season, Carman is motivated to prove he's worthy of the investment the Bengals made in selecting him in the second round. If Carman is unable to win the job, Cincinnati picked Cordell Volson in the fourth round of this year's draft. Bates skips Bengals’ offseason
workout program
Safety Jessie Bates, looking for a contract extension from the Bengals, decided to not join the team during offseason workouts. Instead, he trained on his own.
The Bengals and Bates were unable to agree on an extension by early March, and because of this, Cincinnati placed the franchise tag on the star safety. Bates has publicly stated his displeasure with playing under the tag. So now the clock starts ticking.
If Bates doesn't reach an agreement on a long-term deal by July 15, unless he holds out, he'll have to play earning the tag amount of $12.911 million.
“I'm not going to make any predictions,” Taylor said.
Higgins, Wilson, Ossai recovering
Wide receiver Tee Higgins and linebacker Logan Wilson both had shoulder surgery this offseason, and both have been present during Cincinnati's offseason practices but limited to rehabbing with the training staff. Taylor expects them to ready to participate when training camp starts.
Defensive end Joseph Ossai suffered knee and wrist injuries last year and is also on track for training camp.