Notes From Training Camp 2025

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Five things we learned after the first five practices of Cincinnati Bengals training camp
Story by John Sheeran

The pads are on, August is knocking on the door, and the preseason opener beckons on the schedule. Training camp for the Cincinnati Bengals really is in full swing.

Usual tropes are showing. Defense is reacting quickly to an offense that's building back timing with itself. Superstars are showing why they are superstars, and rookies are showing what inexperience looks like. No scuffles or skirmishes yet, but we won't have to wait too much longer for those.

What can we say after five practices at Bengals training camp? I've got my answers below.

1. Al Golden's defense has its head on straight
There may not be a defense under more pressure this season than the one in Cincinnati. Al Golden was brought back with a promotion to defensive coordinator to get underutilized young players on the field and moving around as one. So far, that's been evident at camp.

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are going to do Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins things with Joe Burrow throwing them the ball, but the secondary has fared well despite cornerbacks Dax Hill and Josh Newton moving around. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr., playing for an injured B.J. Hill, looks improved repping next to free-agent acquisition T.J Slaton Jr., who also looks the part at nose tackle.

Defenses normally start strong in camp, but this one in particular needed it. Golden's got his guys playing fast and confident, and that's promising.


2. Amarius Mims looks primed for a great second season

It hasn't been all bad for the offense, far from it actually. The starting right tackle is looking like a star right tackle.

Mims is moving quick on his feet and is showing his power through his hands. Rookie Shemar Stewart felt it all during his first practice against last year's first-round pick.

"I feel like two bricks in my chest," Stewart said of feeling Mims' punches.

It's already difficult getting around Mims. If going through him becomes equally as challenging, the Bengals may indeed see major growth from Mims in his second season.

3. Another guard is needed, like right now
What's happening next to Mims is not nearly as hopeful. The battle between Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick at right guard is currently just Ford battling himself. Patrick suffered what is believed to be a right calf injury during practice No. 3 last Friday. He hasn't practiced since and is labeled "day-to-day" by head coach Zac Taylor.

Day-to-day is not the urgency level Cincinnati needs here. The Bengals need to sign another guard today.

Ford vs. Patrick was already not the most optimal competition to be a starting pass-protector for Joe Burrow. An injury excuse is enough of an excuse to get another option on speed dial. Brandon Scherff? Maybe he won't budge if he's not guaranteed a starting gig. Perhaps Will Hernandez? He just announced he's good to go nearly 10 months since suffering a torn ACL. At least one call needs to be made at this point.


4. Shemar Stewart has the right mindset
Stewart missed the first three practices as he remained unsigned. He agreed to terms mere hours after the third session wrapped, and was out there for practice No. 4.

Whatever you may've thought about the holdout, it's not what matters anymore. Getting better as soon as possible is what's in front of Stewart, and he's attacking it head on. Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery has been busy pushing the 17th overall pick from this year's NFL Draft. It's exactly what Stewart signed up for when he literally signed this past Saturday.


“I just needed to get on the field as soon as possible," Stewart said Sunday. "I needed to start learning, start getting better. There is a long season ahead. I needed to be ready.”

Montgomery will give Stewart every chance to be ready when the time comes. He's responding the right way out of the gate.

5. Vibes are good, even without Trey Hendrickson
Two notable names missing from the locker room when camp started could've sparked as much internal drama as there was in the media-sphere, but that didn't seem to be the case. Contract holdouts are far from a foreign concept in Cincinnati. Those in the building understood why those away from it were where they were, or in Trey Hendrickson's case, where he still is.

There's disappointment, as Joe Burrow said, in these issues not being solved before camp, but there's no distractions hindering the 89 present players work getting done with each other. The offense is building off the flashes they produced last year, and the defense is clicking with much to prove. Focus is pretty damn high inside Paycor Stadium these days.

Hendrickson's handling his business, and his teammates are doing the same. Maybe that's a testament to the All-Pro defensive end working out several states away instead of attracting eyes on the sidelines of camp. Maybe it's pressure to perform well in September for the first time in years.

Maybe it's both, and the bedrock of the team's mentality is forming before our eyes.

We'll check back in due time.