Cincinnati Bengals Wrap Up Productive Offseason Program

Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor decided to shorten mandatory minicamp, canceling both on-field sessions and only holding meetings Wednesday morning before letting players go. The team was scheduled to practice Wednesday and Thursday and then break until training camp. Taylor deemed the offseason workout program productive, with no holdouts and full participation the last few weeks, including voluntary sessions leading up to the mandatory minicamp last week. And with that, the Bengals will be off until the start of training camp July 29. Zac Taylor said the team utilized more Phase 2 time than in the past, and the Bengals aren’t overly physical with 11-on-11 stuff allowed in Phase 3, so they had reached the point where they had done everything they wanted. Taylor praised the team's focus, saying it's a great thing that everybody's really focused, showed up, got the work in that we needed them to get. This offseason was largely about fixing the defense, accomplished on paper by adding players like defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, defensive end Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook. Taylor liked what he saw from newcomers getting integrated, but he also saw big steps being made by second-year players. So the leadership that the new guys have brought in, the free agents that we’ve signed have been tremendous, Taylor said. With the entire offense returning, the Bengals were able to put in a few tweaks to the system and try a few new things, but the focus has been on making sure they can close out games. Cincinnati struggled with turnovers last year and games got away from it even when the defense was playing a little better at the end of the season. The offense needs to play its part to a higher level in 2026 as well. Taylor thinks offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher has done a great job articulating what the team needs to work on. The Bengals will now take a break before returning for training camp on July 29.