Bengals camp battles: Assessing crucial cornerback, linebacker and O-line competitions

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals open training camp Wednesday with a fair amount of competition and opportunity across the roster.

For the Bengals, the difference between this year and the last two camps is that the competition largely comes behind established starters rather than in search of them.

Rookies and unproven incumbents were thrust into starting roles at offensive line, edge rusher and linebacker last year. The inexperience showed and, other than Joe Burrow’s toe injury, it was the leading cause of the 2025 campaign’s failure.

This year, the 25 starters across offense, defense and specialists are almost all established, with track records that offer a measure of predictability.

The 2026 camp battles will come at depth positions, some of which are more important than others.

Here’s a closer look at the positional battles that need answers over the next six weeks, and how the team is approaching the competitions.

Cornerback

Background: The top two are locked: DJ Turner II and Dax Hill will start on the outside. Both head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Al Golden emphasized Monday that Hill will stay outside. Jalen Davis took over as the starting nickel corner down the stretch last year, and he played well enough to be penciled in as the incumbent starter there this season. A collection of rookies, journeymen and unproven younger players are all in the mix to fill out the remaining roles.

The battle: Every corner position beyond the two starting outside spots is up for grabs. That includes Davis’ nickel spot and the two backup positions. The battle royale for them features DJ Ivey (2023 seventh-round pick, 195 career defensive snaps), Tacario Davis (2026 third-round pick), Ja’Sir Taylor (127 defensive snaps with the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets last year), Josh Newton (2024 fifth-round pick) and Brayln Lux (2025 undrafted free agent with 19 career defensive snaps). Also, throw in third safety Kyle Dugger as another potential option.

What’s at stake: A typical season projects anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 defensive snaps manned by cornerbacks beyond the top two.

Team view: This is considered the most important and wide-open positional battle in training camp. The corners behind Hill and Turner will have a significant role, and the Bengals don’t know much about any of them.

“Well, we’ll see once camp gets going,” de facto general manager Duke Tobin said. “Who is up to it and who is in the playbook and who is providing consistency and who has developed from last year? We are not going to pigeonhole anybody. The group as a whole, I was really impressed as I watched them move around in practices this offseason. We got a lot of guys with versatility that can play inside, outside.”

One name that drew praise from Tobin, Taylor and Golden was Ivey, who thrived in 115 snaps last season, mostly covering tight ends on third downs.

“We talk with players all the time: ‘If you want more roles, master your current one,’ Golden said. “That’s what DJ Ivey did last year. He came through for us. Certainly he warrants a more extensive look.”

Outlook: Anybody’s guess. Truly, these spots are up for grabs. No combination of names behind Hill and Turner should surprise anybody on the final 53 in September. The history with Jalen Davis, praise given to Ivey and draft capital used on Tacario Davis might give them an early advantage=-0, but this will be a best-man-wins camp.

Linebacker

Background: Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter are entrenched as the starters. That statement alone brings trepidation for anyone who watched the Bengals’ defense capsize at the midpoint of last season. Both improved down the stretch, and the additions in front and behind them should help, but that doesn’t lessen the importance of establishing during camp that both can handle the job despite rookie struggles.

Behind them are 31-year-old veteran Oren Burks, 29-year-old journeyman Joe Giles-Harris and 26-year-old Shaka Heyward, a former UDFA with 48 career snaps.

What’s at stake: The largest leap of faith in the defensive rebuild. Do Knight and Carter look less like the lost, rattled rookies they were last season, and can they hold down the center of the defense? The development the team expects from them needs to show itself quickly, or else the Bengals’ personnel department must get to work hunting deals for a veteran insurance policy.

Team view: The united front of support for Carter and Knight continued Monday at the Bengals’ media luncheon. Tobin reiterated the plan wasn’t to avoid adding to the group this offseason, but with the anticipated development of the 2025 draft picks, the team prioritized other positions.

“We believe in the group that we have,” Tobin said. “We added competition in other areas. It’s hard to say you have established vets at all 22 spots. You are not going to have that in this league. You have to have guys compete for those roles and grow into the roles. Now they are the established vet. You have to develop guys within. We have guys that can develop, and we have guys we believe in and guys that played a lot early in their career. Guys that are comfortable in the scheme, comfortable with their teammates and understand the NFL and how it goes. We feel good about that group right now.”

An interesting admission came Monday from special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, who expressed his confidence in the trio of backup linebackers. Their jobs will mostly be solidified by special teams performance, and he says Burks, Heyward and Giles-Harris are essential to his operation.

“I feel really good about the backups we have there, and their ability to do exactly what we need to do,” Simmons said. “That is a position that has been a little bit in flux for us the last couple of years, but in terms of the backups, I feel that is the strong suit of our core special teams unit.”

Outlook: Unlike cornerback, the battle at this position doesn’t feel wide open. The roles feel entrenched. The real competition here is Carter and Knight against themselves. If they look hesitant and appear to be the same players from last season’s ugly moments, the Bengals could quickly find themselves navigating a defensive crisis with no easy answer. The team expressed confidence those two will be fine at every turn; we will quickly see if that assessment was correct.

Offensive line

Background: The starting five return for the first time since Burrow’s arrival in Cincinnati. The interior looks solid, with Jalen Rivers back after an encouraging rookie season and two draft picks used to establish interior depth.

The battle will be held behind starting tackles Amarius Mims and Orlando Brown Jr. Cody Ford stands as the leader in the clubhouse, but the third and fourth spots are still unclaimed. Practice squad players from last year, Javon Foster and Andrew Coker, will be in the mix, along with a pair of rookie undrafted free agents. Also, sixth-round pick Brian Parker played tackle at Duke, but projects inside as a pro.

What’s at stake: Not much, just protecting the franchise player. Sarcasm aside, being one injury away from playing tackle in the Bengals’ pass-heavy scheme might be as important as some starting spots on this roster. Mims and Brown played every game last year, but both have injury histories, and there are no guarantees even if they didn’t.

Team view: Tobin notably pushed back against the idea that offensive line depth is an issue. He expressed confidence in the state of the competition and the level of investment behind the starting group.

Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher will be closely monitoring the most notable position battle on his unit.

“That’s a question that we will have a lot better answer to in a month’s time,” Pitcher said. “The good thing is we have a lot of opportunity for guys to go show what they can do.”

Outlook: Ford will probably win this job based on his experience and pedigree. It’s hard to imagine Foster or Coker can unseat the guy who took over for Brown down the stretch in 2024, playing left tackle during the win streak that closed that season. Ford had a disappointing camp last season, though he never became a factor in the battle for a starting guard spot. If that scenario repeats itself, the position would be even more wide open. Keep an eye out for Parker to start cross-training back at tackle (he spent OTAs at guard) if the offensive line faces early struggles or injuries occur.