There will be a lot to pay attention to at Cincinnati Bengals training camp this year as the team looks to bounce back and rejoin the contender conversation after missing the playoffs in 2023. There will be no shortage of storylines to follow, and here’s a look at three key ones to watch.
Joe Burrow’s health
The biggest storyline in Bengals training camp this year will be the health of star quarterback Joe Burrow, who is coming off of a season-ending wrist injury that required surgery. All eyes will be on Burrow to see how he looks while running the offense. Burrow has already stated that his main goal is to remain healthy throughout the season, as he’s confident in his abilities as long as he’s out on the field.
“Well, number one, I want to be on the field for all the games,” Burrow said earlier this month. “I know I’m going to play well when I’m out there. I’m at that point in my career where I’ve seen enough ball and I know myself that I can go out there and play as well as anybody in the game.”
Hopefully Burrow can indeed remain healthy throughout the entire campaign, and that starts with training camp.
Who will emerge as WR No. 3?
We already know who will be occupying the top two starting wide receiver spots for the Bengals in 2024. Coming off of three straight 1,000-plus yard seasons, Ja’Marr Chase will continue to serve as the team’s top pass-catcher, while Tee Higgins will occupy the second spot.
There were obviously some questions about whether or not Higgins would be with the team in 2024 following his trade request, but at this point he appears poised to play out the season under the franchise tag and then hit free agency next offseason. So, the last lingering question when it comes to Cincinnati’s receivers is who will emerge as the third starter?
Trenton Irwin is an option, as he started in seven games for Cincinnati last season. Rookie receiver Jermaine Burton is also an option. The Bengals selected Burton in the third round of the 2024 Draft, and there are some high hopes for him, both from the fans and within the organization. Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones will also be competing for the spot. Who will come out on top?
The battle for the starting safety spots
Upgrading the safety position was clearly a priority for the Bengals this offseason, and the team’s activity in improving the position should lead to the single most intriguing position battle of training camp for Cincinnati. There are three starting-caliber safeties on the roster, at least, and it will be extremely interesting to see who snags the starting spots.
The team added two potential starters in free agency in Geno Stone and Vonn Bell, who previously played for the Bengals. There’s also second-year safety Jordan Battle, who started in seven games for the Bengals last season and will be looking to increase that number in 2024. The organization is high on Battle’s potential after drafting him in the third round last year, and he was recently named as the team’s breakout candidate for the 2024 season by Pro Football Focus.
As a rookie last season, Battle played in all 17 games for Cincinnati. He tallied 71 total tackles, five passes defended and one interception. His play was promising to say the least, and it seems like he’s the future of the safety position in Cincinnati. But he’ll have to win the job first, and Stone and Bell will both likely have something to say about that.
