Cincinnati

Bengals

Late in June, the Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. identified All as a key cog in the Bengals’ intended schematic switches this season. The team hopes to run more plays from under center while also increasing its play-action rate. It remains to be seen how much receiving involvement All will garner, but the team is very clearly excited about his blocking ability, both in-line and as a fullback. A pair of knee surgeries limited All’s availability through his two NFL seasons. If he can truly return to form, who’s to say he can’t be the Bengals’ long-term TE1? All recently told Dehner that getting hit by a three-wheeled truck in Greece this summer restored his confidence in his ability to take a hit. A modern-day odyssey.

Stewart was able to limp off the field but eventually rode the cart to the locker room, causing some concern that he suffered a major injury. He will undergo treatment for the issue but, according to Rapoport, avoided any ligament damage. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he would miss “several weeks.” That’s not ideal for a second-year player, but it doesn’t sound like he is at risk of missing any time during the regular season.

Stewart initially limped off the field and was checked out by trainers before riding the cart into the locker room. The fact that he was able to make his way off the field hopefully means this isn’t a major injury, but it’s too early to be sure. The No. 17 overall pick last year struggled with ankle injuries early in his rookie season and later dealt with a knee issue. He appeared in just eight games and recorded one sack. The Bengals were hoping for a year two breakout from Stewart, but he might be in for another slow start if the latest injury costs him much time in camp.

Brown was reported to be discussing an extension with the Bengals in January, but nothing came of that. Dehner believes the $14.3 million franchise tag number for running backs “speaks the Bengals’ language as they continue to work on a potential longer deal for him.” Brown, entering his age-26 season, remains a fringe fantasy RB1 in Cincinnati’s wide-open offense. It doesn’t seem like there’s any danger of a holdout or anything of the sort here.

Taylor last played with the 49ers during the 2024 season, ending his career with 88 receptions for 845 yards and three touchdowns. He initially spent three seasons in San Francisco before playing two for the Bengals and one for the Bears, finishing his career back where it started. A longtime role player, Taylor made only three starts at the professional level. He announced his retirement on his wife’s instagram account, accompanied by a picture of the two with former teammate George Kittle and his wife, whom Taylor entered the league with in 2017.

Dehner reports that the Bengals have rigorously practiced lining up under center in spring practices. He believes they will remain a shotgun-first team, but thinks they could improve on their 31st under-center ranking by more than 10 spots. Among the top-40 qualifiers from 2024-25, Brown averages 5.1 yards per carry (fourth) and a 12.3 percent explosive run play rate (third) on runs when QB Joe Burrow lines up under center. From shotgun formation, Brown averages 4.5 (24th) and 7.3 percent (22nd), respectively. Even a minimal increase in under-center snaps would benefit Brown. The Bengals believe TE Erick All’s (knee) return gives them the needed flexibility to do so. He is capable of motioning into the backfield as a fullback, and “setting the edge with vicious crack blocks and overall serving as a hammer in front of Brown in the run game.” Brown finished as the RB7 last year and is being drafted as the consensus RB10 in best ball. Beating that ADP seems plausible.

The Bengals have been unable to generate explosive pass plays as frequently as the NFL’s eight most explosive passing offenses do. Six of those teams made the playoffs last year and ranked 13th or better in under-center rate and under-center play-action rate. The Bengals ranked 31st and 30th in those to categories, respectively, and 22nd in explosive pass play rate last year. Over the past three seasons, the Bengals have generated just one explosive pass play after running play action from under center. Burrow, Bengals coach Zac Taylor and OC Dan Pitcher know that needs to change, but the trio has been hesitant to decrease their shotgun rate due to Burrow’s elite processing when allowed to survey the field. That said, Dehner writes that Burrow worked on under-center play-action dropbacks “no matter the day during the Bengals’ offseason program.” Dehner believes the shotgun passing game “will always be their identity,” but raising their under-center ranking to roughly 20th in the league is doable and will generate more fantasy-friendly explosive pass plays along the way.

Baby’s practice notes indicate that incumbent No. 3 WR Andrei Iosivas and No. 1 TE Mike Gesicki are the other two competitors for the role, and both players “had productive springs.” Pitcher also said RB Chase Brown “can sometimes be viewed as a slot receiver,” but those types of comments are common in the summer and rarely pan out in the fall. Iosivas and Gesicki have been helpful contributors, but the fact that the team is searching for an answer at the No. 3 receiving role is indicative of their ceilings. Pitcher believes Young is “going to fight and battle” this summer, and thinks there are things Young “can do quickly and help us.” If he can actually become the team’s third-most voluminous target earner, he could pay off as a late-round best ball pick.

It frees up $10 million in cap space for the coming season, which NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport made sure to note was in part to pay for the Dexter Lawrence trade. It could have been a much deeper restructure had the Bengals wished, with Burrow on a $48 million cap number with $25.25 million in base salary due. Still, it’s something. More than we’ve seen from the Bengals in a while.

All missed the end of the 2024 season and the entire 2025 season with a pair of knee surgeries, one to clear out damage done from a surgery at Iowa, and another to repair a torn ACL. He enters the third year of his rookie contract as a deep, deep sleeper in fantasy leagues behind Mike Gesicki, but All did look pretty good in 2024 while healthy. He should at least give the Bengals some usable multi-TE set snaps if necessary.