CINCINNATI — On the hottest day yet of Bengals’ training camp, head coach Zac Taylor pushed back the start by 25 minutes, shoving Sunday’s session further into the midday heat.

Whether by design or not, adding another level to the most intense and telling day of Cincinnati’s training camp to date only further tested the roster’s resolve.

In a rarity for most camp practices, both offense and defense earned passing grades.

The Bengals’ first teams went at each other for six drives, the closest the 2026 club has seen to real football this year. The offense posted two scores, and quarterback Joe Burrow still looked like himself with touchdowns to Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas.

But the remade defense continued to show off its primary weapons with a consistent pass rush and timely blitz packages that kept Burrow off-balance and stopped four drives.

The action was competitive, both sides made highlight-worthy plays, and the result was a team starting to feel its goal come into focus. A team that needs to be more well-rounded this season looked the part on its most revealing day thus far.

Burrow heats up

As training camp started to find a rhythm with more unscripted periods, Burrow and the offense started to show their teeth. That began during Friday night’s practice in the stadium, when Burrow connected on a bomb to Ja’Marr Chase, one of the first of camp.

Only days earlier, safety Bryan Cook teased Chase in the locker room for not completing a deep ball on them yet, but despite Cook’s push as the ball arrived, Chase came down with his latest highlight catch inside Paycor Stadium.

The trend continued Sunday when Burrow showed off his other unstoppable weapon, a back-shoulder, high-point to Higgins for a red-zone touchdown. The two have mastered that throw over the years, and this one came at the expense of cornerback DJ Ivey, who was in great position, but Burrow’s accuracy and Higgins’ timing and freakish athleticism turned it into a score.

“That’s his signature thing,” Iosivas said.

9️⃣ to 5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/RRZbnGjv0k

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 9, 2026

Those moments, along with Burrow’s precision on a long touchdown drive to open the 11-on-11 period, have become increasingly more frequent after the most notable storyline of the first six days was the defense’s dominant performance.

Even after the long, sweltering practice, Burrow stayed to run sprints, looking like he was trying to reach his top speed, a sign of how good he feels at this point in camp. All is well right now with the most important man in stripes.

Pass rush rolls on

On Friday, Dexter Lawrence pushed the pocket and sent Burrow to the ground for the first time in camp.

Lawrence strode off after the play with little concern as Burrow bounced up.

That’s just what Lawrence does. And he does it in every practice. His presence can be specifically felt on a day like Sunday, when the long drives become even longer as Lawrence pushes the middle with every rush.

“He’s been pushing the middle all camp,” edge Myles Murphy said. “All we got to do on the edges is just shorten the edge a little bit.”

Jonathan Allen picked up a sack, and the rush kept the Bengals’ first-team offense in check despite the two touchdown drives.

While there’s much concern about the consistency of the pass rush, defensive coordinator Al Golden was able to use third-down blitzes to gain critical stops. Demetrius Knight Jr. blitzed, beating Samaje Perine for a sack that killed a drive. Barrett Carter brought a blitz that forced Burrow to launch an incomplete deep ball down the sideline for another third-down stop.

The defense played with confidence despite being down bodies in the secondary. Cook sat out after sustaining a soft tissue injury Friday, and Dax Hill continues to miss time with his own soft tissue injury. Neither is considered serious. Also, starting nickel Jalen Davis sat out the team portion of practice, leaving Bralyn Lux to get targeted by Burrow on the opening drive.

To be missing that many players in the secondary and still pull off four stops in six drives speaks to the confidence the defense is playing with, and it starts with Lawrence and that line muddying up so many pockets.

Tight end Tanner Hudson, who snagged a touchdown catch from Joe Flacco on Sunday, remains a key role player for Cincinnati. (Katie Stratman / Imagn Images)

Reliable depth in the passing game

Positive training camp stories often focus on a team’s shiny new toy. Whether it be a free-agent addition, undrafted standout or top pick making a splash, August is about what’s new.

That’s been the case in Bengals’ camp, as fourth-round pick Colbie Young has seemingly stacked at least one impressive catch per day. CFL star Dohnte Meyers has been a talk of camp and added a deep touchdown pass from Joe Flacco on Friday.

The fresh faces make it easy to overlook the strong play of roster mainstays. Sunday provided a reminder.

On fourth down in the red zone, Flacco dropped back and saw tight end Tanner Hudson winning his route at the line but double-teamed. Regardless, the veteran QB gave him a shot. Hudson snagged the pass and threw down a powerful spike in celebration.

Hudson seems to do this every camp, and that’s why the 31-year-old is now in his fourth season in Cincinnati. He might be established on the roster, but his attitude hasn’t changed.

“I’ve had that mentality since I got into the league,” Hudson said. “I knew when I came in as an undrafted free agent, no signing bonus: As long as I want to be in the NFL, it’s going to be a grind. I have to earn it every single day. I know my role here. I know what I can do. That doesn’t mean that it is just given to me. I have to go show I deserve the role and deserve the reps that I get.”

He’s always been one of Burrow’s favorites — and now one of Flacco’s — and his presence behind Mike Gesicki is a reminder of how the Bengals’ offensive continuity extends beyond the starting 11. Rotational players like Hudson having years of reps goes a long way toward sustaining success.

“I feel like I have a great relationship with everybody here in this building, quarterbacks especially,” Hudson said. “I’m just trying to come in and do my job, do what I can for what feels like is going to be an incredible team this year, offense and defense. Just trying to do my part.”

The same can be said about Iosivas, who has been more noted in camp for his competition with Young over the third receiver spot. Despite a few notable drops, Iosivas appears as polished and athletic as ever at getting open. He did so in working against Lux for Sunday’s first score.

“I feel like I’ve been unguardable pretty much all camp,” Iosivas said. “I’ve been winning on all three levels. I feel faster. The game is slowing down. I’m playing free and loose.”

His opinion won’t change the competition from kicking up a notch depending on how Young progresses in preseason games. Ever confident, Iosivas says he’s not feeling that pressure.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’m worried about the guy who is lined up in front of me, not the guy who is coming for my spot, potentially. As long as I am beating the guys in front of me, everything will take care of itself.”