4 winners (and 2 losers) from shortened Cincinnati Bengals 2026 minicamp

The Cincinnati Bengals canceled the last two days of their three-day mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, but the abbreviated session still revealed a lot about the team.

Since it is the offseason after all, and the Bengals are free to enjoy the start of summer until training camp practices kick off on July 29, we're going to stay optimistic. There were plenty of "losers" to discuss amid a 6-11 season last year.

Unlike many offseasons of the recent past, Cincinnati's brass gives Who Dey Nation real reason to hope. Hence the early end to minicamp. Head coach Zac Taylor is evidently confident in where the Bengals are at to this point.

Winner: Joe Burrow

Why not start with the face of the franchise? Superstar quarterback Joe Burrow has set the tone from OTAs on, leading by example and encouraging active attendance.

But it's more about how Burrow has gone out of his way to be a more vocal leader, establish stronger relationships with players in the locker room, and evolving to help this Bengals team grow closer together.

Look no further than the following testimony from new defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (via Bengals radio broadcaster Dan Hoard), and starting right guard Dalton Risner as evidence of Burrow's initiative:

"You can tell when someone is trying to be a fake leader...They’re trying to be a leader, but they don’t have natural leadership qualities. He’s a natural leader and that confidence just goes out to the team. Honestly, that’s why guys like me come here. To play with a guy like that and do whatever I can to help him get over the hump.”

Loser: Al Golden

One of the few losers from minicamp getting cut short is Cincinnati defensive coordinator Al Golden. Although the Bengals' whole rookie class is under contract — a refreshing change of pace — Golden didn't get as much time as he might've liked to work with top draft picks Cashius Howell and Tacario Davis.

Howell is in line to be a hybrid edge rusher and off-ball linebacker, while Davis has a chance to factor in for snaps as a boundary corner and in certain subpackages as a big nickel.

The players can only do so much without pads on, yet it would've been nice for Howell in particular to get more reps. Hopefully, he'll be able to digest his multifaceted role, have the playbook down, and be ready to hit the ground running in training camp.

Winner: Bralyn Lux

Practice squad veteran Jalen Davis acquitted himself well last season when he got a promotion to be the starting nickelback. That opened up Dax Hill to flex back out to the boundary, which is by far his best position.

Although Davis re-signed on a one-year deal, the Bengals brought in Ja'Sir Taylor to compete with him. Safety Kyle Dugger has the versatility to line up in the slot, as does splashy free-agent signing Bryan Cook.

But second-year taxi squadder and 2025 UDFA Bralyn Lux was actually rolling with the starters at least for a little while in the one minicamp practice the Bengals did hold.

I've gassed up Lux since last offseason and projected him to make the final 53-man roster. Although he didn't quite make the cut, Lux appears to be making enough of an impression to score a spot this time around.

If he winds up on the practice squad again, don't be surprised to see another team swoop in to acquire Lux before the regular season.

Loser: Bengals fans starved for football and content

More of a humorous bullet point on this list than anything else, but that doesn't make it untrue! The Bengals just robbed us of two days of reckless practice speculation, micro-overreactions, and hype before we get this break in the action for over a month.

Oh well. Like I said, this bodes well as far as how Taylor and the coaching staff perceive the team.

Nothing wrong with keeping everyone fresh, as long as the details are on point in training camp and as long as the Bengals don't let a couple days of June trigger another sluggish start, which has unfortunately been a pestering trend during Taylor's tenure.

Winner: Charlie Jones

We all know Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are the Bengals' go-to wide receivers. However, the WR3 gig is wide-open.

Not to say that one practice vaulted return specialist Charlie Jones past the likes of Andrei Iosivas and everyone else in the running for that job. Nevertheless, what a catch Jones had on a downfield strike from Burrow:

Jones has only one reception over the past two seasons. He's struggled to establish a role on offense in part due to his returning prowess, and in part due to some nagging injuries throughout his career.

If nothing else, it's great to see early signs of life for Jones as a wideout. We'll see if any of this admittedly modest momentum carries over into training camp.

Winner: Josh Newton

You can see that Newton was referenced as the player in coverage for Jones' highlight-reel reception. It's possible that Burrow went after him because the artist known as "Fig" got him good not long before then. If Joe Shiesty is known for one thing, it's for pinpoint accuracy/ball placement, excellent decision-making, and avoiding turnover-worthy plays.

Many a time and oft, Burrow throws straight-up lasers on out-breaking routes to Chase and Higgins. On this particular occasion, Newton timed up a perfect break on Higgins' route, undercut him, and made an awesome interception to send the defense into a collective state of jubilation:

I wrote not long before that about how Newton shouldn't be slept on in the Bengals' high-key stacked cornerback room due to this inside-out versatility and stickiness in coverage. Fig followed through on that promise with only one minicamp practice.

Whether Newton sees significant action in 2026 remains to be seen. DJ Turner and Hill should be the starters on the perimeter of the Bengals' secondary. That said, Newton is a dependable backup who should be counted on over everyone else in that group.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow