The Cincinnati Bengals announced that they will be holding joint practices with two other NFL teams this offseason -- the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. Both sets of joint practices will take place in August ahead of preseason games against the Bears and Colts, respectively.
From the Bengals:
"The Bengals will hold two joint practices during training camp – one with the Chicago Bears and one with the Indianapolis Colts.
"The Bears joint practice will take place at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., on Thursday, Aug. 15, in advance of the Bengals' second preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 17 at Soldier Field. . . The Colts joint practice will take place at the Kettering Health Practice Fields on Tuesday, Aug. 20, in advance of the Bengals' third preseason game on Thursday, Aug. 22 at Paycor Stadium.
"Bengals Season Ticket Members and Waitlist Members will have exclusive access to the Colts joint practice. Members will receive more information via email on June 17 about how to claim free tickets to the joint practice when the full training camp schedule is released."
Joint practices provide an opportunity for teams to measure themselves against other squads during a latter portion of the offseason, so they can be beneficial, even if what was learned about the opponents doesn't carry over into the regular season -- the Bengals aren't scheduled to play the Colts or Bears during the season.
Nonetheless, the practices and subsequent preseason contests should be good for the Bengals, who will be looking to hit the ground running as soon as the regular season starts. In an extremely competitive division like the AFC North every game counts, and the Bengals simply can't afford to get off to a slow start. The joint practices could potentially help them be fully prepared for the start of the season.