CINCINNATI — The Bengals have a much different look to their defense, and Joe Burrow can feel it every time he takes a snap in camp.
The question to be answered is not whether it will be different but whether it will be noticeably improved and impactful in games. The early returns after six practices would lean very strongly in the affirmative.
Even defensive coordinator Al Golden can notice a difference after six camp practices. Yes it’s a more veteran group, with names like Dexter Lawrence II, Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen, but it’s a more disciplined group as well. This is not a group that needed to have its hands held, as was the case last year.
That also includes Golden himself, who was in his first year as Bengals defensive coordinator. He was learning the Bengals personnel and trying to bring rookies like Barrett Carter, Demetrius Knight Jr. and Shemar Stewart into the fold, as well as working with a defensive line that didn’t have the nasty edge required to disrupt at the point of attack. That has all changed this year.
“We’ve got a lot of veterans. I mean, we’re significantly older,” Golden said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are going into year two in the system. The guys that came in were able to learn quickly. They’re pros. I said this to the team; Their preparation, their work ethic, their attention to the details is allowing us to move forward every day as planned. So there is no there is no pullback, there is no step back because we put too many bricks on there, where we couldn’t get today. There’ll be some things to clean up, but it won’t be you know assignments and and you know coverage responsibilities and things like that. So we’re going to be able to move forward with tomorrow’s installation.”
The difference between missed assignments and technique adjustments is the difference between having a taking a longer route to get to your destination and having a flat tire. With one, you’ll eventually get to your destination, with the other you’re stuck.
Breaking down the Bengals defense requires understanding the personnel and how they’re being deployed this summer.
1. From Over-Complexity to Structural Clarity
The defining difference between the 2025 defense and the 2026 training camp version is the removal of cognitive overload. In 2025, Golden experimented heavily with a highly “fluid” and positionless system. Players were expected to float seamlessly across multiple positions and seamlessly execute complex coverage checks on the fly.While that approach worked during his tenure at Notre Dame, it created immense “gray areas” and communication breakdowns in the NFL. This over-complexity left young players hesitate-diagnosing rather than reacting, leading to a catastrophic spike in explosive plays surrendered through the first half of 2025. In camp this year, Golden has executed a hard schematic reset. He has locked players into rigid, technical roles where their natural athletic profiles can shine. Dax Hill has been firmly deployed as a pure perimeter boundary cornerback opposite DJ Turner, eliminating the multi-role confusion that slowed his progress last year. (That could change on selected downs or situations but it appears Hill will remain on the outside.) Jalen Davis has settled into a permanent role as a technical nickel defender.The result is a defense operating with total cohesion. Golden summarized the early camp sessions perfectly: “We’re not miscommunicating. We’re playing our fundamentals. Everybody’s doing their job, and we’re improving.” The agonizing pre-snap confusion of 2025 has been replaced by clinical alignment and clean assignment execution.
2. A Weaponized, Multi-Front Defensive Line
The most visually striking improvement in camp has been the construction of a physical, multiple-look defensive line. Last year, the defense was hindered by a passive, “sit-and-get” approach, primarily because injuries and thin depth forced a highly conservative style. This summer, the front office handed Golden an expensive array of new talent to manipulate, completely altering the group’s dynamic.
2025 Front: Passive / Single-Look. 2026 Front: Morphing Schemes
– Heavy reliance on static 4-2 – Fluid 3-4, 4-3, and Nickel packages
– Lack of interior push – Elite interior depth (Lawrence / Allen)
– Predictable pressure paths – Create structural 1-on-1 matchups
Golden hinted Tuesday that he’s planning to install more this week as they prepare for the first preseason game next Thursday against Detroit. For now, his staff are aggressively tinkering with morphing defensive packages, shifting effortlessly between 3-4, 4-3, and exotic nickel packages to manipulate pass protections. The offseason additions of defensive anchors like Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen have completely rewritten the physics of the interior pocket. Lawrence has provided a massive structural push down the middle, which eliminates a quarterback’s ability to step cleanly into throws.This devastating interior pocket compression has had a cascading effect on the edge rushers. T.J. Slaton is also playing with more push this summer, appearing to have been inspired by the additions inside. Players like Boye Mafe have emerged as entirely disruptive forces in camp, terrorizing protections because offensive lines are completely stripped of the ability to slide or double-team outer rushers. The front is no longer just looking to survive; it is hunting.
3. Unleashing the “Stood on the Table” Linebackers
Perhaps nothing highlights Golden’s strategic evolution more than the performance of his young linebacking corps. In 2025, throwing young defenders like Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter straight into the fire drew heavy criticism from a restless fanbase. They suffered noticeable on-the-job growing pains, frequently caught out of position while trying to process the scheme’s massive mental load.
In camp, that trial by fire is yielding massive dividends. With the mental load heavily reduced, Knight and Carter are playing with immense confidence and physical force. Knight has turned heads by cleanly slicing downhill through offensive lines to log immediate tackles for loss. Meanwhile, Carter has demonstrated a complete transformation in the passing game, executing elite spatial awareness to eliminate chunk plays over the middle. Golden has proudly taken a well-deserved victory lap on their progression, noting: “You guys know how I feel about them—love them. I stood on the table for them. We are going to be the beneficiaries of what they went through last year.”
4. A Rebuilt Secondary Flying to the Ball
In 2025, the secondary’s primary failure was its inability to stop explosive receptions downfield, directly contrasting Golden’s aggressive Cover-1 blueprint. The absence of an elite deep-field general left the cornerbacks unprotected and hesitant.The introduction of veteran safety Bryan Cook has immediately resolved that identity crisis. Acting as a premier deep center fielder, Cook’s high-level coverage instincts have provided a massive safety net, as exhibited Tuesday when he ended practice with the pick-6 of Joe Burrow on a pass intended for Mitchell Tinsley. Boye Mafe got past Orlando Brown Jr. and forced Burrow to throw the ball sooner and under duress.
This stabilization has allowed Jordan Battle and Cook to play with fierce aggression closer to the line of scrimmage. The chemistry on the backend has spiked dramatically, exemplified by multi-interception practices against Joe Burrow.The structural depth of the unit has also been on display. When Dax Hill took a scheduled recovery day in camp, fourth-year corner DJ Ivey stepped in seamlessly with the first team, locking down elite wide receivers without a single drop-off in communication, knocking a pair of passes away from Tee Higgins.
Setting a New Floor
Golden’s defense is no longer chasing an idealized, abstract concept on paper. It has evolved into a practical, hard-nosed machine optimized for the modern NFL game. Instead of searching for basic answers as they were a year ago, the unit is using camp to build an uncompromising baseline. As pass rusher Boye Mafe declared, the dominant plays the defense is stacking daily aren’t viewed as a ceiling—they are simply “setting our floor as a defense.” With elite communication, multiple upfront alignments, and a punishing defensive interior, Golden’s revised blueprint has built an identity capable of spearheading a devastating defense.
Bengals Camp Day 6 Tuesday:
* Defense shines again.
* Bryan Cook ends practice with a pick-6, jumping in front of Mitch Tinsley on a pass over the middle to pick off Joe Burrow with great pressure on the edge from Boye Mafe, who beat Orlando Brown Jr.
* Play before, DJ Turner had coverage on Ja’Marr Chase on an incomplete pass just beyond the reach of Chase. Cook had over-the-top help and gave Turner some words of encouragement.
* Burrow’s best throw came on a scramble when he found Tee Higgins down the seam for 40 yards.
* DJ Ivey filled in for Dax Hill, who was in uniform with his helmet but did not practice. Al Golden said it was a maintenance day to take care of a nagging early-camp issue. Nothing serious.
* Ivey knocked down a pass in 11s on a go route for Higgins with good coverage.
* Jonathan Allen did not dress and TJ Slaton filled in and shined in 1-on-1s and with the first team in 11s.
* Sal Stewart, sporting a No. 1 Ja’Marr Chase jersey, attended camp with Reds teammates Spencer Steer, Emilio Pagan, Tony Santillan, Julian Garcia. At the end, Stewart gave Chase a pair of Reds jerseys, one with Stewart’s 27 and one that had the No. 1 ‘CHASE’ on it.
