What we learned from the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2022 offseason

The Cincinnati Bengals wrap up their voluntary offseason program this week and when head coach Zac Taylor and his players return form summer break, training camp and preseason begins. Taylor approached this offseason different than he has in year’s past opting to give his players and coaches more time before officially starting the offseason program due to the length of the 2021 season.

He also decided to cancel the three-day mandatory minicamp NFL teams conduct to wrap up their offseason.

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While the dates of training camp have yet to be announced, the Bengals will likely start practice in late July. This means Taylor, his coaching staff and players will have the next six weeks to get ready for the upcoming season.

Expectations will be high for Cincinnati the minute quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and the rest of the players take the fields for training camp. After winning the AFC last season, anything less than a trip to the Super Bowl will seem like a disappointment.

But one of the reasons the NFL is so popular happens to be the disparity that takes place from year to year. Taylor knows if the Bengals want to replicate the success they had last year in the upcoming season, they have to start from the bottom as nothing is guaranteed.

For the most part, the Bengals had a relatively quiet offseason. No major injuries took place during OTAs and attendance was high. No news is typically good news in the NFL.

With that being said, there’s a lot that’s changed with the Bengals since played a game. Let’s take a look at some of the main storylines this offseason:

Bengals rebuild offensive line in hopes to improve Joe Burrow’s protection

After allowing 70 sacks on Burrow in the 2021 season including seven in the Super Bowl 56 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Bengals’ top priority this offseason was to improve the offensive line. The Bengals signed three offensive linemen in free agency. Alex Cappa, Ted Karras and La’el Collins are all expected to be starters who make a difference right away. Left tackle Jonah Williams remains the only starter from last season to return in the starting lineup.

Cappa suffered a core muscle injury in the early weeks of the offseason practices and was immediately sidelined. Ensuring Cappa is healthy by the start of training camp is imperative for the Bengals. Collins and Karras, both veteran players, have impressed Taylor with their professionalism and practice habits in their first few months in Cincinnati.

Jackson Carman or someone else? Left guard battle remains undecided

The main position battle to keep an eye on when training camp begins is at left guard. Every other position for the most part is settled with the Bengals returning most of their starters from last season.

Jackson Carman spent the offseason taking reps with the first-team offense during practice. After a disappointing rookie season, Carman is motivated to prove he’s worthy of the investment the Bengals made in him selecting him in the second round. If Carman is unable to win the job, Cincinnati drafted Cordell Volson in the fourth round of this year’s draft to ensure offensive line coach Frank Pollack has options.

Without contact at practices, it’s hard for Taylor and his staff to evaluate offensive linemen and their progress. If the Bengals played a game tomorrow, it’s likely Carman would be the starter.

Jessie Bates opts to skip Bengals’ offseason workout program

Two defensive starters opted to skip the Bengals’ offseason program and those players were safety Jessie Bates and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Bates, looking for a contract extension from the Bengals, decided to not join his team and train on his own.

The Bengals and Bates’ camp were unable to agree on an extension by early March and because of this, Cincinnati placed the franchise tag on their star safety. Bates has publicly stated his displeasure for playing on the tag in the 2022 season. So now the clock starts ticking on the Bengals and Bates as far as what comes next. If Bates and his team don’t reach an agreement on a long-term deal by July 15, if he chooses to show up and play, he’ll play on the tag amount of $12.911 million.

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When asked if Taylor expects the Bengals and Bates to reach an agreement by the deadline, Taylor declined to elaborate on if he's spoken with Bates and if he expects a long-term deal to get done in the next month.

“I’m not going to make any predictions with those guys,” Taylor said.

What Bates decides to do is one of the biggest questions surrounding this Bengals team.

Tee Higgins, Logan Wilson, Joseph Ossai expected to be healthy by training camp start date

Higgins and Wilson both had shoulder surgery this offseason and were unable to participate in the offseason program. Both were present during practice but were limited to rehab work with Cincinnati’s training staff. Taylor expects both starters to be able to participate when training camp starts at the end of July.

Ossai suffered a season-ending injury in preseason last year and is also on track to be ready to go when the season begins. After originally being sidelined with what he thought was just a broken wrist, Ossai learned he would also need knee surgery after tearing his meniscus. Both injuries kept him out for the entire season and he was also unable to practice in any capacity during OTAs.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bengals 2022 offseason and what we learned