Believe it or not, despite all the negative noise around contract drama, a lot of good happened at Cincinnati Bengals mandatory minicamp.
There were big plays, non-first-round rookies in key spots and the simple fact Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were present and looked good. There’s even system continuity and, for the most part, not major roster turnover.
But there was some big bad stuff, too.
Here’s a look at the ugly side of Bengals minicamp.
Contracts
Obvious, yet important to tackle. The Bengals are calling Trey Hendrickson’s bluff on his latest quest for a major contract extension. That’s costing them having an All-Pro defender and once again giving them a big summer distraction. They’re also attempting to set a new precedent in contract language with first-rounder Shemar Stewart, which he and his reps don’t like. That leaves a project of a pass-rusher missing key reps on a defense that lost Sam Hubbard and has yet to get a jump from former first-rounder Myles Murphy.
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The guard battle
All this negative noise has let the Bengals go unpunished in the court of public opinion for their middling approach to the offensive line. Despite the guard spots being one of the biggest needs on the roster, the Bengals merely re-signed Cody Ford, the benched Cordell Volson will compete for a spot, they drafted Dylan Fairchild in the middle rounds and signed journeyman Lucas Patrick. It essentially feels like throwing up their hands and hoping a new line coach is what solves the issue.
The secondary
There’s a lot of fun upside and offseason clips of someone like Cam Taylor-Britt playing the slot are fun, too. But there are even more clips of the secondary getting torched. Some of that is to be expected, given, well, Chase and Higgins, after all. But there’s little guaranteed. CTB is a wildcard. DJ Turner and Dax Hill are coming back from injuries and the latter is only just learning corner. Nobody is the bona fide Mike Hilton replacement yet. And they’re trusting Geno Stone and Jordan Battle to turn it around with a new coaching staff. It could work, but it’s a notable low spot to point out right now.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals mandatory minicamp features 3 ugly developments