Cincinnati Bengals Camp: Dexter Lawrence Disrupts, Burrow Earns Top 100 Nod, Chase Returns to Madden 99 Club
The Cincinnati Bengals’ early training camp weeks have centered on a clear theme: the defense is pushing the offense in ways this team has not felt in a while. Most of that pressure traces back to the biggest addition of the offseason, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, whose presence is already shaping how the Bengals practice and how they think about the fall.
NFL.com’s Bengals page characterized Lawrence as “terrorizing practice” at camp, a blunt description that captures what players and coaches are seeing each day. The ripple effect shows up across the defensive front, and the competition is raising the level of the entire unit. Cincy Jungle amplified that theme this week, noting how edge rusher Myles Murphy has observed the impact Lawrence is making and how that standard is pulling the rest of the line upward.
Lawrence’s presence has touched the locker room in other ways as well. After an injury scare involving rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart, Cincy Jungle reported that Lawrence was relieved to learn Stewart was OK, then framed the situation as an opportunity for others to claim reps. A veteran who resets the tone while keeping younger teammates engaged is no small asset, and the Bengals appear to have that in Lawrence. Coach Zac Taylor also shared a positive injury update on Stewart, according to Yahoo Sports, keeping the edge room from thinning further and allowing the staff to maintain its planned rotation.
Burrow Lands at No. 44 in NFL’s Peer-Voted Top 100
On the offensive side, Joe Burrow arrived at camp with another leaguewide acknowledgment. NFL.com slotted him at No. 44 in its Top 100 Players of 2026, a peer-driven ranking that tracks both production and reputation among opponents. The number does not carry strategic implications, but it reflects how other players view Burrow’s command of the position.
In a separate note picked up by Cincy Jungle, a Ravens player drew a Tom Brady comparison when discussing Burrow. Comparisons like that are opinions, not scouting reports, yet they color how defenses prepare and how often coordinators are willing to blitz him as the regular season approaches.
Chase Back in Madden 27’s 99 Club for Second Straight Year
Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase drew a different kind of accolade. Bleacher Report’s Bengals hub highlighted the team’s announcement that Chase returned to Madden 27’s 99 Club for a second consecutive year. Players care about the rating in ways fans sometimes overlook. It functions as a leaguewide status symbol and a shorthand confirmation that the best cornerbacks on any given schedule will need help covering him.
For Cincinnati, it also validates how consistently Chase separates and finishes at the catch point. A 99 rating does not move the chains on Sundays, but it mirrors the defensive attention Chase commands, attention that opens space for Tee Higgins and the tight ends on the other side.
The receiver room sits in an interesting position contractually, too. Stripe Hype noted this week that the Baltimore Ravens’ four-year, $140 million extension for Zay Flowers makes Cincinnati’s deals for Chase and Higgins look like bargains by comparison, a detail that reflects just how aggressively the receiver market has moved.
Rookies Rising, Competition Heating Up
Camp also brings roster churn and opportunity. Yahoo Sports’ Bengals coverage has highlighted a pair of early risers in rookies Colbie Young and Cashius Howell, both of whom are drawing attention for their fast starts. Early standouts rarely guarantee Week 1 roles, and padded practices change trajectories quickly, but the pattern matters. Cincinnati needs fresh contributors in the back half of the roster and on special teams, where jobs are often won in August.
Cincy Jungle underscored that urgency in a separate piece on cornerback DJ Ivey, pointing out that he has reached the stage where he has to prove he belongs in the rotation. Those battles tend to sharpen in preseason games, when evaluation periods under real conditions separate the depth chart hopefuls from the roster locks.
The competitive friction between Lawrence and the offense has been healthy by all accounts. Yahoo Sports aggregated multiple reports noting how Lawrence has “already elevated” the defense and made life harder on Burrow and the offensive line in practice. Quarterbacks learn new answers when the first answer is taken away. Offensive linemen communicate faster when the biggest problem is aligned directly over the ball. That is the version of camp friction teams want, and Cincinnati appears to be getting it.
Burrow himself, for his part, has spoken about the challenge of going against Lawrence in practice, according to Yahoo Sports. That acknowledgment from the quarterback is a useful signal. It suggests the defensive addition is delivering exactly what the front office intended when it made the move.
Preseason Schedule Sets Up Early Evaluation Window
Those practice-field storylines will soon face a test under game conditions. NFL.com lists Cincinnati’s three preseason matchups: the Bengals host the Detroit Lions on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. EDT, host the Chicago Bears on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m., then travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles on Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.
Starters may not play deep into the first two games, and schemes rarely get fully revealed in August, but preseason snaps do expose depth players to live tackling and special teams assignments. For a defense leaning into a more disruptive interior presence, even brief series against veteran offensive lines can confirm whether the camp buzz translates into hurried throws and negative runs.
The larger picture emerging from the Cincinnati Bengals camp is of a roster that expects to be better defensively, steady offensively and sharper in the situational moments that tend to decide close games. Lawrence’s early impact, Burrow’s peer recognition, Chase’s return to Madden’s highest tier, and the rookies flashing in August all point to a camp generating real competition rather than just going through the motions.
If Lawrence’s daily disruption carries into the preseason opener against Detroit, and young defenders stack real snaps against live competition, Cincinnati’s camp storylines will start to look more like September trends. The early evidence, at least, suggests the Bengals’ practice field is raising the floor of a defense that badly needed it.
