Five Questions the Bengals Should Look for Answers to in Training Camp

The Bengals’ rookies will report to training camp on July 23, with veterans following on July 26. At this point in June, organized team activities around the league have concluded. The earliest any players will report to camp will be July 18, when the Las Vegas Raiders’ rookie class will begin preparation for the Hall of Fame Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 4. Until then, there’s little for news-craving NFL fans to do but wait.

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In theory, there’s still moves on the table for the Bengals that would justifiably make headlines. Fans are growing increasingly anxious at Jessie Bates‘ absence from activities and lack of a contract extension. Minkah Fitzpatrick inking the richest deal for a safety in NFL history with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers has only exacerbated that. After all, why can’t the Bengals take care of their business in June if the Steelers are clearly able to?

Perhaps a valid point, but Fitzpatrick’s deal likely moves the goalposts for Bates and his agent, David Mulugheta. Whether or not the Bengals are willing to (or should) offer Bates that kind of money based on recent performance, he might find it on the open market. There’s an argument Bates should sign a contract before the season to insure himself against injury or a drop in performance, but he’d have done so already if he thought that way. Unless a generous trade offer materializes, this situation isn’t going anywhere until 2023.

As for any other potential June story? Larry Ogunjobi signed a deal with Pittsburgh as well, ending his unorthodox return to free agency after initially signing with Chicago as well as the chorus of flirtation from Bengals fans and writers with the idea of re-signing him themselves.

With that aside, here are some stories Bengals fans should look forward to potentially learning more about in July.

Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, and Third Down

Joe Mixon is set to make $11 million to play running back for the Bengals in 2022 for a reason. The team took him with the 48th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft for a reason. Athletically, Mixon has all the tools to be an every-down difference-maker for the team – running, receiving, and/or blocking. That player made appearances on his tape from Oklahoma, but the Bengals haven’t employed Mixon the same way. On the contrary, when the Bengals required their running back to do anything other than run in 2021 – especially late in the season – they called on Samaje Perine.

This discrepancy was the subject of part of Paul Dehner Jr.’s mailbag last week at The Athletic, where he presented the following statistic: Mixon was on the field for 34 third down snaps with 3 or more yards to convert. Perine was on the field for 140 snaps in the same situation.

“Will Mixon receive another chance next year to be a three-down back?” Dehner Jr. goes on to ask. “Unlikely … there will be spots for him on third down, but the days focusing on turning him into a three-down back are behind them.”

I don’t know that I follow Dehner all the way to his conclusion. He makes valid points – Perine was more technically reliable on third down and the Bengals rightfully trusted him more in those situations. He also points out, despite that, Perine (42.3) barely graded better than Mixon (37.3) in pass protection according to Pro Football Focus. Perine lost physically where Mixon lost technically – the latter issue is far easier to fix. The Bengals may not prioritize making Mixon their best player in those situations in training camp, but that doesn’t mean he can’t show up and look like he is anyway.

Regardless, Perine’s contract expires after the 2022 season. Given past performance, it seems unlikely the Bengals would financially commit to keeping the status quo. Maybe Perine improves, but Mixon (or Chris Evans) becoming a legitimate blocking asset would also make the team’s decision easier.

Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd

Much is made about the market rate for wide receivers and what that’ll mean for the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase, but that bill won’t come due for a while yet. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd aren’t due for extensions quite yet, but they will be after the 2023 season. Retaining both – in this economy, even with the team’s brave new free agency philosophy – isn’t a viable option. The team doesn’t have to choose between them this year, but the 2022 season will certainly inform their decision.

On the surface, a binary decision between Higgins and Boyd is easy. Higgins is roughly four years younger and has shown higher production peaks in more recent memory. If anything, Boyd might need a strong 2022 season to stay on the roster through the end of his contract given he’s making nearly as much as Chase and Higgins on their rookie deals combined. If Boyd looks like a replaceable part behind those two, the Bengals can draft another slot receiver in 2023.

It won’t be a binary decision, though. Higgins and Jessie Bates are represented by the same agent, and teams will line up to make Higgins one of the highest-paid receivers in the league if he builds upon his 2021 production. The Bengals will enter that negotiation knowing Chase – if he maintains or builds on his production as well – will demand an even higher price. With Joe Burrow playing on a fifth-year option or an extension in 2024, the team won’t have an abundance of cap space to play with. Higgins could easily price himself out of town and leave Boyd as the best second option Cincinnati can afford.

It’s also possible that the Bengals let both receivers walk if they think Chase and yet-to-be-drafted receivers are sufficient. A lot of things can happen, but how Higgins and Boyd look in 2022 is a primary factor.

Hayden Hurst, Drew Sample, and What Comes Next at Tight End

Of more immediate concern to the Bengals than their future at receiver is their future at tight end. Hayden Hurst signed with the team this offseason, but only to a one-year deal. Drew Sample is in the last year of his rookie contract as a 2019 second-round pick. In fact, the only tight end on the roster currently signed beyond 2022 is undrafted rookie Justin Rigg. Hurst figures to fill the void left by C.J. Uzomah signing with the Jets, but the Bengals could easily enter 2023 with an entirely new cast at the position if no one steps up.

In the short term, the Bengals aren’t entirely without options if things look dire in camp. Jared Cook, a starter for the Chargers last year, remains on the market. Kyle Rudolph, who played 500 offensive snaps for the Giants in 2021, is available as well. Eric Ebron, Jesse James, and Blake Jarwin loom as slightly younger options, bur Jarwin’s status for the start of the 2022 season is unknown after the former Cowboys tight end underwent hip surgery in February.

It’s possible that any of those players are on the roster by September, but it’s also possible that Hurst or Sample break out in 2022 and render that point moot. For what it’s worth, both players were at Travis Kelce’s Travis Kelce‘s Tight End University summit last week. That may or may not translate to anything, but it’s June – that qualifies as a notable story.

Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither

Germaine Pratt is among the biggest names on the Bengals roster currently set to hit free agency in 2023. In his third year with the team, the 2019 third-round pick played 692 defensive snaps and recorded 91 solo tackles, including 5 tackles for loss. Those numbers are fine – and Bengals fans will fondly remember the game-winning interception Pratt had in the wildcard round against the Raiders as well – but an extension won’t be forthcoming based on them alone.

Pratt didn’t play 100 percent of the team’s defensive snaps until Logan Wilson was inactive in December, and he didn’t play upward of 90 percent until Akeem Davis-Gaither suffered a foot injury in Week 9. All three players, when healthy, present the Bengals with a logjam at a position where they usually don’t field more than two. Wilson has played the most of the bunch and figures to be the safest candidate for extension. Pratt and Davis-Gaither, if both remain healthy, will play second banana in 2023. The question is whether they compete for the role in training camp or alternate filling it based on situation.

It’s also possible the Bengals work back toward more three-linebacker sets if both players shine in camp. Pratt played several snaps as an edge defender in odd fronts last season. Davis-Gaither, physically, is the type of linebacker that could pass for a safety if it weren’t for his jersey number. There’s space for both on the field, alongside Wilson, in the same defensive formation.

Safety, Present and Future

Bates aside, Vonn Bell is also entering the last year of his contract with the Bengals. It’s possible both players are with the Bengals in 2023, but that raises the question of where Daxton Hill lines up. Tycen Anderson – the team’s fifth round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft – will be in the mix as well.

A number of possibilities exist here, and we’ll find out sooner than later how different safety combinations look if Bates doesn’t initially report to camp. Ahead of camp, it’s hard to make any predictions here. The Bengals seeking out potential replacements for Bates and Bell wasn’t due to performance concerns, and both potential replacements in question are rookies. There’s no past NFL performance to analyze.

Whatever ends up happening, Hill and Anderson have their youth and rookie contracts on their side. If either look ready to start, the Bengals will put them on the field and figure the rest out. If both look ready to start, the Bengals won’t be hard-pressed to turn the page on two of the captains from their AFC Championship team.

– Andy Hammel is the Managing Editor for the Bengals at Full Press Coverage. Follow @Andy_Hammel