CINCINNATI — The Bengals’ offseason program began with wondering when Joe Burrow would show up. It ended with wondering if he’ll ever leave.The Cincinnati quarterback took the reins and set the urgent tone for the Bengals’ collection of offseason practice sessions, to the point he concluded by dropping dreams of the 2026 Bengals looking like his national championship LSU team.Those were the kind of vibes that hovered over a no-drama, no-sideshows two months in Cincinnati.Burrow has never sounded more confident or on board with the organization, and, according to him, they have the deepest, most talented roster in his time.The primary takeaway from the Bengals' offseason programPaul Dehner Jr.The vibes were immaculate.Those weren’t the only takeaways from what we witnessed over the course of the sessions open to the media, as well as conversations and observations from the collection of open locker room media availabilities and news conferences.Beyond Burrow, here are the five themes that stood out to me.Newcomers’ immediate impactIt often takes time for a personality to integrate with a new collection of teammates when a free agent or traded-for player arrives.There’s typically a feeling-out process while new surroundings, new relationships and new standards gradually mesh.“Not this group,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “They are not bashful about it. They know what they want, and they know how to get there. And they know what they need from their teammates. There is a humbleness from this group, but also, ‘I’m not waiting around to feel my way through this before I start speaking.’”Dexter Lawrence, Bryan Cook and Jonathan Allen, specifically, all immediately took on vocal roles leading the defense through these offseason workouts. The communication at all levels of the defense stood out throughout the practices, and that rolled over into the locker room. A team that could barely find a worthy captain last year (Logan Wilson was traded, and Trey Hendrickson never lived up to the role) suddenly will have a hard time picking between the candidates. In fact, there’s a decent chance the two defensive captains are both new additions in Lawrence and Cook.The fact that Lawrence was present at every workout and practice from the moment he was acquired in a trade until camp broke on Wednesday speaks volumes about how seriously he’s taken the responsibility of setting a standard for the defensive rebuild.Cook might be the most underrated acquisition. He got lost in the wash a bit as the defensive line got overhauled, but he changed the entire tenor of the secondary in these practices. If the Bengals were looking to replicate the free-agent success in 2020 and 2021, Cook equals Vonn Bell. When Bell arrived, he changed the culture, held everyone accountable and brought a fiery soul to the entire group.His thoughts on potentially being named a captain tell you all you need to know about his mentality.“I’m here to win games, bro,” Cook, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Chiefs, said. “I’m here to do one thing and one thing only: I’m here to win games. I’d be appreciative, for sure, and would wear it with a badge of honor, but that is not my main focus.”Free-agent addition Bryan Cook is already proving to be a leader on the Bengals defense. (Katie Stratman / Imagn Images)Golden opportunity (and potential pitfalls)You are starting to see the evolution of defensive coordinator Al Golden’s scheme come into focus.That starts with the invigoration of the pass rush, but we knew about that before anybody took the field this spring. What I saw during these last few weeks was a hefty lean into the versatility of the star position.From Kyle Dugger to Cashius Howell to Jalen Davis to Oren Burks, several players served as the add-on player to the base 10 surrounding them in the defense. Howell worked on linebacker drops and looks to be molding into a role that didn’t exist for Golden last year. The same for Dugger, the free-agent safety who will play all over the field, dropping into the box, covering out of the slot or slipping back into the post.There will be downs when a standard nickel defense lines up with Jalen Davis as the (likely) starting nickel and the periodic 4-3 base where Burks lines up alongside Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr.The bottom line is that Golden will have options depending on what type of offense they face each week and the game situation.These are the types of levers he didn’t have available to him last year.Will he know how to properly deploy them? Will he be able to find a rhythm early? Those are merely unknowns with Golden in just his second year as an NFL coordinator.The early returns were encouraging with Knight and Carter. Players and coaches commented on the confidence they could feel from the two during these practices. There was a real understanding and ownership of the position and the large bet the Bengals made on them.It was still a risk and one that sits on Golden’s shoulder. He’s the development guy, the linebacker guy, and this is supposed to be the year to make a leap for two guys he stood on the table for in the draft. If they struggle, it’s on him.The Shemar Stewart X-factorStewart sounded and looked like a guy in a great headspace. That might be because we only saw him in a bad place for the majority of last season, between the off-field drama and injury issues.His attitude was a 180-degree shift from a rookie season that went sideways, and he has an ideal opportunity in front of him.“I ain’t going down without a fight,” he said. “I’m not going to sit here and say it was easy. I have had my fair share of losses. You definitely get beat up, but you got to come back stronger.”Strength hasn’t been the issue for the rare athlete out of Texas A&M. Being in the right place at the right time with the proper technique has been. He must take major strides in those areas to stay on the field. Unlike last year, Golden has plenty of options should Stewart struggle. Putting him on the field means keeping a name like Myles Murphy, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen or BJ Hill off of it.What happens if Stewart finds himself out of position or turned around on the play as he did far too often as a rookie? Will Golden sit him down and stunt his growth in the name of those other veterans, or will there be grace given, considering the importance of his development?That’s one of the big questions of the year, but right now, the good news is that Stewart enters with an exponentially higher foundation than last year and the right frame of mind.“It’s been a vibe since I’ve been here,” Stewart said. “I’ve been in a good place, mentally.”Offensive line depth in questionTeams across the league would wish their only problem on offense was the backup offensive line situation. The Bengals bring back all 11 starters from a unit expected to be among the NFL’s best. All is well.That said, the competitions and early pole positions were put into place this spring. Cody Ford currently holds down the swing tackle spot, with competition behind him from former practice squaders Andrew Coker and Javon Foster.Last year, Ford was competing for the guard spot and never sniffed the job before being kicked back out to tackle. He accepted a pay cut this offseason, but he’s still the front-runner to man that spot behind starters Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims for now. Ford performed well there in 2024, but his ability to rebound and hold off competitors will be tested in training camp.“We got time to figure that one out,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “Cody is a guy that we believe in, we have trust in. He’s played that role for us before. He’s a guy we have seen do it, and we feel like his head is in a really good place and he’s in a good place physically.”Meanwhile, sixth-round pick Brian Parker has largely been working at guard. Fourth-round pick Connor Lew, theoretically, slots as the backup center to Ted Karras. Lew is coming off an ACL tear last year at Auburn. Taylor said he’s progressing well, but wouldn’t put a timeline on a camp return. His health will be beneficial given the lack of answers the club has behind the veteran snapper.All of these pieces come with doubt, though. The Bengals’ starting five might be in the best shape it’s been in front of Burrow, but that doesn’t remove the questions still hovering below the starting surface.