CINCINNATI — Since 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, the Bengals have held 16 practices, one joint practice, two preseason games and opened up the locker room to the media 19 times.It amounts to about 60 hours of direct information-gathering time at Paycor Stadium over the past four weeks. I’ve been there for nearly every minute of it.The general statement about the state of the Bengals is that they are in as good of shape as a team can be at this time of year.Their issues are small, starters are settled, distractions are minimal, focus is sharp and the urgency is notable.Is 2026 the Cincinnati Bengals' best offense under Joe Burrow?Robert MaysThey look like a contender should look on Aug. 28.It all stems from the predictions, pressure and presence of Joe Burrow.“I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have, and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen,” Burrow said before concluding bluntly. “I’m tired of saying next year. This is it.”You felt the urgency and the “mean” side of Burrow every day. You saw the looks of dissatisfaction, the stomping away from an unsatisfactory rep, the words in his news conferences, the asks for extra work and the constant push for improvement from everyone around him.“He’s been on our ass — in a good way,” center Ted Karras said. “Which is good for all of us.”Karras noted Burrow’s leadership evolution, and he offers the ideal perspective: He’s stood next to Burrow as a captain for four consecutive years, with a fifth incoming. Karras understands how Burrow ticks and works. He also understands how that lands with coach Zac Taylor, the staff and the rest of the locker room.The stew created by Taylor and Burrow over these four weeks produced a notable blend of intensity that hasn’t always felt that way in Cincinnati.“This has been probably the toughest camp coach Taylor has run in my five years here,” Karras said. “I think we have the team that can handle that. We are going really hard. I think we have true, dynamic professionals on both sides of the ball.”Lawrence showed up on a missionDexter Lawrence took on heat for his play and conditioning during his final, rocky season with the Giants, as he rehabbed through an elbow injury sustained in 2024. Giants legend Carl Banks went so far as to say “nobody respects you,” about Lawrence on his podcast.The comments sounded very different from the moment Lawrence arrived in Cincinnati and throughout each day of training camp. Don’t take it from the Bengals, invested in the chip on his shoulder; listen to the Chicago Bears after their joint practice.“He’s a menace,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said, lamenting how he wrecked the practice for his offense. “He’s an issue.”“He’s an All-Pro guy,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.”Dexter Lawrence has lived up to his billing so far for the Bengals. (Katie Stratman / Imagn Images)Any doubt about Lawrence’s condition and impact evaporated from the first 11-on-11 session of camp and never disappeared. There can be a tendency to overinflate a new player’s value, having never seen them in this setting.There was no overinflating Lawrence’s impact. That was partly why Karras thought this was the toughest camp in his five years.“For me, personally, I am one-on-one with the best player in the league every single day 15-20 times,” Karras said. “It’s been a great test of my mettle, competitive stamina, endurance, toughness.”Cornerback depth concerns easedOne of the most pressing issues entering camp was the uncertain depth at cornerback behind starters DJ Turner and Dax Hill.DJ Ivey, who has only 195 defensive snaps and zero starts, and Tacario Davis, a third-round pick out of Washington, were next in line. The nickel spot belongs to Jalen Davis, with competition coming from Ja’Sir Taylor and Bralyn Lux.A soft-tissue injury for Hill in the early portion of camp even opened up a shot at extra snaps with the first team opposite Turner.Ivey and Davis both stepped up and built immediate trust with coaches. Davis hit his stride over the last week. He led the team with seven tackles, including a tackle for loss in the preseason game.Then Davis was rewarded with his first reps with the first team opposite Turner this week. He responded with multiple pass breakups against Tee Higgins and held his own against the Bengals’ star.“Call it whatever you want to call it. I’ll say it was smooth,” Davis said, underplaying the moment and continuing a theme of humility he showed throughout August. “I don’t really set limits on myself. Sky is the limit, so I go out there, have fun, fly around, do what I need to do.”Ivey and Davis might be unproven, but the “smooth” camp sets a foundation of trust if Hill or Turner miss time.Finding the future at receiverDohnte Meyers might not only be the best story in Bengals camp, but the best story in any NFL training camp. This week, in the practice following Ja’Marr Chase’s injury scare, Meyers was running the first team in the star’s absence.At first, it felt like his only path to make the club was as a returner, but the consistency of his playmaking at every turn of camp and the preseason made him undeniable. The 26-year-old was working extra after practice with Burrow on Wednesday and is a roster lock with an offensive role on opening day.“Physically, he’s quick, he’s fast, he’s got another gear,” receivers coach Troy Walters said. “You saw that Day 1. He’s just a great kid. He comes in and puts his time in this spring. He was meeting with Davis Koetter, my assistant receivers coach, every day. Going through the plays. He made it an emphasis to learn the plays and know what he was doing. He doesn’t make many mistakes. He can play all three positions. He’s playing like a vet out there.”Most interesting Bengals cutdown decisions to watchPaul Dehner Jr.Meanwhile, rookie Colbie Young made as many highlight catches as anyone, validating the Bengals’ fourth-round pick. The key will be picking up the details of the complicated offense. Walters says Young has done a nice job, but it’s a heavy ask of any rookie to come into a group that’s been together for years. Still, the seeds of a bright future were planted.After Young, undrafted rookie Noah Thomas made plays, including a touchdown in the Bears game. Mitch Tinsley’s camp was less spectacular than last year, but the team still likes what he brings.Andrei Iosivas’ contract will be up after this year, and the Bengals look to have rebuilt the entire back end of the receiver room, judging by the early returns.“Last week of camp, I wanted to see guys continue to get better, get better, and they did,” Walters said. “The competition is making our decisions a lot tougher.”Two faces of offensive line depthThe issues at offensive tackle became a theme of camp, and the team is assessing options inside and out of the building to solidify that group.However, with the need to rebuild depth on the interior, it was an encouraging month.Sixth-round pick Brian Parker II surprised people with how his physicality translated to guard after spending his career at Duke at left tackle.“He had a big jump from Week 1 to Week 2,” offensive line coach Scott Peters said.After the second game, Peters moved Parker from left guard to right guard because he’ll need to fill either spot coming off the bench.Connor Lew enjoyed a return to football after coming off an ACL injury without setbacks and looks to be the future at center beyond Karras.The biggest surprise, however, was finding an intriguing player in Jacob Bayer. Most known for a flowing mullet when he entered camp, he left known as a real option to provide interior offensive line depth. He was cut by the Bills last year and spent the next 10 weeks attending six tryouts before landing a practice squad deal with the Bengals.He’s made the most of it, and Peters shifted him over to guard this week, a spot the Arkansas State product said he hasn’t played since high school. That’s a sign of respect and intrigue for the strength Bayer brought to the position. Matching that trait with Peters’ technical MMA background might have unlocked potential.“The biggest thing is the sets,” Bayer said. “Ninety percent of my winning will come from taking the right set and getting in front of the guy, and after that it is hands and relying on the strength I have always had.”Even if Bayer doesn’t land a roster spot behind the current front-runners of Parker, Lew, Jalen Rivers and Javon Foster, he’ll be a priority practice squad candidate and could find his way on the gameday roster early if the team is still easing Lew back for gamedays.Under-center officially added to toolboxIt became clear over the weeks that the under-center offense would not be going away. Instead, the heavy dose of under-center was seen as the team developing the underused weapon, blended in with the rest of the offense.The offensive staff was figuring out how much they would use it in early-down offense this last week. The Bengals were as shotgun-heavy as any team in football the last three years, but they are hunting more explosive plays early in games and a more effective run game for finishing off wins.Regarding the latter, the team specifically liked what they saw out of the under-center run game throughout camp.Last year, the Bengals ran from under center 120 times on early downs. The league average was 210. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bengals double last year’s total. They experienced a rocky start working out the kinks of that underused corner of the playbook through the first half of camp, but the improvement and comfort level started to show down the stretch.Running back Chase Brown at one point called the Bengals a “top five, top 10” defense, but looking back, he felt that degree of difficulty ended up being a blessing.“They’ve been causing us problems all camp,” Brown said. “Offensively, we started to find a groove there even though they presented us some pretty big challenges at the start.”We’ll all have to wait until the opener against Tampa Bay to see how prevalent it becomes, but it’s easy to anticipate far more under-center ground game coming.Quick hits: Best and worstBest battle: Turner versus Chase. Turner followed Chase everywhere around the formation, and the back-and-forth provided elite playmaking and entertainment.Best sign: Erick All Jr. playing at full speed and returning to game action in full health.Best moment: The defensive line decisively finishing off the BearsWorst battle: Offensive tackle. Cody Ford was cut, and practice squad tackle Foster was the only candidate to offer hope.Worst sign: Orlando Brown getting beaten by Eric O’Neill, who crunched Burrow in the back against Detroit. Sidenote: Brown did bounce back with a solid close to camp after the Lions’ struggles.Worst moment: The five minutes Chase was on the ground or limping around the practice field following his hyperextension Tuesday.