Bengals training camp takeaways: Bold defensive gamble might pay off, Shemar Stewart avoids serious injury

CINCINNATI -- The Bengals were one of the busiest teams in the NFL this offseason, especially when it came to adding players on the defensive side of the ball. Over the past three months, they made several key free-agent signings, adding players like Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook, while also pulling off a stunning trade to bring Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati.

The Bengals brought in reinforcements at almost every defensive position -- well, except one. The team didn't sign or draft any linebackers, which certainly raised some eyebrows around the NFL. Last season, the Bengals threw rookies Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight into the deep end, and in a sink-or-swim situation, they both sank. Both players struggled during their first year on the job, but instead of bringing in competition this year, the Bengals doubled down and made it clear that Carter and Knight would be their starting linebackers in 2026.

It's a bold gamble, but after two days of training camp, the early returns on Carter and Knight have been impressive. During the team's second practice Thursday, the two combined for one of the defensive highlights of the day: Knight picked off Burrow on a pass intended for Ja'Marr Chase.

Burrow was forced to throw after Carter blitzed him, and Knight made a diving play on the ball to come away with the interception.

"I saw Ja'Marr running the higher route, so I'm just playing underneath him," Knight said after practice. "Don't think [Burrow] saw me underneath, he just kind of saw the guy trailing Ja'Marr and kind of fell into that window. Right place at the right time."

It wasn't just the passing game, either. Knight also stormed into the backfield on several running plays.

On Carter's end, there was one play where he sniffed out a screen and likely would have leveled Chase Brown if the Bengals had been tackling Thursday.

This is exactly what the Bengals wanted to see from the duo when they decided to hand them the starting jobs this year instead of bringing in competition.

In 2025, the Bengals defense gave up the most rushing yards in the NFL, the second-most total yards and the third-most points during an ugly season. The linebackers were a big part of the problem, but the coaching staff showed confidence in the unit by deciding to move forward with Knight and Carter as its main guys.

"That gives us a ton of confidence," Knight said of the team's decision not to add any linebackers. "Of course, we were prepared if they did bring one in. We weren't going to run from it. Barrett and I are competitors. We competed against each other in college. We competed together this past season, and we're competing together now."

The Bengals beefed up the defensive line with the additions of Lawrence, Mafe and Jonathan Allen, and the team's belief is those additions will have a trickle-down effect that helps the linebackers.

"Probably the best thing we did for our linebacker room is what we did for the D-line room, and that's going to elevate those guys," Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin said earlier this offseason. "I have real belief in the guys that we have. They have full seasons under their belt. They had really good production for rookies, and they're going to grow in our scheme, and they're going to be really good players. I think we have depth behind them."

Carter and Knight were ready to compete if the Bengals had brought in another linebacker, but in the end, the front office and coaching staff believed they had seen enough improvement over the course of the 2025 season to stick with the duo.

"We're all on the same train," Knight said. "There's no hard feelings. At the end of the day, we want to get back to SoFi [for Super Bowl LXI], so if that meant bringing in another backer, then that's what we got to do. Obviously, they didn't, which shows that they trust us, which only elevates our play, our attention to detail and focus, and only increases our leadership."

The linebacker unit is the biggest defensive question mark on the team right now, and after two days of practice, the early returns suggest the Bengals' defensive gamble might pay off. In Cincinnati, the offense is so good that if the defense can play even average football, the Bengals will be a Super Bowl contender. So far, the defense appears to be on its way to holding up its end of the bargain.

"We'll just continue to keep stacking each day, pushing each other, to push this defense, to push this team, to be great," Knight said.

Shemar Stewart might not miss any regular-season games

The Bengals got a huge scare Wednesday when Shemar Stewart went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury, but as it turns out, he might not miss any regular-season games. Bengals coach Zac Taylor revealed Thursday that the 2025 first-round pick suffered a hyperextended knee and will only be out for several weeks.

Taylor didn't put an exact timeline on Stewart's return, but the Bengals still have six weeks until their season opener against the Buccaneers. If "several weeks" is the timeline, there's certainly a chance Stewart will be on the field in Week 1.

The injury happened during an 11-on-11 drill Wednesday when Stewart's knee buckled underneath him while he was trying to rush Joe Flacco.

After Stewart was carted off the field, there was immediate concern he might miss a substantial amount of time, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

The Bengals have high hopes for Stewart, who's heading into his second season. As a rookie, he missed most of training camp because of a contract dispute. Although he eventually made it back to the field, he wasn't there for long. He injured his ankle in Week 2, causing him to miss four games, then missed another five games with a separate knee injury. He appeared in just eight games during his rookie campaign.

The Bengals drafted Stewart's former college teammate, Cashius Howell, in the second round this year, and the team hopes the duo can become a nightmare tandem on defense.

Stewart won't be back on the field anytime soon, but he was back in the locker room Thursday wearing a brace on his left leg.

The big battle on offense

When it comes to training camp battles, there isn't much to watch among the Bengals' offensive starters. The only real competition is at the No. 3 wide receiver spot. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are the top two players on the depth chart, but the third receiver job isn't set in stone. Andrei Iosivas has basically spent his entire career battling to be the Bengals' No. 3 receiver, and he's in for another competition this year.

Iosivas has been in Cincinnati for three seasons, and although he was the No. 3 receiver last year, there's no guarantee he'll hold onto the spot this season. The Bengals used a fourth-round pick on former Georgia receiver Colbie Young, and they also have two more talented receivers on the roster in Mitchell Tinsley and Charlie Jones.

Based on what happened at Thursday's practice, this could turn into a tight competition. Iosivas made one of the best catches of the day with a tiptoe grab along the sideline that thrilled the thousands of fans in downtown Cincinnati.

Not to be outdone, Young also made a nice catch during a 7-on-7 drill.

There might be a competition going on, but Iosivas is tuning it out.

"You always hear about that kind of stuff," Iosivas said after practice. "It maybe would've bothered me before, but I know what I can do. So, I don't care, to be honest."

Iosivas, who's heading into a contract year, knows the Bengals' offense well, and that familiarity might be the small edge that helps him keep the job.

How getting run over helped one Bengals tight end

You always hear some bizarre stories at training camp, and the winner for the most bizarre story of the offseason definitely goes to Erick All Jr.

The Bengals tight end spent part of his offseason in Greece, and at one point during his trip, he got RUN OVER by a small three-wheeled truck. And that's not even the crazy part. The crazy part is that he said getting run over helped him realize he was mentally ready to play football.

"When I was away on vacation, I got hit by a [small three-wheeler], but I got up and was like, 'I'm f---ing ready. I'm ready,'" All said. "It didn't hurt me at all, but it kind of gave me that confidence, like, 'Oh, I'm back.'"

All was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but injuries have kept him off the field. In 2024, he missed the final seven games of his rookie season after tearing his ACL. In 2025, he missed the entire season after tearing his ACL again.

It's been more than 20 months since All last played in a game, so he hadn't taken many big hits -- that is, until he got run over by the truck.

"After not playing for awhile, when I got smacked by that thing, that's as big of a hit that anybody [ever put on me]," All said. "That's the first time I got pancaked ever. If I can take that, I'm good."

All did suffer a nasty cut on his face, but otherwise came away unharmed.

"I bounced right back up," All said. "I got a big scrape on my face. I was about to cross the street and he was avoiding somebody and he hit me pretty good."

The moral here may or may not be that getting hit by a truck can be a good thing in some cases.

"It was huge for my confidence," All said. "That did a lot of good things for the mental."

If All has a huge season, Bengals fans can thank the driver of the small truck who accidentally ran him over in Greece.