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CINCINNATI — The Bengals’ offense looks different through six days of training camp. That’s very much by design.
An offense defined over the years by often-static pre-snap looks and consistently running 11 personnel from shotgun has spent six practices skipping over those basics and advancing directly to exotic wrinkles with under-center motions from every angle imaginable.
“It’s ‘Star Wars’ before the snap,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said.
Indeed, a new hope arrived thanks to the continuity provided by all of last year’s offensive starters returning around Joe Burrow this season. The core plays at the bread and butter of this perennial top-10 offense don’t need months of attention.
Rookie Colbie Young has a breakout day at Bengals’ camp
Paul Dehner Jr.
Instead, the idea has been to improve underused aspects of the playbook that can make the offense more well-rounded and capable of beating teams in different ways.
Going under center, increasing the use of motions, irregular formations and play action are chief among those play types.
But practicing inconsistent corners of the playbook can lead to inconsistent results. Through six practices, the Bengals’ offense has been just that against the team’s rebuilt defense, which is overwhelmingly winning the days.
Don’t expect panic from the offense, though.
“We feel like this is going to help us build an offense that can win in a number of different ways and one that can win us an AFC North championship,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “Whether or not it wins us a training camp trophy, I don’t know, but I don’t really care.”
They may not win trophies, but an award for best visual effects could be in play.
At the center of the unique twists early in camp has been running back Chase Brown, who’s being used all over the formation, similar to the way Ja’Marr Chase has been deployed in recent years. Brown lines up in the slot and runs a slant one play, then takes a jet sweep the next. He’s part of 20 personnel with two running backs, motions into the backfield, behind a fullback and almost any other spot imaginable.
“We all got to prepare a little bit more, at least I do, a lot for the motions and playing F and wherever they are putting me takes a little extra study time because I haven’t really done that before,” Brown said. “It’s cool they trust me doing that and believe in my skill set enough. It’s been fun.”
The Bengals are looking for innovative ways to use running back Chase Brown. (Sam Greene / Imagn Images)
At one point last weekend, with Brown lined up to the right of Burrow in the shotgun, Chase shifted to the right of Brown. This came not long after a counter run featured a motion, fake and shovel pass to Chase behind it.
The offensive twists are everywhere.
Tight end Drew Sample laughed at the notion that they are showing off an exotic new offense. The longest-tenured Bengal on the roster says this isn’t anything crazy for players to remember, but merely one extra layer on base plays they have run many times.
“We’ve had that play in for eight years,” Sample said of the play with Brown and Chase alongside Burrow in the backfield. “We are just trying different wrinkles with it. That’s the thing to us: We are running the same play, but with some different window dressing. Obviously, with Ja’Marr and Chase Brown we have so many weapons. We have this base play in; how can we really try to f— with them? That’s something that’s really easy for us. We call a slight formation adjustment, but everybody knows it is the same play.”
The pre-snap eye candy and under-center emphasis have helped establish a refreshed run game that the Bengals think will build an encouraging foundation to start the season.
From offensive linemen to defensive and offensive coaches, those around the team have said how impressed they’ve been with how the team looks running downhill out of the under-center offense. Multiple runs broke free for explosive plays Tuesday.
“Guys are being physical,” Pitcher said. “We are building some complementary stuff that is making it hard on the defense. They are making their share of plays, too; that is a formidable group across from us. … It’s coming together.”
The offense has just lacked the excitement and pizazz traditionally associated with its star power.
Safety Bryan Cook, who snagged a pick-6 against Burrow on Monday, was standing in front of his locker after practice and started talking trash to Chase as he walked by, asking him when he will finally catch a deep ball this camp.
The chirping won’t stop until the results come, so the pressure and frustration can mount as so many plays are run into looks that would normally end in check downs, but the offense instead opts to work through the scripted play for the information.
That has resulted in interceptions, defensive playmaking and clunky execution.
It’s all part of the plan, in many ways.
“We are in the process of figuring out who we are going to be as an early-down passing team,” Pitcher said. “There’s going to be some good moments and not-so-good moments when it comes to that.”
That will change soon. The open drive-the-field sessions are coming. Then Burrow and company can pull from any corner of the playbook they want and attack as they see fit. The core of the playbook will be gradually reemphasized as the weeks pass.
For now, the Bengals’ continuity on offense has allowed them to grow beyond the base plays that have made them so great over the years.
The next question becomes, at what point does the offense return to its bread and butter?
“We are also not foolish enough to think we can just snap our fingers and be good at — we have to invest time in whatever we want to be good at,” Pitcher said. “But it’s Aug. 4, and we kick off Sept. 13.”
