Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Bengals Upbeat With Defense in Training Camp – How Good Is Al Golden’s Defense Looking?

The Bengals defense needs to step up in a big way especially in a tough division

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals are entering the upcoming season with plenty of firepower on the offense. Having signed Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to record-breaking contracts at their respective positions, Joe Burrow and his offense are looking good to break new ground come September.

However, while the offense is capable of doing an outstanding job, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Bengals’ defense ahead of the new season. Having said that, the Bengals’ camp seems quite pleased with how the defense is shaping up in the ongoing practice sessions.

Praise for Defensive Coordinator Al Gordon and Bengals’ Defense

During a round of one-on-one interview sessions with the Bengals players and head coach Zac Taylor, Kay Adams, host of the ‘Up and Adams’ podcast, put forth the burning questions of the Bengals’ defense heading into the new season.

Starting with coach Taylor, Adams took the opportunity to find out what new defensive coordinator Al Golden is bringing to the table. The Bengals’ coach appreciated the qualities of putting emphasis on the importance of details and following an effective communication policy wherein all players are always on the same page.

Zac Taylor says new DC Al Golden has brought structure, intensity, and a major focus on takeaways — and the defense is responding 🔥@heykayadams | @Bengals #WhoDey pic.twitter.com/sfqB1okzKU
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 5, 2025

As the conversation turned toward star defensive end Hendrickson, Taylor acknowledged that it was great to have his best defender on the field, helping out his teammates. Despite not partaking in practice himself, Hendrickson’s experience is proving worthwhile for the youngsters.

“Trey being here is such a great sign. We got a lot of young players on that side of the ball in his position group. So, I think that’s good to hear from a player oftentimes. And then just he’s been positive in the locker room, he’s been great to have around.”

Another player drawing attention is rookie Shemar Stewart, whom Cincinnati drafted in the first round. Stewart’s first professional offseason may have gotten off to a rocky start with the contract language troubles he faced until recently, but now at camp, he seems to be learning quickly, which is definitely a positive for the Bengals.

Shemar Stewart has been destroying at Bengals camp. Utterly unreal athlete. pic.twitter.com/eWkn4xTHQq
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) August 3, 2025

“There’s been some time missed with some of the scheme, and that’s what he’s catching up to speed on,” Continued Taylor. “But in terms of being a physical football player, we’ve seen that every day he’s been here. So that’s really encouraging. He’s only going to get better every single day that passes. He’s had a tremendous attitude as he gets out there and works. And the sky’s the limit for Shemar.”

Wide receiver Tee Higgins, who also signed a mammoth extension this offseason, echoed similar sentiments and feels that the team’s defense is doing all the right things. Higgins also gave credit to Golden for his communication and philosophy to attack at all times.

What has Tee Higgins seen from the Bengals defense so far?

New DC Al Golden has his unit "flying around"

Even says Golden throws compliments towards the offense once in a while 👀@heykayadams | @teehiggins5 | @Bengals #WhoDey pic.twitter.com/zPBNjYWNnn
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 5, 2025

Bengals’ Defensive Woes in 2024

Last year, despite some memorable performances by the offense, the Bengals’ defense was unable to close out many games. In fact, Cincinnati ranked near the bottom of the pile in several defensive criteria, such as total defense, scoring defense, and red zone defense.

They lost 4 games even when the offense put up well over 30 points, while also giving away more than 30 points on six occasions. As a matter of fact, Cincinnati was 2-4 after scoring 33 or more points last season, while the rest of the league was 51-1.

The concerning part in all of this is that Trey Hendrickson was on the field for all 17 games and finished the regular season as the league leader in sacks with 17.5.

With Hendrickson’s future still unknown, it really does raise glaring concerns about whether this defense has improved to a level where they can make the playoffs with their star defensive end potentially on the sidelines, especially while playing in a highly competitive AFC North division.

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Cincinnati Bengals

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Tee Higgins

Trey Hendrickson

Zac Taylor

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!