Why the Cincinnati Bengals are starting offseason workouts later than most teams
Several NFL teams are beginning offseason workouts this week or next week, but the Cincinnati Bengals aren't one of those teams. The Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints each begin their offseason programs on Monday. Cincinnati, however, isn't set to begin offseason workouts until May 2 — a month from […]
Several NFL teams are beginning offseason workouts this week or next week, but the Cincinnati Bengals aren't one of those teams.
The Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints each begin their offseason programs on Monday.
Cincinnati, however, isn't set to begin offseason workouts until May 2 — a month from now.
Why such a delay?
It's because Bengals head coach Zac Taylor wants to give his players some rest after a long 2021 season.
Cincinnati played 21 NFL games this past season (regular season and playoffs), which is the most games ever played by an NFL team (the Los Angeles Rams also played in 21 games this past season).
Taylor simply wants to give his players some extra time off, so they'll be "locked-in" when it's time to get minicamps going in May. This means that players are essentially being trusted to work out on their own in April.
The approach by Taylor shows us just how much he trusts the culture that's been built in Cincinnati over the last two years. And that's one of the main reasons — along with the presence of Joe Burrow (the culture change goes hand in hand with Burrow's presence) — that I think the Bengals are one of the biggest threats to win the Super Bowl next season.
All NFL teams have talent. The Bengals, however, have the intangibles — specifically their culture — that have to be present for a team to win it all.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar / USA TODAY NETWORK
