The Cincinnati Bengals have tiptoed around a full commitment to under-center looks over the years.
That vibe changed this offseason, though. Burrow’s same starting five offensive linemen returned for the first time in his career and Joe Flacco’s usage of it last year showcased how it could help the offense.
Other reasons apply, but onlookers get the idea.
So far, though, the under-center stuff for the Bengals seems to be so-so at best during training camp.
Some of that is by design. They’re experimenting with motions and wrinkles, layering atop stuff as they build out the playbook. Guys are getting used to it, too.
There’s also the little matter of a guy named Dexter Lawrence, who has been outright dominant in camp so far. He’s opening things up
for other defenders when he’s not breaking up plays himself.
Things should even out as camp continues. But under center has been a weakness of this Bengals coaching staff for a while now, so it’s worth watching.
Until then, some accounts of the Bengals’ under-center offense struggling so far:
First 11 v 11 session of the day. 2 pass, 3 runs. Joe Burrow 0/2 in the session. Good pressure up front forces him out of the pocket on the first pass (potential hold by Karras on Dexter Lawrence) and can’t complete the pass to Chase Brown. Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe break… pic.twitter.com/JkdyDNzkdy
— Yanni Tragellis (@yannitragellis) August 3, 2026
interesting if Cincy is trying to go more under center this year because Joe Burrow has the LARGEST splits in performance shotgun vs under center among all solid QBs in the NFL
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 3, 2026
and it's not close. Last 2 years:
shotgun:
#3 EPA (+0.14)
#1 success (50%)
#8 YPA (7.5)
under… https://t.co/8ybYWwrlkj
The Bengals starting defense on Day 1 in pads
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) August 3, 2026
Made a significant amount of plays against the pass pic.twitter.com/Bv3iF4OcrZ
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Joe Burrow’s offense appears to be struggling under center in camp
