How do Bengals proceed if entire preseason gets canceled?

The preseason as a whole remains a question mark for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Thank ongoing negotiations between the NFLPA and NFL as all parties try to figure out how to handle proceedings this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The NFL has already decided to cancel two preseason games, which registers the Bengals’ schedule as something of a question mark. Logistics say the two planned games remaining for the Bengals just won’t work.

And maybe they won’t have to anyway.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the NFLPA doesn’t want preseason games at all, which leaves the entire structure of the summer up for debate:

With the NFLPA still opposed to preseason games, one possible camp schedule the union has discussed:

3 days: medical/equipment
21 days: strength & conditioning
10 days: unpadded practice
14 days: practice (10 max/8 padded)

Then it’d be straight into Week 1.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 3, 2020

While it’d be nice for Burrow and Co. to get some live reps in during actual games, this could be something of a blessing for the Bengals as a whole. Trae Waynes, for example, hasn’t been working out at 100 percent because even though he moved his family to Cincinnati, he hasn’t been allowed to sign his deal with the team.

A slower summer process without the polarizing preseason games would minimize risk and at least put every team on an equal playing field. It’s unorthodox, but the Bengals are quite confident they’ve got the best rookie passer possible to handle it.

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