Position battles to watch in Bengals training camp

The Cincinnati Bengals are hoping the return of quarterback Joe Burrow will make them Super Bowl contenders once again, but they must first determine who will help make up for the loss of their free-agent departures.

Here are three key positions battles to watch when training camp opens.

Wide receiver

Projected starters: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Jermaine Burton

Players to watch: Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones

Chase and Higgins will get the bulk of the targets, but the Bengals must still determine who will make up for the loss of Tyler Boyd, who amassed 513 catches for 6,000 yards and 31 touchdowns the past eight seasons before signing with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.

Burton, Cincinnati's third-round pick, seems to be the favorite after registering 79 catches for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns the past two years at Alabama.

However, Irvin, as well as Iosivas and Jones, both of whom are hoping to make jumps in year two, will have a chance to win the job.

Running back

Projected starter: Zack Moss

Player to watch: Chase Brown

The Bengals made the surprising decision to trade running back Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans for a 2024 seventh-round pick this offseason. They must now find a way to replicate the production of the franchise's third all-time leading rusher.

Cincinnati will likely take a committee approach with Moss and Brown, but only one can be the starter.

It will likely be Moss, to whom the team gave a two-year, $8M deal in March. However, he ran for just 794 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. So Brown, a fifth-round pick a year ago, could surprise.

Cornerback

Projected starters: Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner II

Players to watch: Dax Hill and Josh Newton

Taylor-Britt, a second-round pick in 2022, has quickly established himself as the Bengals' No. 1 cornerback, but who will play across him is still up for debate.

Turner II, a second-round pick from a year ago, is the early favorite after registering 50 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and seven passes defensed as a rookie, but he's far from guaranteed the job.

This offseason, head coach Zac Taylor revealed Dax Hill, their first-round pick in 2022, is moving from safety to cornerback and has reportedly looked "very comfortable."

Hill, along with Newton, the team's fifth-round pick this year, will have just as good of a chance to win the job with a good showing in camp and the preseason.