We are one day away from the most important practice of the Bengals 2026 training camp timeline. A joint session with the Bears that Dalton Risner can't wait for after three-plus weeks of mostly battling the same defense.
He got a taste of attacking the Detroit Lions backups last Thursday in the preseason opener, but this will be the first-stringers' first extended battle against top talent since the 2025 season ended.
Sep 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Dalton Risner (66) looks on after the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Bengals' right guard dove into the whole process with FOX 19's Jeremy Rauch after Tuesday's practice.
"Let's let it loose," Risner said. "They have a lot of great football players, Grady Jarrett . I could go through their whole front seven and talk about guys that are going to have an impact on the season on their team this year, and that's going to be a great test for us. We'll be doing one-on-ones. We'll be doing a scrimmage. We'll be doing move the ball. I'm sure we'll be doing four-minute. We'll be doing two-minute. We're going to be doing all of it. So these joint practices, we all know what they're like. They get chippy. They're competitive. We've been going against our own guys. We're going against new guys for the day."
Risner, 31, has been through a few of these in the past seven years playing in the NFL.
He's not doing much thinking when it comes to the opponent. No scouting or game planning for a joint practice. It's roll the ball out and see who sticks out in live action.
The pads are going to be popping during the most intense couple of hours yet this summer outside Paycor Stadium.
"We all want to impose our will," Risner said. "I'm excited because you get different looks at different guys. We know what Dexter's (Lawrence) about. We know what Jon Allen's about. We know what T.J. Slaton's about. We've been seeing these guys for three and a half weeks. But it's kind of like the Lions last week. You kind of go out there, and you get thrown in. There's not much scouting. You just kind of play, and it's kind of the same thing with these guys. We're in camp. We're not going to scout for a joint practice.
"We're going to go out there. We're going to try to do what the Bengals do, and it's going to show us who we are and where we are. So I think it's a huge day. I don't think anyone here needs to be told how serious to take it. Big day today. Get our bodies right. We still have a full day of work tomorrow. Come back in here for joint practice. Take care of business, and then before we know it, bro, we'll be talking about the Buccaneers."
The Bears should be a great test after making the playoffs last year and advancing to the divisional round before falling 20-17 to the Rams .
Both teams are trying to go much deeper than that when January rolls around this season.
For more on the Bengals,subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio , and Amazon .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bengals/onsi as 'Want To Impose Our Will' - Dalton Risner Details Bengals Mentality, Gameplan For Bears Joint Practice .
