Bengals set 2026 training camp calendar, including a Friday night practice at Paycor Stadium

The Cincinnati Bengals have announced their 2026 training camp schedule, with camp set to begin on Wednesday, July 29. The team’s summer practices run through a multi-week stretch designed to build continuity for the 2026 season, and Bengals officials say six practices will be open to the public.

Training Camp presented by Kettering Health will start with the first of those open workouts on July 29. For fans, the early date matters because it marks the point where new and returning players begin stacking real repetitions after the offseason program, with practice evaluation shifting from classroom-style installs to live group work.

One highlight of the public portion of camp is a special Friday night practice. Bengals officials have scheduled that Aug. 7 practice for Paycor Stadium, giving supporters a rare in-stadium opportunity during the preseason preparation period.

Staging a practice at a regular-season venue is more than a scheduling quirk. It changes the feel of practice for players and coaches by moving the setting into a game-day atmosphere, complete with stadium-level sightlines and production elements that resemble an actual NFL environment. For the Bengals’ coaching staff, it is also a chance to run a more focused, measurable session in front of a larger crowd than a typical open-practice format.

While training camp is always about development, it also functions as a roster and role-setting period. Open practices allow the team to engage the local fan base, but they also reflect how the Bengals plan to manage competition across units in the weeks leading up to the preseason. The first public practice on July 29, followed by additional open sessions, provides a clear timeline for when those on-field battles begin to separate into clearer pecking orders.

What to watch next is how the Bengals use the stadium night practice on Aug. 7 within the broader progression of camp. The order and structure of open practices can influence how coaches pace workloads and how players handle intensity. As the team finalizes additional details ahead of camp, fans will look for which positional groups tend to receive the most attention during the public window and how quickly the roster’s offseason framework turns into consistent on-field execution.

The schedule itself confirms Cincinnati’s intent to make at least a handful of camp sessions accessible to the public and to put one of them on a prime-time-style evening slate. With training camp now pinned to late July and early August, attention will quickly turn from offseason work to the first practices that will shape conversations around roles, chemistry, and readiness for the 2026 season.