For all the praise the Cincinnati Bengals defensive line has been getting this training camp, Jonathan Allen grades the units performance so far as a B.The Bengals new veteran defensive tackle said he likes what hes seen but nothing has truly been accomplished yet.Cincinnati will have a better idea what it really looks like at least to an extent Aug. 13 in the preseason opener against Detroit. The team held its first stadium practice in front of fans Friday, Aug. 7, to prepare for that first game. One month later, the real tests begin with the regular-season opener against Tampa Bay.I think weve done a lot of good things, a lot of things that we can improve on, but at the end of the day, were just stacking days, Allen said. None of this really matters until we do it in the game day. Im not a big fan on the word potential because potential is just another word for someone who hasnt done anything yet. So as a group, we havent done anything and its our job to go out there this year and prove it. So, were just taking it day by day and were just putting our head down and working.CloseCincinnati Bengals: Burrow still ranks among best QBs in NFL*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveCincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown among middle tier of NFL running backs*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveCincinnati Bengals: Receiving corps looking for more production in 2026*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveCincinnati Bengals: Offensive line looking to continue climb in 2026*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveCincinnati Bengals: Overhauled defensive line caught attention*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveCincinnati Bengals: Linebackers expected to make leap in Year 2*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveCincinnati Bengals: Are the safety concerns a thing of the past?*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveCincinnati Bengals: Depth improved at cornerback*Facebook*Twitter*WhatsApp*LinkedIn*SMS*Email*Print*Copy article link*SaveHow do the Bengals position groups stack up against the rest of the NFL?Laurel Pfahler breaks down the Cincinnati Bengals position groups heading into the 2026 season in this 8-part series.Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow still ranks among best QBs in NFLCincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown among middle tier of NFL running backsCincinnati Bengals: Receiving corps looking for more production in 2026Cincinnati Bengals: Offensive line looking to continue climb in 2026Cincinnati Bengals: Overhauled defensive line caught attentionCincinnati Bengals: Linebackers expected to make leap in Year 2Cincinnati Bengals: Are the safety concerns a thing of the past?Cincinnati Bengals: Depth improved at cornerbackAllen, a first-round draft pick by Washington in 2017, signed a two-year deal with the Bengals as a free agent in March and was joined shortly after by Dexter Lawrence, acquired by trade from the Giants.Both were important pieces to an overhaul of the defense, which also added defensive end Boye Mafe, safeties Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger and cornerback JaSir Taylor the latter two to create competition and improve depth.Coming to a team that had struggled so mightily on defense the past few years, Allen had to take a leap of faith in what the organization was building, but its been even better than he expected.I mean, I had no idea that we were going to sign Dexter Lawrence, but I love the pieces we had in place, Allen said. I think we had a lot of great young guys and I truly love this defensive coaching staff. And when you have a guy like Joe Burrow, it makes the decision pretty easy for me.The Bengals now go three-deep in the interior defensive line with two new starters pushing everyone back in the depth chart, including BJ Hill and TJ Slaton, and the edge rotation looks decent with rookie Cashius Howell flashing in camp.Lawrence has been disruptive, and Allen especially has enjoyed playing next to him.Its been awesome, Allen said. I think the biggest thing is we have a room full of unselfish guys who are genuinely working towards the same goal. And whenever you have that, its always going to be easy for guys to pick up the pace and kind of play well early on. So, D-line is one of those positions that already is kind of easier to get the gel flowing a little bit sooner than other positions. So its been going really well so far.Mafe, coming from Seattles Super Bowl team last year, described how the Bengals do things as interesting but said he likes the way they work. He called it smart.Allen liked that description and added there is a serious approach from the players. Its easy to see how driven everyone is to be successful, especially knowing how good the team could be if the defense just does its part like the offense already has shown it could with a lot of the same players over the years.Of course you always want to win, but guys are also going out there to prove themselves and establish themselves, and I feel like every year you have to do that, Allen said. But Ive been in the league and Dex has been in the league. Hey, Boye just won a Super Bowl. We understand that opportunities dont always come year in and year out. So, when you do have an opportunity to do something great, you got to take advantage of it.And I dont think the season is the time to start focusing on that. I think everything you do from this point, up until what we want to get to, you got to make it the goal. So, I think youve seen a lot of seriousness and thats good.