The fights at Cincinnati Bengals training camp made the headlines, but it's the big quote from Ted Karras exiting the practices that should really make waves.

These Bengals just have some newfound edge to them.

Karras, the starting center in front of Joe Burrow, was the central figure in the fights on Wednesday. But he told reporters after practice that much of it comes down to a contender that went through the wringer last year and is ready to get the real action started.

“It was a hard pill to swallow last year,” Karras said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “We’re talking about being in the AFC Championship two years in a row and we didn’t make the playoffs. That hurts everybody. That affected a lot of people personally. It affected me personally. I think guys have come back. Top to bottom, guys are ready to go.”

Fair enough.

Fans might recall a few offseasons ago when a much, much chippier, talkative version of the defense put on a show in training camp (right around the time that infamous fight with Aaron Donald happened).

The defense this summer is reminiscent of that unit. And clearly, Karras' offense has the ability to return the favor.

These fights and quotes happening right now, though, make the next two weeks pretty interesting -- the Bengals have three preseason games and have joint practices with two different teams over that span.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals training camp fights produce quote that sets the tone for 2024