The Bengals were back at it for another week of training camp, following their preseason opener against the Buccaneers. Before we get to the practices, I’ll go over some injury updates from this week.
OT Amarius Mims strained his pectoral in the preseason opener, and is set to miss at least a few weeks. His status for week 1 is up in the air at this point. Trent Brown, meanwhile, returned at just the right time. He was taking the first team reps.
S Daijahn Anthony fractured his nose in the first preseason game. He was bloodied up a bit, but he has been practicing with a visor, and seems to be alright.
RB Zack Moss, who missed the first preseason game due to an illness, was back at practice and going with the first team. QB Jake Browning, meanwhile, will miss some time with a rib injury. Browning’s injury was picked up during practice on day 14, not in the preseason game.
The rotations have been slightly altered, following the preseason opener. After an impressive outing, Daxton Hill is working as the CB2 with the first team, while DJ Turner is working with the second team. As well, C Matt Lee has been working with the second team offence, while Trey Hill has been relegated. Neither one is set in stone yet, but both have earned these opportunities.
Now to the action. Kendric Pryor had a standout practice on day 13. He caught a couple of TD’s from Joe Burrow, including a nice toe tap grab in the back of the end zone.
A standout moment was in a situational drill. They ran the 2 minute offence, and there were 3 seconds on the clock by the time they had gotten near the goal line. Second team offence up against second team defence. Allan George broke up Browning’s pass, which was intended for Tanner Hudson.
Sticking with the defence, Geno Stone and Vonn Bell continue to earn rave reviews. Both have kept the plays coming, whether via pass breakups, interceptions, or plays against the run. Stone got his first pick of camp off of Burrow, on a play where there was miscommunication between Andrei Iosivas and his QB.
The offence had some tough moments on day 13. Joseph Ossai beat Trent Brown on one play, which led to a Bell pass breakup. On another play, Germaine Pratt picked off Burrow.
Day 14 saw Charlie Jones and Sam Hubbard make progress in their respective injury recoveries. Both were on the rehab field. The bad news from the day, aside from Browning, who I mentioned earlier, was Brad Robbins. He left with what appeared to be a right hip injury. It doesn’t seem to be too serious, but rather, a day to day thing.
Joe Burrow had a couple of nice passes, including one to Tanner Hudson. However, it was another strong defensive performance. Josh Newton continued his great offseason, with a few more pass breakups. Joe Bachie got himself a pick.
Now onto the main event… Thursday’s joint practice in Chicago with the Bears. Day 15 of practice for the Bengals.
The rain was pouring, and it was a very sloppy day for the Bengals offence. Burrow threw 3 picks, while Tee Higgins and the other receivers committed several drops. He did, later, throw a TD to Trenton Irwin.
Caleb Williams completed a couple nice plays to DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, respectively, with both beating Daxton Hill in coverage. Williams did, however, throw a 7 on 7 interception to Germaine Pratt. Trey Hendrickson, at one point, easily beat a TE around the edge to get home for a sack.
It was a bad day for injuries, with the rain possibly contributing. Both RB Chris Evans and OT D’Ante Smith were carted off with air casts, according to reports. As well, Trent Brown left with what the team described as back tightness. He was replaced at RT by Cody Ford.
We’ll finish up with some good news. WR Charlie Jones participated in some special teams drills, as he works his way back from injury. His status for the second preseason game is fuzzy, but this is great news, given that he had suffered a non-contact knee injury. Given the situation, it is great to see that he avoided any kind of major injury, and is nearing a full return.
