The Bengals took the field for the 11th day of training camp. Things seem to be coming for the offence, with improvements being made over the last few practices. Not to be outdone, the defence has also continued to make plays.
Recap:
11 on 11’s
The offence and defence both had their moments during the 11 on 11 period of practice.
DJ Reader was seen making an impact, as he stuffed Mixon up the middle for only a 1 yard gain, and followed it up by disrupting a screen play to Samaje Perine. The drive ended when Mike Hilton broke up a pass that was intended for Trent Taylor on 4th & 2.
The offence bounced back with a nice scoring drive, going 60 yards down the field in 11 plays.
Burrow went 6/7 for 43 yards, completing passes to Higgins, Boyd, and Chase, for 15, 16, and 9 yards respectively.
The drive was capped off by a 2 yard TD run by Joe Mixon.
Larry Ogunjobi was back at practice after missing some time with a hamstring injury. He was able to get some time in the 11 on 11’s and on one play, he was able to penetrate through the middle for a would-be sack.
7 on 7’s
After some stops by the defence, Burrow was able to find his targets for a couple of scores during 7 on 7 drills. He first hit Joe Mixon out of the backfield, and later found Ja’Marr Chase in the back of the end zone.
Vonn Bell showing improvement in coverage
Vonn Bell has looked significantly better in coverage so far in camp, with pass breakups and interceptions. He was able to carry his momentum into Tuesday’s practice, as he secured an interception in the back of the endzone.
OL Update
Quinton Spain was back at practice and was back at his usual LG spot with the first team.
The Bengals released their first official team depth chart on Monday, with some of the OL positions surprising people.
It was not surprising to see Jonah Williams listed first at LT, Spain at LG, Hopkins at C, and Reiff at RT. But it was RG and some of the backup spots that left people confused.
As it stands, Michael Jordan is listed as the first team RG, while D’Ante Smith is the backup LG, and Jackson Carman is the 3rd string RG, behind both Jordan and Xavier Su’a-Filo.
After being drafted in the 2nd round, there was hope that Carman would be able to step into the starting RG spot. However, the Bengals are clearly going to make him earn it.
It is not a total surprise to see Carman in this position, as he was considered a raw prospect coming out of college. Further, he is attempting to transition from OT to G. He has made some mental mistakes in camp, including false starts, but considering his situation, they are to be expected at times.
If Carman can pick things up fast and have a good preseason, he can certainly claw his way back into the RG battle. It was a surprise to see Jordan ahead of Su’a-Filo, but at this point in the offseason, these depth charts are formalities more than anything.
The preseason and the rest of camp will determine who ends up winning the starting spot.
Contract talks with Jessie Bates have stalled for now
It has also been reported that talks between the Bengals and S Jessie Bates have stopped for the time being. It is a disappointing development, but they will surely resume at some point this offseason. Hopefully the two sides can get a deal done prior to the start of the season.