The Bengals were out on the field once again for the ninth day of training camp.
Recap:
Bounce back day for the offence
The Bengals offence has started off slowly in the early days of training camp. Saturday’s practice was the first time where it looked like things were truly in sync.
On just his second drive during the 11 on 11portion of practice, Joe Burrow led the offence 75 yards down the field to score a TD. Ja’Marr Chase made a nice catch on 3rd & 17, while Tee Higgins made a spectacular 29 yard catch to keep the drive alive on 4th down. He went up over Winston Rose on the play, and the coverage was actually pretty good. Goes to show how good the catch was. CJ Uzomah was also quite involved, making 2 catches on 4 targets. The drive ended with a 1 yard TD run by Joe Mixon.
Burrow was 9/10 for 71 yards on the drive.
Joe Burrow looking more comfortable
While it wasn’t really something to worry about considering the early stages we are still in, the struggles from Burrow and the offence did have some people worrying.
On Saturday, Burrow looked much closer to his former self, and the QB later acknowledged that it is the most comfortable he has felt so far this offseason. Accuracy looked better, as did his awareness in the pocket.
The Bengals have been doing some simulations of different situations in the pocket. “Pads and bags” have been used to crowd things up a little and help him get back his feel for the pocket.
OL shuffle
Quinton Spain sat this one out with a minor injury. It was the rookie, D’Ante Smith, who got some reps at LG in his place. Smith had previously seen time at RT. Showing some versatility can definitely help Smith in his quest to climb higher on the depth chart.
Joseph Ossai making plays
Joseph Ossai has continued to have a good camp. He got through on one play for a would-be sack. However, he got a little too close to Burrow on that one, prompting a talking to from DJ Reader and coaches. Nevertheless, his play has been turning some heads.
Hubbard continues to stand out
Sam Hubbard has arguably been the best player on defence thus far, and he continued his great camp with a would-be sack.
Needless to say, his effort level has not changed since signing his big contract extension.
Markus Bailey carted off
Markus Bailey was seen being carted off of the field. However, whatever the issue was is reportedly minor, and he is expected back in the next day or two.
Shurmur to Moss in 1 on 1 drill
Thadd Moss made a nice catch from Kyle Shurmur during 1 on 1 drills. During the play, he boxed out safety Kavon Frazier to make the catch. With officials on hand, members of the defence reportedly wanted a flag but nothing was given.