The Bengals started training camp late in July. The early practices were padless, with the pads later coming on for the last few. Starting QB Joe Burrow continues to miss time as he recovers from his appendectomie. There are a lot of positional battles taking place, with some players already beginning to impress.
TE Hayden Hurst has been one of the biggest standouts for the Bengals. His fluidity has been on full display, and he has shown the ability to separate. He has also been able to use his big frame to box out defenders and make catches in tighter coverage. It is an encouraging sign after the Bengals brought him in to replace CJ Uzomah.
WR Stanley Morgan had a couple of good practices early on. It will be important for him to show more on offence if he wants to earn more than a special teams role. Sticking at WR, Kendric Pryor has also made a few plays in the more recent practices. His speed would provide the Bengals with a different skill set. It is good to see him doing well early on. Fellow UDFA Kwamie Lassiter has also made a few plays. He has also been getting work as a punt returner.
Rookie CB Cam Taylor-Britt has had his ups and downs, but the flashes have been quite bright. His athleticism has been on display when covering deep routes. As well, he has made some plays highpointing the football. With Eli Apple missing a bit of time, CTB got some reps with the 1’s. Rookie UDFA Allan George and veteran Tre Flowers also saw some reps in that spot.
Ja’Marr Chase has been having an outstanding camp, as Brandon Allen has hit him on several deep shots. Chase is looking poised to keep last year’s momentum going.
Speaking of Allen, he has been up and down. There have been some turnovers. Vonn Bell, among others, have been able to create some turnovers. CTB and S Mike Thomas have also gotten in on the turnovers. That said, Allen has also made some nice throws in camp.
With Burrow and La’el Collins out, the defence has largely gotten the better of the offence. This is especially true in the redzone drills, where the offence did have a few struggles. With it being early, and some starters still working back from injuries, there is no reason to panic at this point.
On the topic of injuries, TE Drew Sample had to be carted off with what was later determined to be a sprained MCL. He is expected to miss a couple of weeks. OL D’Ante Smith also went down with an injury. He tried to walk it off, but ultimately could not continue. No timetable yet for his return.
Jonah Williams has been having an impressive camp. He had some good reps against Joseph Ossai, and several against Trey Hendrickson. Ossai has been solid himself, though. He seems to be moving well, and has gotten to the QB a few times. On one play, he made Isaiah Prince look silly with a nice inside move. As for Hendrickson, he has also had several dominant reps of his own.
As I mentioned might be the case in my DT Overview, Cam Sample has been getting some reps inside. There have been some flashes, including a nice win against Alex Cappa.
Rookie Daxton Hill has been taking the snaps at FS with Jessie Bates out. He has looked good overall. The athleticism and range have been on full display. He did get beat by Chase a few times, but also has won some reps matched up in man coverage against Chase in the slot. It seems to be one of the best battles thus far in camp.
Fellow rookie Zach Carter has been impressive rushing the passer from the inside. He is an important part of the defence that hasn’t been talked about a whole ton. With Ogunjobi now in Pittsburgh, the Bengals will need someone to step up to be a part of the rotation with BJ Hill. Seeing Sample and Carter have success early is encouraging. Hopefully they can keep it going.
Evan McPherson has been outstanding in camp. He was perfect in the last few days of camp, making 5+ field goals, including one from beyond 50 on each day. He also successfully made a 65 yarder early in camp during the Bengals Back Together practice. From looking at the video, the kick probably could have made it from 70.
The punter battle seems to be heating up, as Drue Chrisman has reportedly outperformed Kevin Huber thus far. It is the first time that the veteran is on the hot seat. It will be interesting to see if the young guy can successfully supplant the long time Bengal.
