4 Bengals who saw their stock rise in joint practice vs. Packers
The Cincinnati Bengals' first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers kicks off tomorrow night, and the starters for Cincinnati aren't likely to be playing. The players suiting up for it will be fighting for roles and roster spots. Wednesday afternoon became the battleground for those who aren't fighting for job security this month. The Bengals and […]
The Cincinnati Bengals' first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers kicks off tomorrow night, and the starters for Cincinnati aren't likely to be playing. The players suiting up for it will be fighting for roles and roster spots.
Wednesday afternoon became the battleground for those who aren't fighting for job security this month. The Bengals and Packers had a joint practice in the muggy Cincinnati air that led to some testy altercations, but not before some quality work on both sides of the ball.
A few players who needed to have good practices did exactly that against another team for the first time all year. Here's who saw their stock rise right before the preseason begins.
4 Winners From Bengals’ Joint Practice vs. Packers
RT Jonah Williams
He’s been solid all training camp against the edge rushers he knows, and that continued against new competition. Williams kept renowned sack artist Preston Smith at bay and out of the pocket during individual reps and into 11-on-11. He even caught Smith lacking with his feet off the ground and buried him into the grass.
The dichotomy between Williams and backup Jackson Carman on Wednesday was also noticeable, as Carman was beaten by rookie Lukas Van Ness in-between the reps Williams was handling Smith.
It just doesn't feel like a competition anymore at right tackle, if it ever was one. Williams has done more than enough to earn the trust of completing the Bengals' offensive line.
DE Myles Murphy
It's been a slow grind, but the Bengals' first-round pick is starting to see more and more action. His spot in the rotation with Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample appears more fluid than it did earlier in the week. During a two-minute drill against the Packers, Murphy came in for Trey Hendrickson and looked the part. He even got a sack coming off the left edge on a tackle-end stunt.
Cincinnati gave Murphy a greater workload on Wednesday and he handled it well, against different competition nonetheless. That's a tremendous sign for him elevating up the depth chart.
CB DJ Turner
When the ball is in the air, JuanDrago seems to find it. The trend has evolved into an expectation at this point. Turner is playing as well as any rookie cornerback can right now, and the Packers saw this first hand. He came away with multiple PBUs on the day, including a combined breakup with Cam Taylor-Britt.
Perfection is not what Turner provides. He was beaten deep by Romeo Doubs for a long touchdown, the lone time he was not in the hip pocket of the receiver he was covering. He even blanketed rookie tight end Luke Musgrave in man coverage.
The No. 4 cornerback when Chidobe Awuzie fully returns looks like Turner. He's shown more than enough to earn playing time this season.
S Jordan Battle
He’s been almost forgotten in what looks to be an impressive rookie class for Cincinnati, but Battle is back in the rotation at safety since recovering from a minor hamstring injury. The third-round pick got in with the 1s on defense as a part of a three-safety look that him in the box, Dax Hill back deep, Nick Scott in the slot.
This wrinkle differs from what we've seen prior as Hill has usually been closer to the line of scrimmage, but it also reinforces the concept of Battle getting on the field early this year when the situation calls for it. It's good to see that his previous injury didn't set him back at all.
There were plenty more standouts from Wednesday who are already cornerstone pieces of the team. Hendrickson reportedly had two sacks in 11-on-11 work and ended up with a total of 7(!) throughout the day. Needless to say, he's looking quite alright after signing his one-year extension two weeks ago.
Cincinnati's defense as a whole gave Green Bay little ground throughout the day, sans a few deep balls from quarterback Jordan Love. Mike Hilton got him back by snagging a would-be pick-six on a screen pass that he blew up.
DJ Reader was doing DJ Reader things, clogging the middle of the trenches. He apparently was doing it too well and got Elgton Jenkins frustrated enough to strike his helmet, which was Jenkins' second altercation of the day that got him removed from practice.
"He might've had a bad day today," Reader said of Jenkins after practice. "Seemed positive early in practice and then it turned real negative for him and then he got kicked out. He just didn't want to practice. He'll be out there Friday. We'll see him."
It would be surprising to see either Jenkins or Reader play snaps on Friday considering their value. Reader and Co. proved they're ready to roll when September comes around.
Joe Burrow looks well attending first Bengals practice since injury
Burrow was in attendance for the first time in nearly two weeks.
Featured image via © Carter Skaggs/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
