Bengals Training Camp Day 1: Joe Burrow back to business, Orlando Brown Jr. sets the tone
Get to September as healthy as possible.A task easier said than done, but one that the Cincinnati Bengals take very seriously. Much is on the minds of Bengals fans nowadays. Contract extensions, the size of remaining championship windows, in-state rivals copying alternate helmets, etc. Watching training camp practices brings a sense of normalcy that is […]
Get to September as healthy as possible.
A task easier said than done, but one that the Cincinnati Bengals take very seriously.
Much is on the minds of Bengals fans nowadays. Contract extensions, the size of remaining championship windows, in-state rivals copying alternate helmets, etc. Watching training camp practices brings a sense of normalcy that is much needed after an eventful offseason. Here's our notebook from day one.
Mindful rotation at right tackle
Jonah Williams was in uniform and ended up taking the first rep at right tackle, as he's considered the favorite to win the most important positional battle this Summer. But he's not quite set to to go head first into it all.
Head coach Zac Taylor mentioned prior to practice starting that Williams will be eased into the rotation at right tackle after the fifth-year player spent OTAs and minicamp rehabbing his dislocated knee instead of practicing.
"During this four-day stretch we do need to be mindful of him coming off an injury, not having Spring ball," Taylor said of Williams. "So there are adjustments there that are more my call than anything else."
The first practices of camp usually don't denote anything useful in terms of offensive line play as the pads have yet to come on. Williams will take reps along with Jackson Carman at that spot until Williams gets full clearance to potentially separate from Carman.
Joe Burrow doing Joe Burrow things
One day after Justin Herbert became the highest-paid quarterback and NFL player in history, Burrow took the practice field like it was business as usual. To him, it really is.
In the Spring, Burrow showed clear intent on practicing more off-platform throws and play action concepts. The work on both fronts continued in the first practice of what should be his first normal training camp.
Being at full strength for the start of camp allows Burrow to continue the work he started in the beginning of the offseason. The fourth-year quarterback was firing on all cylinders in his first camp session, and said afterwards he practiced "pretty damn good."
And it's not just Burrow who's performing well while expecting a new deal here shortly. One of his two No. 1 receivers Tee Higgins also showed up, as expected, and is picking up right where he left off from the Spring. The two connected for the offense's first touchdown of the Summer.
Orlando Brown Jr.'s presence felt
It's hard to not notice the 6-8 and nearly 400 pound left tackle on the Bengals' offensive line now. Brown is who the Bengals felt was the missing piece to a unit that's been under scrutiny since the final years of the Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis era. But there's only so much he can physically do before the pads come on.
One way is to create chaos.
Brown got into it with Trey Hendrickson early on in 11-on-11 work, creating a scuffle that was quickly dispersed by teammates.
Brown and Hendrickson are not just meeting each other across the line of scrimmage for the first time. The two have gone head-to-head in nearly every one of the Bengals-Chiefs matchups over the past two years. Wins were had for both Pro Bowlers, but Brown got the last laugh when they were opponents.
But this had nothing to do with any bad blood being on the table. Tempers flare from time to time. It'd be more abnormal if they didn't. In this case, Brown said he just blacked out after seeing Hendrickson go hard on the rep.
A little fire and gusto never hurt nobody, so long as it's contained quickly.
Special absence
As previously reported, Drue Chrisman was not at practice due to an undisclosed medical condition that hospitalized him in the morning. This meant that rookie Brad Robbins got in all the reps punting and holding for place kicker Evan McPherson.
Robbins and Chrisman are competing for a roster spot, and the rookie was already the likely winner before the unfortunate news of Chrisman was revealed.
Bengals Training Camp Battle: Punter
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Featured image via © Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
