Bengals: OL vs. DL matchups to watch in padded practices
Intensity is ramping up at Cincinnati Bengals training camp this week. The Green Bay Packers are coming to town in six days for a joint practice and will meet them inside Paycor Stadium for the first preseason game on their schedules. The shells are all the way on for the players, which means trench warfare […]
Intensity is ramping up at Cincinnati Bengals training camp this week. The Green Bay Packers are coming to town in six days for a joint practice and will meet them inside Paycor Stadium for the first preseason game on their schedules. The shells are all the way on for the players, which means trench warfare is about to get under way… kinda.
One-on-one battles between offensive and defensive lineman get plenty of buzz from fans and analysts, leading them to be overanalyzed to a certain degree. The reps typically last longer than a real life passing play lasts, there's no help for the offensive lineman, and the defensive lineman knows to pin his ears back.
Nevertheless, it is still intriguing to see trench warfare up close and personal.
As the pads and guardian helmet shells are about to get put to use, here are three one-on-one matchups to keep an eye out for during practice.
Jonah Williams vs. Myles Murphy
The right tackle "battle" remains open as Williams continues to be eased back into a full workload. While he's out there, he'll meet another first-round pick across from him in Murphy, who's got plenty of explosion primed to be used in live reps.
Murphy was almost exclusively a right defensive end for Clemson, but with Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai holding down that position, Murphy has been getting reps on the left side. We'll get to see how far along his development is against Williams at right tackle.
Orlando Brown vs. Joseph Ossai
On the other side of the formation, Brown and Ossai have already squared off in actual games when Brown was the Kansas City Chiefs' left tackle. The four-time Pro Bowler has high expectations for his former adversary turned teammate.
"I've said it before. He's got all the tools to be a 10-sack guy," Brown said of Ossai to Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson.
He won't be able to sack anyone for now, but Ossai will find no greater test in generating pressure than going up against Brown.
Cordell Voslon vs. Zach Carter
Interior players going at it one-on-one requires even more context in these situations, but both Volson and Carter are looking to make great strides this year, and will first have to get through each other.
Volson has the left guard spot on lock, while Carter needs to continue flashing as a pass rusher to maintain his spot in the defensive line rotation. There's great allure in two second-year players battling with plenty to prove.
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