CINCINNATI – Bengals camp is finally drawing to a close. Thursday marks the final day of preseason practice, with a very brief practice set for Monday before cutdown day takes place Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The Bengals are facing several decisions in key areas such as right guard, depth linebacker and depth safety. Aside from the offensive line, these are pretty much first-world NFL problems and issues that all teams that consider themselves Super Bowl contenders face.
The Bengals main mission at this stage is to get through the next two weeks healthy, without any issues cropping up that would disturb the tranquility of the first team units.
Still, head coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday, after 17 camp practices and two preseason games, he has a good feel for where his team is, and he likes that feel all around.
“I feel good about where our team is at right now,” Taylor said. “I’m excited to get through the preseason and go play games because I see what I see in practice so I’m just really excited from top to bottom about a lot of the players that we have.”
Despite the defense giving up big runs in the first half against both Philadelphia and Washington, Taylor said he has the sense that all parts of his team have come together at the right time and that everyone is on the same page.
“It’s good. I feel further along as a team right now than I did last year because these guys have played two preseason games. I feel better about it,” Taylor said. “I didn’t always know what to compare it to, but I do after letting our guys get out there and experience and do good things and make mistakes we have to correct. I feel better going into the early parts of the season than I did a year ago.”
That’s quite a bold statement for an NFL head coach to make two weeks before the season has even begun. But that’s where Taylor mind is with regard to this group. While Taylor will certainly acknowledged there’s plenty of work to be done in the final two weeks before Cleveland on Sept. 7, Taylor’s words may – or may not – bring some comfort to those losing their minds over the defense giving up big play after big play and the uncertainty at right guard.
Taylor made it through two games with Joe Burrow as the quarterback and never once worried about Burrow getting hurt because he’s playing in a preseason game to get reps needed to get ready for the season.
“The things I have to come to grips with as the coach is you can’t live in fear. You can’t think, ‘Oh God, if we walk on the field, someone will get hurt.’ You can’t operate that way. That’s a horrible way to live your life. You have to go out there, play football and trust that guys are going to protect themselves and understand the situations.”
The only injuries the Bengals have taken in the preseason are to safety Geno Stone three plays into Philadelphia, Lucas Patrick and Drew Sample against Washington. All three are expected to be ready for Sept. 7 and certainly won’t play this Saturday against Indy.
One of those players critical to the evolution of the offense this year will be Chase Brown. Already identified as a focal point by offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, Brown has earned the trust of Joe Burrow and Taylor as someone who can be on the field in obvious pass situations because of his evolution as a pass protector.
“I’d say absolutely improved as a pass protector,” Taylor said of Brown. “The nuances of it , the technique of it. The eye progression of it has improved over the early part of last season, all the way through last season, and you feel outstanding about it. He’s always been a really good runner for us. It’s hard to say how much improvement has there been there because he’s always been really good.”
Taylor has one of the best running back coaches in the game in Justin Hill, someone who has worked with Brown, Tahj Brooks and veteran Samaje Perine to ensure they all understand their responsibilities and techniques.
“I think as a route runner and as receiver … when I say route runner, I’m not talking about coming out of the backfield on choice routes and all that stuff. Splitting out as a receiver and having a real understanding of what our receivers go through and what Joe is going to see. (Brown has) become really valuable in that way. Samaje (Perine) has been that for us. Not so much getting him out in space, but as a checkdown. I’ve seen that from Tahj (Brooks). Even the clip that Tahj got called for the neutral zone infraction. His release, a very small detail that is critical to the concept, and he did a great job outside releasing on a cloud corner, creating space for the stick route inside. Justin Hill has done a great job articulating the vision fore all these guys as receivers protectors, and runners. We’ve got a really good room there I’m excited about.”
“That’s a hard one. He’s been a guy, he’s been a starter for us. He’s been a backup for us. All he has ever done is come to work and try to be the best Cincinnati Bengal he can be. Not always agreeing with what we are doing in terms of him not being a starter anymore, but just handled it in such a professional way and been a team player through and through. That’s what he has been his entire life. Any player that has an issue like this or a surgery that’s going to be a significant hit to them, you never want to see them go through but Cordell is just a little bit different because of what he has given to us and his approach every day. You want everybody to have that same approach. That’s difficult news for him to have to deal with.”
Logan Wilson, who also had shoulder surgery after the 2021 season, empathized with Volson.
“You never want to be in that position,” Wilson said. “I told him I was praying for him, you know this he’s going to be all right in the in the long run of things. It’s very unfortunate that that’s how this his season has to end. And unfortunately, that’s part of this game we play. And so I think he’s going to bounce back better than ever. I think that that’s just the kind of kid he is, the kind of mindset he has with it, and he’ll be better off. I’m just trying to make sure he’s his head’s on right. It’s not easy, especially being in the position he’s in, going into the last year of his contract and all those kind of things. But I’m a firm believer in the Man upstairs, and I know he is too. And so he knows there’s a bigger plan. It’s not always about what you think it is, how you think things are going to go. It’s really never how, how it works out. And so, there’s a bigger plan for him. And he’ll be just fine.”
“It’s a balance. It’s a balance of how you’ve seen guys practice, how you see guys perform in the games. Sometimes, if you’re looking at the depth of the roster, it can be some maybe they’re not always in the best opportunity in a game to get the showcases so you can find ways to highlight it in practice, to really assess those guys. It’s a balance there, and the roster is expanded now, so there’s not the cut downs where guys were maybe battling earlier. There’s one big, giant cut at the very end, and you’re keeping 16 on the practice squad, so you’re saying goodbye to fewer players. And so the opportunity now is still there. Not only is the practice squad expanded, but the standard elevations have popped up, and so now there’s an immediate opportunity for players actually playing games on the 53 man roster, and not have to risk being cut after the elevation like it used to be.”
“Every one of our practices are more back and forth than they than those the games have been,” Wilson told me. “And so it’s hard. We talk about it like I said, we’re only running, like 10, 15 percent of what we’re what we’re truly running. And so it’s like, you really just want to work on your technique and your fundamentals and try to get tackling and turnovers and stuff like that in the game. It is what it is. It’s just kind of how the preseason has gone for us. It’s not what we want to see. But like, they had some plays that were schemed up for what we were in. And if you don’t practice against that stuff, you’re not necessarily always ready for it.
“And so it was good that we got those reps, because we can learn from those plays, for sure. And so that’s all we’re going to do, is continue to learn from it. Those plays that they had us schemed up a little bit, we’re going to learn from them, and we’re going to fit them a lot better because some of those plays are going to be plays that like Cleveland might run in Week 1, and so we need to be ready for them.”
* Light day in shorts and shells for 1 hour, 45 minutes.
* Cordell Volson spotted in locker room and is set for shoulder surgery. Season is done.
* Jermaine Burton, Geno Stone, BJ Hill, Mike Gesicki all back at practice.
* Jalen Rivers got reps in 11s at right guard.
* BJ Hill lined up next to T.J. Slaton with Joseph Ossai and Shemar Stewart on either side, Wilson and Knight were the LBs and secondary consisted of Dax Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt, Josh Newton, Jordan Battle, Geno Stone.
* DJ Turner considered day-to-day, did not dress, DNP
* Burrow connected with Chase Brown on route defended by Logan Wilson in 7s. Perfect pass for the wheel route TD.
* Zac Taylor announces starters will not play Sat. vs. Indy in final preseason game.
* Lots of Desmond Ridder with some Payton Thorne at QB.
* Cody Ford is day-to-day while Lucas Patrick came through Monday’s game fine and is available but won’t play Saturday. Myles Murphy also coming along fine and would be available if season started this weekend.
* Taylor would not comment on any potential visits by free agents (i.e. Dalton Risner).
* Final preseason practice is Thursday afternoon with cutdown set for next Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
