Cincinnati Bengals OTA Practice Takeaways: Thoughts on Joe Burrow, Key Position Battles and More

CINCINNATI — The Bengals started OTAs on Tuesday and all eyes were on Joe Burrow. The star quarterback faced defense for the first time this offseason in a 7-on-7 drill.

Overall, Burrow looked precise and accurate, connecting with Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones. Iosivas did have one ball bounce off of his hands, but the wide receivers played well considering they didn't have Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins on the field.

Burrow continues to take steps forward after undergoing wrist surgery in November. The 27-year-old has impressed the coaching staff and his teammates so far during the offseason program.

"I feel like it's been a really good offseason from Joe," head coach Zac Taylor said. "I feel really good about where he's at ... He's been accurate. He's been on time it's going great velocity and power. You'd have to ask him what he thinks that his performance exactly, but I like what I see right now."

Taylor wasn't the only one to praise Burrow. Multiple guys on offense and defense liked what they saw from the star quarterback. His play throughout the offseason program is easing any potential concern that existed about him not being able to return to form following an unprecedented wrist injury.

Position Battles

Bengals second-year cornerback DJ Turner II is hoping to beat out Dax Hill for the starting job alongside Cam Taylor-Britt and Mike Hilton.

Turner made a nice play in 7-on-7 drills, climbing the ladder to breakup a Burrow pass that was intended for Irwin.

It looks like Dax Hill will get every opportunity to push Turner for that starting job, with both guys getting plenty of reps on the outside during Tuesday's practice.

Speaking of battles, Vonn Bell appears to have the edge at safety with Jordan Battle not far behind. It's reasonable to expect the duo to compete for the starting job. Geno Stone is obviously going to start and Bell has the edge, but Battle will get an opportunity to win the job.

The Bengals have plenty of options at slot wide receiver. Jones flashed his quickness and route running ability in practice. Irwin has certainly earned Burrow's trust and Mike Gesicki is more than capable of taking on some of the slot role. Throw in rookie Jermaine Burton and a versatile superstar like Chase and it's easy to see why there's a good chance that a committee of players helps fill void on offense that Tyler Boyd manned for the past eight seasons.

Valuable Reps

First round pick Amarius Mims continues to play with the starting offensive line. That'll change when Trent Brown returns to the offseason program, which is expected to happen in the near future.

Brown was a huge addition in free agency—both literally and figuratively, but getting Mims some extra reps with the starting unit could certainly help his development.

State of the Offense

The Bengals continue to prioritize play action and appear to be ready to incorportate more plays from under center. That's been a point of emphasis so far throughout the offseason program.

No one should expect the Bengals to stop going empty with Burrow in shotgun, but they could certainly be more multiple this season.

"I think we evolve every single year. And we'll evolve with our personnel and the skill sets that we have as a unit that can really put pressure on the defense," Taylor said when asked about playing multiple tight ends. "Whether that's putting more tight ends on the field or less tight ends on the field, we'll continue to evaluate that over the entire offseason and training camp."

For more on the Bengals' first OTA practice of the year, check out clips from the session here.

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