Bengals Bites: Observations from training camp
CINCINNATI — Bengals training camp has been open to the media this week. Multiple injuries have occurred during the practice sessions, plus we're getting an idea of who has the advantage on the depth chart going into Friday's scrimmage.
Here are some observations from the two Bengals practices that have been open to the media.
Familiarity Matters — Mike Thomas worked with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in Los Angeles. That familiarity has helped him vault to the first-team offense with A.J. Green, Tee Higgins and John Ross out.
"I really don't even look at it as 1s, 2s and 3s right now," Taylor said. "Mike Thomas is an explosive guy. I've been around him a couple years. He's got that explosiveness to him and he really gets on those DBs quickly."
Thomas, 26, only has 10 career catches. He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Rams. Despite his lack of pro production, he's a good route runner and seems to be building a nice rapport with Joe Burrow, who threw a touchdown to Thomas during 7-on-7 in the red zone on Tuesday.
Linebacker Rotation
The Bengals have plenty of new faces at linebacker. They drafted three of them and added multiple veterans, including Josh Bynes. They're all getting their fair share of reps.
"Sometimes you want to make sure there's not two rookies standing there next to each other," Taylor said. "Try to get them in there with one of the veteran guys, whether it's (Josh) Bynes or (Austin) Calitro or Jordan (Evans) and then get one of the younger guys next to them to kind of bring them along. That way they can grow on top of communication."
Taylor stressed that they're looking at each player and that it isn't about who's playing with the first or second team at this stage of camp.
Offensive Line
All eyes are going to be on the offensive line for the duration of camp. Whether it's 2019 first-round pick Jonah Williams or a second-year player like Michael Jordan, this group has a lot to prove.
After just two practices in front of the media, it's too soon to declare a winner, but it appears Bobby Hart has a clear edge over Fred Johnson at right tackle. The same goes for Xavier Su'a-Filo, who took all of the first team snaps at right guard on Monday and Tuesday.
Billy Price lined up at center and guard with the second team. Time will tell if the Bengals are set on their starting offensive line (from left to right) being Williams, Jordan, Trey Hopkins, Su'a-Filo and Hart. All indications point to that being the case this season.
Other Thoughts
The offense should run through Joe Mixon this season. Green has carried this team for a decade and the Bengals should expect a lot from him, but giving the ball to number 28 early and often could be the recipe for success.
The Bengals and Mixon continue to discuss a potential extension. Hopefully they can agree to terms and not end up like Dalvin Cook and the Vikings, who have reportedly stopped negotiating a long-term contract.
Burrow is great at getting the ball to his running back out of the backfield. He helped Clyde Edwards-Helaire become a first-round pick.
If the offense runs through Mixon, he should have a big year on the ground and through the air.
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