Welcome to Camp Kaboom as the most physical Bengals training camp this roster can remember had its longest and hottest practice Sunday morning.

The Bengals.com clock above the Kettering Health Practice Fields hit 84 degrees while head coach Zac Taylor staged a total of about 70 unscripted plays among the first- and second-teams in a scrimmage setting of down and distance with thud tackling.

"That was quite a day out there,' said right tackle Amarius Mims through the beads of sweat.

"A good training camp back and forth between two good units to get ready for Thursday," said center and captain Ted Karras of the preseason opener against the Lions at Paycor Stadium.

Everybody seemed to get what they wanted.

Quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco each threw two touchdown passes. The first defense came up with a third-down stop on a double-barreled blitz by linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. that forced Burrow to immediately eat the ball. Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II again made the middle a tough place to be.

Karras appeared aghast that someone would ask if this is the most physical camp he can recall.

"Yes. I'm playing Dexter Lawrence, the best defensive lineman in football," Karras said. "I get him every day. I wouldn't call it fun, but it's a good test of mettle. I'm getting a lot better, and I think we are as a unit."

Even those who aren't playing Lawrence can attest to the overall pop at Paycor.

"The most physical camp I've been a part of," Mims said. "A hundred percent. Guys are trying to prove themselves. Guys are just great football players just trying to get better."

All Mims had to do was look across the line of scrimmage and see one of the veteran defensive tackles acquired to re-make the defense. Johnathan Allen, 31, never came off the field in that first drive Burrow led for a touchdown.

"I've been watching Jonathan Allen since he was at Alabama. He was always one of my favorite players. That dudes a dog. He's a great leader," Mims said. "When do you ever see a 10-year vet in training camp not sub-out on a 12-play drive? As an interior defensive player?

"That's insane. You never see that. That's a credit to him. People are looking over him. He's one of the guys people are going to be talking about."

For Allen, another day at the office.

"After six plays, I thought it was getting a little lengthy," Allen said. "These are the days that build that grit."

Allen, who has seen 126 games with two teams, believes this camp's physicality is comparable.

"We know when to turn it on and go after each other," Allen said. "And we know when to back off and focus on technique."

Allen and company had a good day. The run game converted some third-and-shorts, but Karras observed that they didn't run it as well as they did Friday night because the defense "cinched things up."

Preseason Depth Chart First Look

First glance at the first Bengals depth chart of the season reveals no stunners. Maybe Ja'Sir Taylor backing up DJ Turner II at cornerback, but it goes chalk. Rookie cornerback Tacario Davis is behind Dax Hill, and DJ Ivey is backing up Jalen Davis in the slot ...

Ke'Shawn Williams is backing up Charlie Jones at punt return, and Samaje Perine is backing up Jones at kick return ...

CFL product and camp standout Dohnte Meyers behind Williams on punt return ...

Jones is backing up Andrei Iosivas at third receiver while Mitch Tinsley is behind Ja'Marr Chase, and rookie Colbie Young is behind Tee Higgins ...

Click here to view the full depth chart.

Slants and Screens

A classic Higgins touchdown on a third down from the 18 in the red zone. Isolated on 6-1 Ivey down the right sideline, Higgins ran a go route while hand-checking Ivey at bay. Burrow lofted it where no one but Higgins could catch it, and he was a lot taller than 6-4 when he leaped over Ivey, and extended arms to catch it and then kept them extended so Ivey couldn't punch it out while putting the ball over the goal line …

Both of them had seen the previous Burrow touchdown pass. He took advantage of outside leverage on Iosivas and threw a 13-yard bullet at the goal line that Iosivas grabbed stepping into the end zone. Except that cornerback Brayln Lux didn't give up, played through and knocked it out.

The official gave Iosivas the touchdown, but not the defense.

"If it had been a game, I would have run him over," Iosivas said. "I didn't want to be downed on the one-yard line …

Higgins clone Young, the rookie receiver from Georgia, made another contested catch in a camp of them when he launched over cornerback Jalen Kimber to rip away a Flacco pass …

Defensive tackle B.J. Hill (foot) was seen in uniform banging on a sled in his bid to get back on the field ...

The Bengals were thin on DBs between nicks and rest days: starting safety Bryan Cook and cornerbacks Tacario Davis, Jalen Davis and Dax Hill barely played, if at all.  No one appears seriously hurt …

Flacco hooked up with Charlie Jones for a catch-and-run touchdown on what he called "a pretty cool throw."  Flacco got a lot of heat back there, but was able to scramble away, and at the last minute saw Jones beating rookie cornerback Ceyair Wright across the field to the left sideline. Flacco gunned it off his back foot and Jones ran with it for about 30 yards after the catch …

Bengals Ring of Honor members Ken Anderson and Anthony Munoz visited camp as Munoz preps for Thursday's preseason opener (7-Cincinnati's Fox 19) against the Lions in his 28^th season in the booth analyzing Bengals games …

Munoz had just returned from Saturday's induction of the class of 2026 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he's a board member as well as a Gold Jacket. He looked over at Anderson, a finalist this year who didn't get in.

"Absolutely he should be in," Munoz said. "Right here next year at this time, I hope you're getting quotes from both of us about his induction." …