Two vignettes this week from the Bengals' first workouts in helmets with the offense's first reps against the defense:

Gesicki Impresses In Second Cincy Offseason

Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher is coming off the field talking about what he's trying to accomplish in these sessions. Alignment, adjustment and assignment. No busts. React to the defense.

And, he's extremely encouraged. He points to tight end Mike Gesicki’s seemingly innocuous catch in a zone from a Joe Burrow sift job. But not so innocuous when you recall this is the first spring in Gesicki's eight NFL seasons he has the same offensive coordinator in the same system from the previous year.

Coming off a 65-catch season, that has fantasyland drooling.

"I saw some good adjustments today, Mike had a great one," Pitcher says.

Gesicki is supposed to run a 10-yard out. But suddenly, Gesicki says, the safety "is buzzing," down into the play. Both he and Burrow see it.

"He just shut it down and sat right in the soft spot as the defender expanded outside of him," Pitcher says. "Good examples of guys having the ability to react to guys across from them."

No question, Gesicki believes. If this had been his seven other springs, when he didn't have the same system or, usually, the same quarterback, Gesicki doubts at this stage of the season he would have run through the adjustment like he did this week. He probably, he says, would have covered up.

"I think the biggest thing is now that I'm in the same system, I'm not worrying about myself as much," Gesicki says. "I can concentrate on the defense more, and knowing Joe, I know I'm going to get that freedom out there."

Pitcher, moving into his second season as OC, thinks it shows a variety of things.

"It shows Mike has played a lot of NFL football," Pitcher says. "Being in our system another year gives him comfort. It's really a chemistry thing between him and the quarterback, and Joe trusting he's got that tool in his toolbox and being able to see that and make that decision and Joe pulling the trigger.

"I'd like think some of it is also us coaching those guys and giving them flexibility to be football players in the moment to make smart decisions and not just run the route drawn on paper."

Knight Learning From Both Sides of the Ball

After a practice he again lined up next to linebacker Logan Wilson on the starting defense, rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. stops to bend down to speak to Burrow sitting in front of his locker.

As much as he's learning from Wilson as Wilson heads into his sixth season as one of the league's top backers, Knight is learning just as much from the NFL's most prolific yardage and scoring passer.

Knight, a converted quarterback, is watching Burrow do things he never saw a college quarterback do.

"It's like one of those lion stare-offs. He doesn't blink, just to let you know," Knight says. "The way he takes command, the way he takes control of the field, takes control of what he likes and doesn't like.

"Guys (in college) maybe hesitate with a call or the whole look to the sideline thing. He goes up here with a Plan A, B, and C, with three or four different things in mind. 'If they do this, I change to this.' That's why he's great. That's why he's going to wear a gold jacket some day. It's instrumental to my growth and everybody going across from him."

Burrow is telling Knight about a play from the workout just completed in a drill where he won. He understands it's not conducive to the defense. He tells Knight how linebackers in the league have played that particular play. He says No. 9 is encouraging.

Across the field, though, Knight is still learning to read Burrow.

"We don't really know when he's rattled until after the snap," Knight says. "If we get him to hold the ball for a second, it's a good day."