Rain sent the first hour of Bengals training camp indoors, but they were able to get all their team drills and seven-on-seven stuff completed on the grass as Chris Stapleton's sound check wafted over from Paycor Stadium.

Stapleton is playing Payor Saturday night. On Saturday morning, the offense and defense took turns on center stage before Sunday's off day and Monday's first day of pads.

"The offense had a start early, and the defense responded. It was good back and forth," said defensive end Boye Mafe, who was at the center of the response. "I feel like it was good tempo. Things are getting heated. Time for pads. The acclimation is over."

Another J.D. Jamboree

Jalen Davis, the Bengals' longshot success story who has a history of training camp theater, took another bow Saturday. This time as the starting slot cornerback after five Bengals camps on the roster bubble.

"I always have a good camp. You know this. You know this. Since 2021," Davis said.

In the first team period, Davis had tight end Drew Sample on quarterback Joe Burrow’s bootleg, and when Mafe got in Burrow's face to force a short, late throw, Davis made like the best centerfielder in baseball on a lunging, diving, extended catch worthy of Ceddanne Rafaela of the Red Sox.

"I played centerfield," said Davis of days growing up in La Mesa, Cal. "Instincts."

Davis doesn't have a free release on the job he won in the second half of last season. But Saturday those instincts showed why he's still the favorite, and he has no plans to give it up.

"I feel like that all the time," Davis said.

Lew Enters Fray

Rookie center Connor Lew, a fourth-round pick out of Auburn, had a relieved look on his face Saturday after he took the first practice snaps of his NFL career. His bid to be Ted Karras’ heir apparent has taken another step.

"You get the happy nerves. I haven't had contact since the end of October," said Lew, alluding to the torn ACL he suffered against Missouri.  "We're at the stage where we're not ahead of schedule or behind schedule. It's just day-to-day, and they told me I could go out there and get full-speed contact. It felt really good."

In a camp where there has been one false start, if any, Lew's main objective working with second-team quarterback Joe Flacco is focusing on the operation. So far, so good in what looked to be a penalty-free day upfront for the twos.

"It's been a minute, so there's a little bit of knocking the rust off and getting back into it," Lew said. "You know people are relying on you, so the operation of everything has to be it. That's the thing I want to keep going."

All About Sam

Former defensive end and captain Sam Hubbard, who now falls under the headline of "Bengals Legend," is still "The Cincinnati Kid," via Montgomery. When he showed up at practice Saturday, Hubbard graciously welcomed new safety Bryan Cook as another "Cincinnati Kid," this one from College Hill.

Hubbard visited with everyone he saw, starting with Bengals president Mike Brown, winding through defensive coordinator Al Golden, and then Ohio State buddy Joe Burrow. Cook called him over like he had known him for years, and they chatted about the city.

"I had known about him. I never met him face-to-face, but I feel like I've known him forever," Cook said.

Hubbard has been hearing good things about how Cook is barking about in the secondary to lead the way.  He also saw it in person from another new defensive leader during a summer lunch Burrow brought Hubbard, and Hubbard's old linemate B.J. Hill brought Dexter Lawrence II.

"I think (Lawrence) has been a game-changer for the mentality and leadership of the D-Line room," Hubbard said. "Unbelievable character. Quality work ethic. He and B.J. have been friends for a long time. I think he's a locker-room guy. A glue guy. You can already tell. He won't just make relationships. He makes everyone closer in the locker room. That's what a glue guy does."

Which is exactly what Hubbard did in his seven seasons as "The Kid." And he still is. He's just got company.

Slants And Screens

That heavyweight bout known as Ja'Marr Chase-DJ Turner II exchanged some blows in Round 3. On the day's first snap, Burrow threw a rollout up deep for grabs and Turner didn't let Chase come back for it and knocked it away. In Red Zone, Chase got off the line seamlessly to work a perfect touchdown fade from Burrow just as he stepped out of the left corner of the end zone ...

Wide receiver Tee Higgins got the day off, part of his annual training camp maintenance …

Tight end Erick All Jr. didn't get the day off, and vet defensive linemen Jonathan Allen came back from a day off. They tangled to the delight, it seemed, of both.

All, coming back from a knee injury that wiped out the last season and a half, caught a screen and saw the 300-pound Allen chasing him.

"I think he got upset I lowered my shoulder," All said. "Just natural instincts. You see a big guy like that coming at you, you've got to lower your shoulder, you just can't let him smack you."

They went to the ground, which All didn't like, and they jawed. But All said they talked later and he came away quite impressed that such an established veteran in the league such as Allen was going all-out in Day 4 …

With Higgins out, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones and college free agent Noah Thomas each had another day they made some good, tough catches …

By the way, tight ends coach James Casey has been extremely encouraged by how All looks, as well as how he's reacted to the elements of the offense that have been put in place since his absence.

Casey could just shake his head when he heard of All surviving a collision with a moped crossing an Athens street during vacation and how it positively impacted his confidence.

"I'm just glad he's OK," Casey said. "We need him on the field, so if he needs a cart, we'll get him one." …

Of course, as they left the indoor to walk over to the practice field, some wise guy told All to be careful crossing the street. …