After Thursday morning's Camp Dexter and Saturday night's Old and New passing clinic, the Bengals out-rostered the NFC North champ Bears to make their own roster a little more jammed.
With the help of Dexter Lawrence II swallowing double teams at defensive tackle, the Bengals won both of Thursday morning's end-of-game situations in a scrimmage of starters on the Kettering Health Practice Fields.
On Saturday night, the backup offensive line cleared the way for a Paycor Stadium passing show during a 27-9 victory in which the backup defense didn't allow a touchdown to everyone from former overall No. 1 pick Caleb Williams to undrafted free agent rookie Miller Moss while throwing back 12 of 14 third downs.
For a team getting ready for the physical brickbats of the AFC North, it was both a physical and mental conquest that Bengals head coach Zac Taylor hailed in the Saturday postgame. Particularly because he knows the Bears' staff inside-and-out. It's why he re-instituted the kind of cross-pollinated practice he spurned last year.
It starts with former ZT understudy in Miami, Bears head coach Ben Johnson, and his own younger brother, Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
"They're prepared, really veteran play callers in all three phases," Zac Taylor said. "I mean, it's about as veteran as you get. Ben has called plays for a long time. (Special teams coordinator) Richard Hightower's been there for a long time. DA (DC Dennis Allen) has done it forever. So, that was just good for our coaching staff, for our players to go against that. It was a good test for us all week."
In a short week with Thursday night's preseason finale in Philadelphia looming, the Bengals have three more practices with a full complement to hammer out the back of what is shaping up to be their most competitive roster in some time.
Here's a look.
QUARTERBACKS (4)
**Joe Flacco** (19), **Josh Johnson** (14), **Joe Burrow** (7), **Sean Clifford** (2)
We won't see Burrow until the Sept. 13 opener here against the Bucs. We won't see Flacco until a Bengals' blowout. After saying there was "some good, some bad," in a joint practice he had about 40-50ish snaps, Burrow says he's looking forward to the 300 reps left in practice to get ready for Bucs head coach Todd Bowles' veteran 3-4 defensive staff.
The Bengals already know they can sit back in the shotgun and tear defenses to shreds with the NFL's deepest and most versatile set of receivers on the perimeter, at running back, and tight end. They've spent the spring and summer focusing on becoming more explosive under center, and Burrow believes even if there has been "some good, some bad," in the tinkering.
"You go in and try to make it work and try to get better at all the different things that you're working on," Burrow said. "The under-center play-action stuff … We know we can draw back and throw it. That's what we do best. But it's been nice to be able to work on some things that we haven't worked on in the past and invest in it, and it'll pay off in the long run.
"Could I go out and play a game right now?" Burrow asked Thursday. "Yeah, but I wouldn't be three weeks of reps better as I will be come game time."
Johnson showed you why Taylor made him a game captain Saturday. At 40, he's beyond the true pro stage and has become an NFL statesman like Flacco. Against the Bears, he coaxed their two prized new receivers, CFL veteran Dohnte Meyers, and fourth-rounder Colbie Young, to big nights while racking up a 113-plus passer rating and two perfectly sifted touchdowns.
Johnson was so good microwaving 14 points in four minutes at the end of the half on 8 of 9 dotting, Taylor gave him the rest of the night off so St. Xavier's Clifford could thrill the home folks with both his arms and his legs while throwing the final touchdown.
As Taylor pointed out, Johnson and Clifford barely get any reps in team drills during practice, so credit offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, who called plays for the night, and quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe on a night they out-delivered the other veteran staff.
WIDE RECEIVERS (12)
**Tee Higgins** (7), **Ja’Marr Chase** (6), **Andrei Iosivas** (4), **Charlie Jones** (4), **Mitch Tinsley** (3), **Kendric Pryor** (2), **Ke’Shawn Williams** (2), **Xavier Johnson** (1), **Jordan Moore** (1), **Dohnte Meyers** (1), **Noah Thomas** (R), **Colbie Young** (R)
Asked if he could do any more to make the team after he tacked on last week's 42 scrimmage yards to the 50 he generated Saturday night (21 of it YAC) with a total of four punt and kick returns highlighted by a 25-yard punt return, Meyers gave the same answer he's been giving all camp.
"All I know is I'm going to keep doing what they've been telling me to do," Meyers said.
Williams is making it interesting. Williams (18) and Jones (26) both had long catches, and Williams (Pro Football Focus' highest-graded Bengals offensive player) chipped in another solid 12-yard punt return. Meyers showed the YAC on his big punt return when he made two tacklers miss.
Maybe even more impressive was how Meyers adjusted on a zero blitz in the slot on third-and-10 when he calmly and quickly went to an open space for 14 yards.
Yes, Young caught a 17-yard touchdown late in the first half on a go ball Johnson praised his patience. But Young's most impressive snap was again, against the first team on that first drive, when a play after he bobbled a contested catch against cornerback Dontae Manning on the left sideline, Young converted a third-and-14 on an 18-yard tightrope catch at the same spot against Manning.
"Same defense. The corner gave me the same look," Johnson said. "He missed the first one. He got the second one."
Which is a blueprint for vets making kids better.
And they've certainly got more than six 53-good receivers.
RUNNING BACKS (7)
**Samaje Perine** (10), **Gary Brightwell** (4), **Chase Brown** (4), **Tahj Brooks** (2), **Kendall Milton** (1), **Kentrel Bullock** (R), **Jamal Haynes** (R).
If you want to know why they have regard for Brooks, don't look at that last minute of the first half, although it's nice. He showed his receiver chops when Johnson got flushed right, saw Brooks run to the flat to make himself available, and they hooked up on a 19-yard play. Then Brooks visioned inside over left guard for ten yards to set them for the touchdown that gave them a 17-6 lead.
Nice, right? But if you're a Bengals back, you must pass-block, or you don't make it. And on that zero blitz on the first series, Brooks did all of that when he pieced through the maze in front of him and picked up Bears linebacker Devin Bush as Johnson unloaded the conversion. According to Pro Football Focus, Brooks had three pass blocks and got them all. Which keeps you around these parts.
TIGHT ENDS (7)
**Mike Gesicki** (9), **Drew Sample** (8), **Tanner Hudson** (7), **Erick All Jr.** (3), **Cam Grandy** (3), **Jack Endies** (R), **Josh Kattus** (R)
This may be the hinge spot of the roster cuts because it's been a terrific room this camp. How many can they conceivably keep and how does that impact other positions?
Everyone felt great for All appearing in his first game in nearly 22 months. He knows he's ready, which means he's ready to hit anything that moves. He's been telling everyone he's been ready for months, and that was before he walked into a moving vehicle on his European summer vacation and simply took it as a sign he was ready when he got back up.
They rolled out All for all of his nine snaps on that first drive, and he showed he's ready on that third-two zone Johnson deked Devin Smith for seven yards. While Johnson was doing that, All took out a defensive lineman.
Check.
Also check. Another preseason touchdown catch for Hudson. All he does is catch touchdowns. Endries, the seventh-rounder who scored their only touchdown last week, had a catch on three targets while playing almost double the snaps than any tight end with 26.
Toughest room outside Vegas.
OFFENSIVE LINE (15)
C **Ted Karras** (11), LT **Orlando Brown Jr.** (9), T-G **Cody Ford** (8), LG **Dalton Risner** (8), RT **Amarius Mims** (3), G **Dylan Fairchild** (2), G **Jalen Rivers** (2), T **Andrew Coker** (1), T **Javon Foster** (1), C **Jacob Bayer** (1), G **Liam Brown** (R), C **Connor Lew** (R), T **Christian Jones** (R), T-G **Brian Parker II** (R), T **Corey Robinson II** (R).
Zac Taylor says the swing tackle thing is still up in the air, but Foster and Rivers appeared to play well enough to start clearing up the picture. Foster started at right tackle and moved to left tackle early in the second half, when they kicked in Rivers to left guard after he started at left tackle. The stat sheet had the quarterbacks not getting sacked, and PFF had Foster giving up a hit and Rivers two hits on the passer while each getting 39 attempts to pass block.
A good night's work in a game the quarterbacks had enough pocket to generate a 103.18 passer rating. Foster was the Bengals' highest-graded offensive lineman per PFF. Rivers did pick up a false start in that first drive against the Bears' ones, but Johnson was pretty much clean on 14 snaps against blitzing starters and Foster kept Montez Sweat's side at bay on the third-and-longs.
Lew looked solid at center in his first game since tearing his ACL at Auburn 10 months ago and looks primed to be Karras' Opening Day backup. They gave him 18 plays in the first quarter, and he did an excellent job parsing through the blitz looks from the Bears' No. 1s. before ending up as PFF's second-highest graded O-lineman on the night.
Parker, another St. Xer in a cozy home game, continues to make reality their vision of him as a do-it-all backup. The only offensive player on either side of the ball who took every snap, Parker played left guard in the game's first 40 minutes, then went to right guard before taking the last three snaps at center.
PFF had Parker allowing no hits on 42 pass blocks, and take a look at that first drive and how well he worked with Rivers passing off the games.
"I really felt in sync with Jalen, and we were moving," Parker said. "I'd like to have a couple of plays back at right, but yeah, a good night's work."
Bayer, one of the top camp performers, continues to impress at center, where he allowed no pressures on the bulk of his 30 snaps.
DEFENSIVE LINE (16)
DT **Jonathan Allen** (10), DT **B.J. Hill** (9), DT **Dexter Lawrence II** (8), DT **T.J. Slaton Jr.** (6), DE **Boye Mafe** (5), DE **Myles Murphy** (4), DE **Isaiah Foskey** (4), DT **McKinnley Jackson** (3), DT **Jordan Jefferson** (3), DT **Kris Jenkins Jr.,** (3), DE **Cedric Johnson** (3), DE **Shemar Stewart** (2), DT **Howard Cross III** (2), DE **Antwaun Powell-Ryland** (1), DE **Cashius Howell** (R), DT **Landon Robinson** (R).
There's going to be a lot of saluting on the Cincy high school practice fields Monday after Robinson's performance. With 1.5 sacks, Robinson got two chances to deliver the Bengals' best new celebration, a crisp salute from their first-ever service academy draft pick. And, like he said, "It was catching on on the sidelines … The older guys get a kick out of it."
It looked like Robinson dropped anchor on the roster with a massive show of three tackles, two quarterback hits, four pressures, and a batted pass, not to mention drawing a hold on veteran left tackle Braxton Jones that stalled that first drive. At 5-11, 309 pounds, Robinson just keeps going, going, and going. Saturday night it was 61 plays (84 percent) of second effort.
The only Bengal who took more snaps on either side on defense was Foskey, the Notre Dame edge who took them all and continues to be productive at a spot that has had plenty of production this camp. Howell was so good in Thursday's joint practice that they gave him the night off along with fellow edgers Murphy and Mafe.
Johnson always seems to come up with edge numbers and Saturday night was no different with three pressures on 11 rushes as the second highest-graded defender (per PFF), and while it remains to be seen if Foskey has done enough, you have to salute him with six pressures (five hurries) on 42 pass rushes.
LINEBACKERS (9)
**Oren Burks** (9), **Joe Giles-Harris** (3), **Shaka Heyward** (3), **Swayze Bozeman** (2), **Barrett Carter** (2), **Demetrius Knight Jr.** (2), **Liam Anderson** (1), **Eric Gentry** (R), **Jack Dingle** (R)
The top three had the night off, and their special teams leader, Giles-Harris, left with what didn't appear to be a significant injury. That left guys like Heyward and Bozeman and Anderson to slug it out for what could be one spot. Both played well.
On 30 snaps, Anderson was PFF's highest-graded Bengals defender, Bozeman dropped in coverage 20 times on his 34 snaps to be only targeted once, and they all had a tackle on special teams. Anderson also got some action on two blitzes and Bozeman had a tackle for loss. Heyward was his typical solid.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (16)
S **Kyle Dugger** (7), CB **Jalen Davis** (6), S **Bryan Cook** (5), CB **Dax Hill** (5), CB **Ja’Sir Taylor** (5), S **Jordan Battle** (4), CB **DJ Ivey** (4), CB **DJ Turner II** (4), S **Daijahn Anthony** (3), CB **Josh Newton** (3), S **Russ Yeast** (3), S **PJ Jules** (2), CB **Jalen Kimber** (1), CB **Bralyn Lux** (1), CB **Tacario Davis** (R), CB Matthew McDoon (R).
Ivey showed why they think he can start for a bunch of other teams, Davis showed in his debut why he's a coveted third-rounder, and Taylor showed why the cornerback room might be as deep as the defensive line.
PFF rated Taylor as its top Bengals' cover player and Exhibit A is a fourth-and-four stop on a Case Keenum pass where he expertly played through the hands and broke up what looked to be a certain catch.
The 6-4 Davis played long and physical. He was their leading tackler (he made a nice stop on third-and-short) and allowed only 16 yards on three receptions in five targets.
Lux continues to bid as a guy who can play inside and outside. Saturday, he kept everything in front, had a pass defensed, and willingly tackled.
You know how they feel about Jules, He took their most special teams snaps (15), as well as taking 31 snaps on defense. And, more importantly, Taylor sent him out as a game captain with Johnson.
SPECIALISTS (3)
K **Evan McPherson** (6), P **Ryan Rehkow** (3), LS **William Wagner** (2)
They're rolling so well that Zac Taylor called out McPherson and Rehkow in what is usually a mere obligatory preseason postgame speech.
But then again, McPherson hit a 58-yard field goal, his 13th from at least 50 in the preseason for the most in the NFL in the six seasons he's been in the league.
And Rehkow drilled a 51-yarder that nearly went into the coffin corner, but still was lifeless at the 5. They'll take his line of four punts inside the 20 compared to no touchbacks and a 44.6-yard net every game.
