With Thursday's joint scrimmage against the Bears next on tap, the Bengals had their last all-day workday of training camp Tuesday when head coach Zac Taylor served up a bevy of situational team drills in sumptuous sunny 75-degree weather on the Kettering Health Practice Fields.

Among the highlights:

• A Ja’Marr Chase touchdown catch in the red zone lock-out drill as quarterback Joe Burrow beat the blitz.
• Running back Samaje Perine’s third-and-one touchdown in the same drill following the lead block of rookie defensive tackle-turned fullback Landon Robinson.
• Cornerback Josh Newton’s interception of quarterback Joe Flacco in the unscripted period, where the coordinators call the plays live.
• Evan McPherson’s 50-yard dagger through the nine-foot wide goal posts, half the width of regulation, to cap the four- and two-minute work.

Player of the Day

WR Ja'Marr Chase

Chase declined the coveted Bengals.com Player of the Day because he had a drop. He appeared to be talking about a play early on in the unscripted drill when cornerback DJ Turner II swiped the ball from him before both went out-of-bounds.

Still, Chase looked to be in best-player-on-planet mode. He bobbed and weaved underneath to convert a third-and-short, and later a fourth-and-short. When Burrow had to go off-platform to get away from pressure, Chase was there over the middle.

And on third down from the seven in the lock-out drill, Burrow got rid of it just before safety Jordan Battle‘s blitz got home and found Chase getting some rare room from Turner in the left corner of end zone.

"He was the reason I was open on my deep ball, " said TE Mike Gesicki of his 17-yard catch behind Turner that set up Perine's run. "He pumped to him, the defense stepped up, and you can get by the defense. A perfect example where we're feeding Ja'Marr, feeding Ja'Marr, and then someone else is open."

But Chase didn't want it so we gave it to:

CB Josh Newton

Newton, playing like a man who has got a roster spot, not only had the interception, but he also knocked down a third-and-15 pass headed to wide receiver Charlie Jones in the unscripted period.

Newton was all over the yard in the slot and on the outside. Newton is playing like there's a script. There wasn't Tuesday, but in his third year, he knows tendencies.

"Man-to-man backside, we like to run a lot digs in our offense backside when it is 3 by 1 (receivers on a side)" Newton said. I was in front and had the leverage. Anytime your man-to-man backside three by one, you're hot."

Newton also sensed a dig with Jones lined up on third-and-long, and there was little separation on the deep route, allowing Newton to swat it away.

He says he worked in the offseason on getting in better conditioning shape and giving himself more goals in longer training sessions. For instance, he's always run at least two miles per session in the offseason. This time he gave himself targets to hit, trying to better his average of an 8:07 mile. He needed it because he's getting a ton of snaps with the ones and the twos at both spots.

"Wherever they put me," said Newton when asked if he prefers the slot of outside.

Play (s) of the Day

DT Landon Robinson

Robinson is no stranger to fullback. As a Midshipmen, he sealed the last the Army-Navy game when he helped them bull for the first down that killed the clock.

And he had done this play a week ago in walkthrough. Only this time, there weren't the catcalls from the offensive line in Burrow's huddle.

"The only thing was there was something at the end of the snap count I never heard before," Robinson said. "So I improvised and I just went when the ball was snapped."

OK with Perine.

"He moved people back, and I scored," Perine said.

Robinson says he went after the linebackers.

"That's the goal of the play. Fill the gap," Robinson said.

Perine says the 5-11, 307-pound is "very," capable.

"He's big, he's explosive," Perine said. "The first color you see, his color or our color, it doesn't matter. As long as you hit somebody, you're that close and we're scoring every time."

Quote of the Day

"I respect that."

-Gesicki on Chase declining the coveted Bengals.com Player of the Day.

Slants and Screens

Actually, if Chase was the reason for Gesicki's big catch, Gesicki was the reason Chase scored his touchdown. The tight end kept the drive alive with a vintage Burrow-to-Gesicki off-script play on third down with edge Myles Murphy in hot pursuit of Burrow …

If you can believe it, during his best season last year, McPherson had negative thoughts as he waited for the snap. Even before then, when he could hear the sighs of a crowd at a missed field goal, or the cheering of the defense. Now, he simply tells himself: "I can do this," and recalls what his mother says before every game: 'Just do what you do."

McPherson has rarely missed this camp in the second year of holder Ryan Rehkow with long snapper William Wagner: "I'm really comfortable where the operation is." …