The Breer Report: Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp Takeaways (2023)
The Breer Report: Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp Takeaways (2023)
Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:01 All right, we're here in Cincinnati, Ohio, stop seven on my training camp tour.
00:05 I got five takeaways from Bengals camp.
00:07 Takeaway number one, it's obvious how this team has been to two straight AFC title
00:10 games in the Super Bowl and
00:11 it may be most apparent on the practice field at receiver.
00:14 Jamar Chase and T Higgins are aliens, you knew that.
00:17 What you might not know is how they've built some depth at the position and
00:20 it goes beyond veterans like Trenton Irwin, Trent Taylor, and
00:23 of course Tyler Boyd, and to a couple of rookies.
00:26 One's Andre Ysavis, a big bodied kid out of Princeton,
00:29 former heptathlete who's catching the ball better than they expected he would
00:32 this early on.
00:33 And the other is Charlie Jones, who is hyper productive in the Big Ten at Purdue,
00:37 little bit more of a fast slot type.
00:39 Both those guys should make the preseason interesting and
00:41 maybe be long term insurance policies for the stars.
00:45 Takeaway number two, if there's another rookie to watch,
00:47 it's probably second round corner DJ Turner out of Michigan.
00:50 Jadobe Awuzie is still working his way back from the ACL injury, and
00:53 that's provided opportunity for Turner.
00:55 And Turner is taking advantage of that opportunity,
00:58 showing himself to be fast, sticky, and natural on coverage.
01:01 He should figure into the corner rotation with Awuzie and Cam Taylor-Britt.
01:07 If there's a question in the secondary, it's probably more at safety.
01:10 Nick Scott, the veteran coming over from the Rams,
01:12 has locked down one of those spots.
01:14 Jordan Battle, a rookie from Alabama, is fighting Dax Hill,
01:17 the first round pick from a year ago, at the other spot.
01:19 Takeaway number three, a couple other position battles.
01:21 One's at right tackle, Jonah Williams moves over from the left side.
01:25 He's being pushed by Jackson Carmen, who got beat out last year at guard, but
01:29 looks more natural at tackle.
01:32 The other position to watch is the backup running back spot behind Joe Mixon.
01:35 TraeBion Williams, Chris Evans, and Chase Brown are fighting that one out.
01:40 And what could be key there, an underrated thing, is pass protection.
01:43 Because of course, the Bengals throw the ball a lot
01:46 in those third down types of situations.
01:48 Takeaway number four, the depth of the front seven has really improved.
01:53 With guys like Akeem Gaylor Davis looking like a starting linebacker,
01:56 Cam Sample, Joseph Versailles coming back off the injury, and
01:59 rookie Myles Murphy up front.
02:01 And that's a good sign for where the program is going.
02:04 The stars here are about to get really expensive.
02:06 That means drafting and developing is gonna become more important.
02:09 And what the Bengals are doing in the front seven is a good sign for
02:13 how adept they are at doing just that.
02:15 Finally, takeaway number five, of course, everyone wants to know about Joe Burrow.
02:19 The Bengals are still uncertain about how long it's gonna be for
02:23 him until he gets back on the practice field.
02:25 This injury typically takes, and this is with other players,
02:28 around four to six weeks.
02:29 They don't seem overly concerned that he's gonna be a question for week one.
02:33 And if there is a silver lining here, it's allowed them to get a longer look at their
02:36 backup quarterback battle between Trevor Simeon and Jake Brown.
02:40 And one thing that both those guys have brought, both operate at a high level
02:45 mentally, which has allowed the Bengals coaches to run their entire offense out
02:48 there and not have to hold back the other ten guys in the huddle.
02:51 That'll be it from Cincinnati.
02:53 Next stop, Nashville.
02:54 [MUSIC]