Day 2 of Cincinnati Bengals training camp was much like the first.
Meaning, littered with impressive showings from offensive players primed for breakouts and question marks around some key names.
Some thoughts on the day:
- Some are making far too big of a deal over Ja’Marr Chase taking it easy. Zac Taylor made it clear that would happen. There’s zero reason to think it is contract-related. And we are literally about one year to the day (July 27) from Joe Burrow’s non-contact injury that derailed an entire season. In other words, relax.
- Mike Gesicki had a one-handed grab of note and was once again a standout part of the offense. There’s a real chance he can be the best tight end of the Burrow era.
- Breakout candidate and rookie Jermaine Burton caught a deep pass from Jake Browning, using his speed to break free. It’s looking harder to imagine he won’t see the field regularly.
- No practice for Trey Hendrickson. It’s just another veteran the coaches will go slow with, seeing as it’s late July, after all.
- The emerging big winner at wideout so far? Andrei Iosivas, who keeps getting looks in the slot and making those expected big plays.
- Looking more and more like Chase Brown is heading for that massive breakout if he can stay healthy. He started practice by working with the wide receivers — a continuation of the pass-catching emphasis of his offseason.
- Amarius Mims…the tight end? The Bengals have shown a ton of multiple looks already, which will make them more versatile next season.
- Joe Burrow looks good. Really good. He’s still getting on the same page as some of the new guys, but he’s bigger than ever and unafraid of taking off with his legs, too.
