Joe Burrow took a deep shot, and so did the Bengals roster in Saturday night's festive Paycor Stadium preseason opener where their young players put enough on tape to spice up a short week.
The Bengals return to training camp Monday for two practices before breaking camp Wednesday to travel to Chicago for Thursday's joint practice with the Bears, which sets up their preseason game Saturday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's FOX 19) at Soldier Field.
Burrow headlined the 17-14 loss to Tampa Bay with a 12-play touchdown drive that heralded his first appearance since last November.
But if it was a good night for the scriptwriters, so it was, too, for the Bengals player personnel department.
The Bengals' last three first-round picks — Dax Hill, Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims — flashed. So did this year's two seventh-round picks, safety Daijahn Anthony and center Matt Lee. Third-rounder Jermaine Burton caught the night's two longest plays, undrafted Wisconsin free agent linebacker Maema Njongmeta was their highest-graded defensive player via Pro Football Focus and the two punters both had a good night to begin their competition.
The first dozen training camp practices with all the X clips, breakdowns, takeaways and coveted Players of the Day were all very nice, but the competition for the 53-man roster spots officially began Saturday night. The club came into camp thinking they had 60 or so players who could make it, and that played out against the Bucs.
A look at the roster. (NFL years in parenthesis)
QUARTERBACKS (4)
Joe Burrow (5), Logan Woodside (5), Jake Browning (2), Rocky Lombardi (R)
Rocket Man has launched. Browning didn't get points in his seven drives, but when was the last time the Bengals quarterback room has been this strong at this point in training camp? A healthy Pro Bowl starter with one crisp preseason touchdown drive under his belt and a backup coming off a 4-3 playoff bid?
Woodside lit it up in his Paycor return, six years after his only appearance when he was a Bengals' seventh-round pick. He was pretty good back then, 9 of 15 for 96 yards in the 2018 preseason finale before they cut him a few weeks later. But he was lights out Saturday with a 137 passer rating and 149 yards on his eight completions. He showed why head coach Zac Taylor believes he's a competent veteran who can run a game in a pinch.
WIDE RECEIVERS (11)
Tee Higgins (5), Trenton Irwin (5), Ja'Marr Chase (4), Hakeem Butler (2), Andrei Iosivas (2), Charlie Jones (2), Kendric Pryor (2), Shed Jackson (1), Kwamie Lassiter II (1), Cole Burgess (R), Jermaine Burton (R).
Taylor has classified Jones as week-to-week after knocking knees in last week's practice. They believe this position is as deep as any in the NFL, and it certainly showed up from top to bottom Saturday. Higgins dominated the first drive, and Burton made the two longest plays of the night on the final two drives.
With Iosivas playing so well (a nifty 23-yard catch out of the slot on which he made a nice adjustment) and the coaches valuing Irwin's reliability at any receiver spot and on special teams, Burton still has a climb to get into the regular action with Burrow as he continues to get more comfortable in the offense. But he certainly is a big-time prospect who is likely to gain earlier snaps making downfield catches like he made Saturday.
Burgess (hamstring) figures to debut in Chicago in what could be a practice squad bid.
TIGHT ENDS (6)
Mike Gesicki (7), Drew Sample (6), Tanner Hudson (5), Erick All Jr. (R), Cam Gandy (R), Tanner McLachlan (R)
All played only two snaps, but The Bengals are getting ready to take the wraps off the fourth-rounder this week. They've been careful as they bring him back from ACL surgery, but they've been impressed in his limited practices. The coaches love his approach to blocking, how well he runs and how physical is when catches the ball.
With two big catches in Browning's two-minute drill at the end of the half (he maybe should have caught another) Hudson showed why he's one of Burrow's go-to-guys. Sample had some good blocks on Chase Brown runs in the first drive. After a quiet camp, the sixth-rounder McLachlan had a 23-yard run-and-catch late.
RUNNING BACKS (6)
Trayveon Williams (6), Zack Moss (5), Chris Evans (4), Chase Brown (2), Noah Cain (R), Elijah Collins (R)
Moss didn't play because he was sick, but Brown had his quicks on to tease the Bengals' new-look backfield under Burrow. Brown committed in the offseason to work on his pass-blocking and, like the entire drive, the script played out. On Higgins' touchdown catch, Brown came across the formation to pick up the blitz.
Good depth here, too. They know Williams and Evans offer quality snaps and special teams experience.
OFFENSIVE LINE (15)
RT Trent Brown (10), C Ted Karras (9), LT Orlando Brown Jr. (7), RG Alex Cappa (7), G-T Cody Ford (6), T Jackson Carman (4), C-G Trey Hill (4), T D'Ante Smith (4), LG Cordell Volson (3), T Devin Cochran (2), C Nate Gilliam (1), G Jaxson Kirkland (1), C Matt Lee (R), RT Eric Miller (R), RT Amarius Mims (R).
When Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz is talking about how well he passed off a stunt with Cappa at right guard, Mims knows he had a pretty good NFL debut. Solid.
Two backup guys with impressive camps, Kirkland at left guard and Lee at center, kept it going. Kirkland has shown he's not afraid to mix it up with anybody. Lee, the seventh-rounder, went in with Woodside for the last 15 plays and kept everything clean as the Bengals very nearly pulled it out.
According to PFF, Lee, wrapped in a competition with Hill, had the highest pass grade among the Bengals' interior offensive linemen with no pressures on 13 pass blocks.
DEFENSIVE LINE (19)
T Sheldon Rankins (9), E Trey Hendrickson (8), T B.J. Hill (7), E Sam Hubbard (7), E Joseph Ossai (4), T Jay Tufele (4), T Zach Carter (3), T Carlos Davis (3), T Travis Bell (2), E Jeff Gunter (2), T Devonnsha Maxwell (2), E Myles Murphy (2), T Joshua Pryor (2), T Domenique Davis (1), E Justin Blazek (R), E Andre Carter (R), T McKinnley Jackson (R), T Kris Jenkins Jr. (R), E Cedric Johnson (R).
Cedric Johnson, the sixth-rounder from Ole Miss, may be emerging as a possible option to replace the sidelined Cam Sample as a potential inside-out player. He showed up big Saturday with a lip-of-the-red zone sequence on the edge in the third quarter: A bull rush sack followed up by a run stop.
Johnson had another hit on the quarterback and three other tackles on a night, translating his strong camp.
With three starting defensive linemen down with minor ailments, Cincinnati decided not to play Hill, either. So Jenkins and Carter got plenty of work in the middle. With 23 snaps in his debut, Jenkins, the second-rounder, held his own.
The tackle who really stood out was Bell, the second-year player they acquired on waivers late last season after he played two games for the Falcons. He didn't get in a game there, but he was stout in his Bengals debut Saturday. He mauled for a sack, stuffed a third-and-one and had three tackles.
Murphy and Ossai got 23 snaps each on the first edge, and Murphy had some good rushes and hit the quarterback twice. Ossai got into the backfield first on a recovered fumble. Gunter did what he does: He got half a sack, meaning he's tallied at least half a sack in the last three preseasons.
LINEBACKERS (8)
Germaine Pratt (6), Joe Bachie (5), Akeem Davis-Gaither (5), Logan Wilson (5), Devin Harper (3), Shaka Heyward (1), Aaron Casey (R), Maema Njongmeta (R).
First things first. On the first defense's only series, a three-and-out, Pratt and Wilson swarmed. On third down, Wilson was draped on the safety valve to force the punt.
Njongmeta, the college free agent out of Wisconsin, showed up when the bell rang and not so quietly threw in for the fifth backer spot. His 45 plays led all Bengals' defenders, his 10 tackles led the game, his 91.4 overall PFF grade led all Bengals defenders and he got his hands on two passes. He seems to be one of these guys whose measurables belie his production because he plays with terrific instincts.
There is competition for that fifth spot. Heyward was the next leading tackler with five, and he had half a sack. Harper had a hand in a fourth-down stop and added a tackle on special teams.
SECONDARY (17)
S Vonn Bell (9), CB Mike Hilton (8), CB Jalen Davis (5), S Geno Stone (5), S Tycen Anderson (3), CB Dax Hill (3), CB Cam Taylor-Britt (3), S Jordan Battle (2), CB Nate Brooks (2), CB DJ Ivey (2), CB DJ Turner II (2), CB Allan George (1), S Daijahn Anthony (R), S Michael Dowell (R), S PJ Jules (R), CB Josh Newton (R), CB Lance Robinson (R).
It took less than a half for Hill to roam all over the place and show why the Bengals moved him from safety to cornerback. He almost tapped an interception to himself, and he used his elite closing speed to knock away two other balls.
Newton is another rookie who translated. He reached down and showed the leadership grit they saw when he transferred from tiny Louisiana-Monroe and helped lead Texas Christian University to a national title game.
On Saturday he got beat on a deep ball and then took a shot at the goal line that knocked the wind out of him. He came back off the bench, made a leaping interception out of the slot, and added two tackles, one each from scrimmage and special teams.
Anthony was having a good game (three tackles), before he got kicked in the face and left after his 37th snap. Jules flashed his experience of 56 games at Southern Illinois and had four tackles to go with a pass defensed.
Anderson didn't play, but he may be ready to see action in Chicago as the Bengals sift through the safety depth.
SPECIALISTS (4)
K Evan McPherson (4), LS Cal Adomitis (3), P Brad Robbins (2), P Ryan Rehkow (R)
The competition between Robbins and Rehkow got off with an even start, even down to the fact they each took three punts.
They both had good Saturday nights with Rehkow getting off two 59-yarders and Robbins a 60. Rehkow had a touchback and he also got off a low-liner, but it still went 50 yards, which they'll take on a mis-hit. Two of the balls Robbins drilled were maybe as good or better than anything he hit all last year.
With the way both worked, they've got to feel they're in a much better spot at punter than they were a year ago at this time.
McPherson shoved a 58-yard field goal try at the end of the half wide right, but it always seems to have the legs.
