In the Bengals' first extensive practice of the week leading to Sunday's (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) opener against the Patriots at Paycor Stadium, all looked to be well in Bengaldom with three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on the practice field Wednesday.
Chase returned to practice after he got on the field last week for some work against the backdrop of contract extension negotiations. Through the preseason, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has remained upbeat about Chase's ability to get out of the gate quickly despite a truncated training camp.
He cites his work ethic in the weight room and familiarity with the playbook, where he plays all three wide receiver positions.
Before Wednesday's practice, Taylor said fitting Chase into a game plan with limited practice reps and not knowing his availability isn't out of the ordinary.
"We deal with this all the time with injuries," Taylor said. "Where guys are limited through the week or don't practice during the week, and our guys have always done a great job in the meetings of being responsible for it. I think we do a good job of teaching that, walking through it. There are a lot of ways to get people ready to play in a game."
It looks like Dan Pitcher could have Chase in his first game as the Bengals offensive coordinator. No matter when he gets him, Pitcher said before practice he has no worries what he'll get.
"I think he's undertaken actions to help him play when he plays, and I'm not concerned about his level of play when we have him," Pitcher said.
BUSY IOSIVAS
It's not only the first post-Bill Belichick game for the Patriots, it's also the first post-Tyler Boyd game for the Bengals as they try to fill his production in the slot.
Although sophomore Andrei Iosivas had a terrific camp playing all over the place in Chase's absence, Pitcher said Iosivas is going to be his primary guy in the slot against New England.
"I think that's fair. I think that qualifying word is important. Primary can mean 51%. It can mean 90%," Pitcher said. "I don't know where that's going to fall. Maybe that word is not appropriate two weeks from now. I think he's done enough to warrant opportunity as the primary. One of our options to kind of fill that void left by Tyler. But there are other players that have definitely shown that they deserve opportunity as well and we intend to use all those guys."
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Right tackle Trent Brown, the 10-year vet from New England, has battled a tight back this preseason, but Pitcher says he's ready.
"I think Trent is in a place where he's going to play effectively for us. I think we've seen some really good things from him in training camp and we look forward to what he can provide us on the edge in protection certainly, also in the run game," Pitcher said. "His length, his strength, the width that he sets the pocket. Certainly, his experience doesn't hurt. He's played a lot of football games. He understands what he needs to do with his skill set to be effective, so we expect him to be effective." …
It's the first time Pitcher has been in the press box since the Bengals' 2019 finale, when he was the assistant quarterbacks coach.
It's quite a view.
"The first preseason game, it was like I was on another planet. I was up there for my first four years here, so it's not like it's something I've never done," Pitcher said. "It's definitely a very different gameday experience. But I think given my primary responsibilities right now, it makes sense for me to be there, and I think it's where I can best help Zac." …
