Nothing says your offense is ready for the regular season like a Joe Burrow back-shoulder throw oozing with timing and trust.
That's what the Bengals got Tuesday during a brisk joint practice against the Colts on the Kettering Health Practice Fields, as well as a stingy effort from their defensive starters that frustrated Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson for much of the day.
Bengals backup edge rusher Myles Murphy, their 2023 first-round pick stalking a breakout season, walked gingerly off the field late in practice with what appeared to be a knee injury.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had no initial report on Murphy after practice, where he said the starters won't play in Thursday's preseason finale (8 p.m.-Prime Video) against the Colts at Paycor Stadium.
Tuesday officially brought an end to Burrow's healthiest and most extensive preseason in his five NFL years, and Taylor had an encouraging word on his quarterback after the team's second joint practice in five days.
"To my eye, he looked great," Taylor said.
Veteran tight end Mike Gesicki, who had six catches in team and seven-on-seven drills Tuesday, confirmed that Burrow is ready after spending his first training camp with the Bengals during a career that includes three seasons of at least 50 catches.
"Really good. Really good. He's locked in," Gesicki said. "It's cool to see him go against another team, too. You see that competitive edge a little bit. It's fun to get out there and make a couple of plays for him."
Burrow twirled it most of the afternoon, and according to the eagle-eyed voice of the Bengals Dan Hoard, sifted 21 of 26 in team drills. He tacked on a five-of-six in seven-on-seven red zone work with touchdown passes to Gesicki and wide receiver Tee Higgins.
He did throw an interception when a blitz by linebacker Zaire Franklin sent the offense awry and cornerback Jaylon Jones plucked a free one out of the air. Two sacks also plagued his two-minute drill, but there was much more good than bad, such as Burrow's tight-window throw during team to Higgins for 15 yards on the right sideline with cornerback Dallis Flowers draped on him.
"The coaching staff has done a great job and the players have done a good job taking that coaching from the meeting room and taking it out to the field and execute like that," Gesicki said. "I think there's a lot of praise that could go around both upstairs and down here in the locker room."
On his third team in his seven NFL seasons, Gesicki was asked if it's the best team he's been on.
"I've been on a couple of talented rosters. I would say this one is at the top of that," Gesicki said.
Meanwhile Tuesday, the Bengals defense finished off a torrid camp with more solid coverage by their first-team cornerbacks Cam Taylor-Britt and Dax Hill. On Tuesday, safety Vonn Bell, the defense's de facto captain, was asked if he saw any similarities between this one and the 2021 Super Bowl unit.
"Sure, we've got energy, got enthusiasm, guys hold each other accountable," Bell said. "Guys run to the ball, they communicate at a high level. I think we're a step ahead of the offense. I think we're looking at everything through the same lens.
"We've got a lot more veterans. The young guys are ready to make an impact in this league and they're hungry. It takes every day on the practice field and film study, and get your mind right."
The defense came into camp ready to wipe away 2023 after an offseason where they fixed the secondary by re-signing Bell and pairing him with Ravens free-agent safety Geno Stone, the defending AFC interceptions champion.
The move freed up Hill, their 2022 first-rounder, to move to cornerback, and he's had a terrific last two weeks that has put him in the starting lineup.
Defensive captain Sam Hubbard said he thinks aspects of the defense are better than last year when they finished 26th in the NFL rankings.
"Geno Stone. Having Vonn back. Seeing Dax really develop at corner. A lot of great things are going on. I love where we are. You see (Hill) making plays. He's going about his business very seriously. Very professionally. It means a lot to him."
Richardson, the athletic quarterback the Colts took with the fourth pick last year, frustrated the Bengals because there were many plays he chose to run after dropping back to pass. When he did pass, there was usually nothing there. He kept trying to pick on Hill, but Hill only gave up one catch in team. The first defense only allowed Matt Gay's 62-yard field goal in the two-minute drill.
"Everybody was physical, flying around," Taylor-Britt said. "I don't know if they got a lot, honestly, besides him running the ball."
Richardson did throw one touchdown in the red zone, but he did little in the move-the-ball drill or third down. On the last snap of move-the-ball in the red zone, Hill closed fast to knock away a touchdown pass to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
Hill has been working on that kind of play this camp: A bang-bang play in the red zone that unfolds quicker than most.
"He knew he had to get on that release. He's playing with great tempo," Bell said. "Communication-wise and situation-wise, we got what we needed to get done."
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE DAY: TE Mike Gesicki
From the first seven-on-seven snap of the day when he zoomed down the middle beating the linebacker Franklin for 12 yards, Gesicki took advantage of wherever Burrow lined him up. Four of his catches came in team, and one came on third-and-eight when he made a diving catch. As usual, he lined up wide, in the slot, split and on the line during the day.
Gesicki says this camp is the most he's lined up on the line during his career. He thinks tight ends coach James Casey can expand his game as a receiver down there when he lines up chipping on a rusher or working out of play-action.
"I feel like (Casey) has done a good job teaching coaching points about blocking pre-snap," Gesicki said. "You've got to show you're an asset in the run game first. That's in the front of my mind. You can do a lot (on the line)."
OFFENSIVE PLAY OF THE DAY: Gesicki
Here's that back-shoulder play. Third-and-five. Burrow lofted a dime, but there was a slight problem. Jaylon Jones, the cornerback, had his inside arm pinned. So Gesicki made a stunning one-handed grab for the first down.
"I was trying to get them to throw the flag. I shouldn't have had to catch it one-handed, but the guy was holding my arm. So I couldn't move," Gesicki said. "If that ball was anywhere else, it wouldn't have been caught. It was only caught because he put it in the exact place. I just stuck my hand out there and got it."
The beauty of Gesicki is his experience. He's got a catalogue of 260 NFL catches. He recalls nearly making a similar play against Bengals safety Jessie Bates III in 2020, and then he actually caught one the following season from Jacoby Brissett during a Dolphins' win over the Texans.
"He picked up the offense very fast," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. "He understands the nuances and has chemistry with Joe."
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE DAY: CB Cam Taylor-Britt
CTB was all over the yard Tuesday in what turned out to be an intriguing matchup with talented second-round picks. Working against the Colts' 2020 second-round pick, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., Taylor-Britt forced a red-zone pick when he drove on Pittman, reached in and tipped the ball to linebacker Logan Wilson.
"They ran a flare route, and he ran a hitch, and I knew the hitch was coming," Taylor-Britt said. "(Richardson) stared it down, so I just drove on it."
In another red-zone sequence, Taylor-Britt, a 2022 second-round pick, knew the fade was coming from the 6-4, 223-pound Pittman.
"He only runs certain routes. So I just knew it was red zone and I was expecting a big body guy to go up for it."
Taylor-Britt outbodied Pittman as they went to the pylon. It wasn't a good throw and CTB made it worse, batting it away.
(It will be recalled that on the second day of the draft in 2020, the Bengals spent the day mulling the best receivers. Pittman was on the list, but Higgins carried the day with the first pick of the day. The Colts took Pittman next. Higgins finished his monstrous camp Tuesday with a seven-on-seven TD, and two plays of at least 15 yards in team.)
"Tee's really good. I would say throw it to him a lot," Gesicki said. "That's going to open it up for everybody else."
DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE DAY: DE Trey Hendrickson
There was a lot of griping about Richardson and even his ancient backup, Joe Flacco, running instead of passing. But one legit run play flashed Hendrickson's stunning athleticism inside the 10-yard line. Here's a 6-4, 270-pound man who has the third most sacks in the decade and, well, he devoured the extremely talented Richardson in space.
Let Hubbard tell it:
"They ran a zone read at Trey Hendrickson. He had Anthony Richardson one-on-one and beat him in a foot race to the boundary. Unbelievable. Fantastic play."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, the offensive play-caller, on why he spent so much time Tuesday watching the defense:
"Both of us are offensive head coaches, so to flip sides during practice, it just makes sense to be able to watch, monitor, however you want to phrase it, it's good for us to be able to do both."
