The Bengals opened their mandatory minicamp Tuesday, and Josh Newton wasted no time reminding everyone he's still very much in the cornerback mix when he stepped in front of wide receiver Tee Higgins’ out route and picked off quarterback Joe Burrow on the second snap of seven-on-seven.

Newton, a third-year player looking to regain his rookie form, chalked it up to formation recognition followed by knowing the route. He also knows picking Burrow, the game's most accurate passer ever, is special even in June.

"Doesn't matter whenever," Newton said after the workout. "He's the best quarterback in the league."

Newton's strength since he came into the league as a fifth-rounder is his football savvy. Now he's trying to match it with other skills.

"A lot of improvement," he said of his goals. "Especially tackling and getting people to the ground. That's one of the biggest things we've been talking about (this spring)."

Newton, who was spelling starter Dax Hill, figures to be in the hunt for the nickel spot, along with incumbent Jalen Davis and newcomer Ja’Sir Taylor. And the drafting of the 6-4 Oregon cornerback Tacario Davis in the third round has made the cornerback room tighter with play that has impressed coaches and players alike.

"He's smooth," Newton said of Davis. "And he can move for his size. They say big corners can't move, but he can. I've seen some things I like. Now it's about the line of scrimmage because that's where we're going to use him as a big corner."

Slants and Screens

Was it the pick? For whatever reason, Burrow stayed on the field for an extra 50 minutes after practice throwing and doing conditioning. It could be that in the final week of spring ball, Burrow is getting as much work in with his receivers as he can before the five-week break starts this week ...

Newton almost had another pick when he did everything but come down with the ball as he blanketed wide receiver Charlie Jones step for step down the right sideline. And yet Jones came up with a miraculous one-handed catch while lying down.

"Fig did everything he could on that play," said Jones, who made the catch despite getting his pinky taped last week for a nagging injury.

A few plays earlier, Jones' good buddy, tight end Mike Gesicki, made a wondrous leaping one-handed grab over his head on a ball from Burrow.

"Too bad," Gesicki said to a sideline observer, "that it was in June and not October."

Jones felt the same way, but he also knows he's in a competitive room: "Anytime you get an opportunity to make a play, it's important. That's the way you get on the field is building that confidence first, so I'm looking forward to continuing that."

Like with the cornerbacks, the draft has tightened things at wide receiver behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, and Jones. Fourth-rounder Colbie Young is going nowhere, Mitch Tinsley has proven to be reliable and resourceful off the bench, and Ke'Shawn Williams popped big returns on a punt and kick in three games last year. We're not even talking about practice squad stalwart and coaching fave Kendric Pryor, as well as Dohnte Meyers, a 1,000-yard CFL product in his first NFL stint.

And Jones is having a good spring, plus his three career return touchdowns make him a formidable figure in the roster world.

"The more competition, the better for everybody," Jones said ...

Assistant strength and conditioning coach Garrett Swanson calls them, "The Doomsday Squad." And yet at the end of practice, punter Ryan Rehkow kicked his long of the four-set period with a 35-yard field goal to make him 3-for-4 on Tuesday.

Even though he last kicked about 10 years ago in his freshman spring at BYU, and two tight ends, Tanner Hudson and Cam Grandy, held and long-snapped, respectively.

"Something has to really hit the fan for that to happen," said Rehkow, who kicked a 57-yarder as a high school junior.

Indeed, the Bengals not having kicker Evan McPherson would qualify as a state of emergency. Not having Rehkow holding and William Wagner would be DEFCON 1. But Rehkow, Hudson, and Grandy proved Tuesday they can come to the rescue in a nice effort by three guys who had never tried a field goal together before. And that was a heck of a kick for Rehkow back at Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley, Wash.

But not close to the state record, which belongs to older brother Austin's 67-yarder in 2012. Austin, who has had stints as a punter with three NFL teams, came up just a yard short of the national high school record.

His brother is too modest.

"We were getting blown out. That was a consolation prize," Rehkow said. "If something happens to Evan, can you get us through the game and then we'll find somebody. It's not a long-term solution."