5 takeaways from recent Bengals OTAs
· Yahoo Sports
It’s early June, but the Cincinnati Bengals have combated sweltering heat by starting indoors before taking OTAs outside.
All heat, regardless, for 7-on-7 work and otherwise for an offense headed up by Joe Burrow and weapons like Ja’Marr Chase.
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All attention, too, mostly goes to a revamped defense, for a variety of obvious reasons.
Here’s a quick look at takeaways from recent Bengals OTAs sessions.
No contract drama
No Trey Hendrickson sideline interviews while his teammates practice behind him. No rookie bashing the front office from the locker room.
A contract standoff? Not really. Cornerback DJ Turner could force the issue if he wanted to. But he’s not, instead opting to show up and be with his teammates while saying the right things with a microphone in his face. He’s the mega-contract candidate this summer and there’s no reason to think things get negative this time, which is nice.
Overlooked free agent standing out
Don’t look now, but Ja’Sir Taylor is starting to make some noise. He was a quiet signing that seemed like depth at best. But breaking up Joe Burrow passes has a way of turning some heads. There’s a slot job up for grabs, so maybe he can push Jalen Davis and others.
Another free agent to watch
Kyle Dugger. The Bengals want Jordan Battle and Bryan Cook as the main guys at safety. But Dugger has been getting some first-team reps so far, too. He’s versatile enough to play all over the field, which likely means he’s locked down a hybrid role that puts him third or so on the depth chart on the 53.
Contract stuff
Joe Burrow finally got his contract restructured. Nice back-end accounting that means, if nothing else, that the Bengals are acting like a modern NFL franchise. They also got rookie Cashius Howell under contract, wrapping up their entire draft class.
Bengals rookie’s notable usage
Speaking of Cashius Howell, he’s getting looks at linebacker. The Bengals run a multiple defense and want to stay unpredictable. Getting a rookie involved in various spots helps work toward that goal. Maybe it doesn't happen often, but Howell is part of the solution to linebacker problems and fixing last year’s so-so pass-rush.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: 5 takeaways from recent Bengals OTAs