Chris Henry continues to impress all of us with his turnaround into maturity.
No one was injured during Friday's session. Cedric Benson ran hard, and got into a "brief scuffle" with Dhani Jones and Keith Rivers.
Even though Fui Vakapuna is the team's starter, Jeremi Johnson came into camp "in the 275-pound range" and actually participated in Training Camp.
Palmer's first day was very rusty. "He had zip but not pinpoint control," writes Hobson.
Rey Maualuga and Chase Coffman signed autographs for fans until the fans were forced to leave.
Walker said of Maualuga:
It's easy to tell that rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga is getting antsy for full contact. On several occasions Friday, Maualuga put forth extra effort in wrapping up ball carriers in what was expected to be a low-contact day. In particular, Maualuga laid a pretty good shot on an unsuspecting Chris Henry when the receiver caught the ball in his area. The coaching staff may have to work on toning down Maualuga's aggressiveness against his own team in practice this summer. But for the Bengals, it beats the alternative.
Robert Geathers is working his way back after having microfracture surgery on a severely injured knee against the Steelers in late November.
"I feel good," Geathers said. "I'm free for the first day. I still got a ways to go to get my legs under me. But so far I don't think I'm that far off. We're still on schedule."
As expected, with Smith holding out (thanks Alvin), Anthony Collins is working with the first team. Now it's up to Collins to keep the spot, even if Smith returns. But that would suggest NFL players earn spots based on hard work and results, rather than contract.