For the first time this year, the Bengals veterans took the field for on-field coaching sessions. There were old faces that we've seen in orange and black before and some new faces that donned a Bengals jersey for the first time. Draft picks and college free agents won't practice with the "old guys" until next week.
Joe Reedy gave us an inside look at some of the bigger moments in today's practice. Reedy Wrote:
- Adam Jones (24) and Gibril Wilson (27) were on the field for the first time since signing their contracts on Monday. Jones had a couple nice pass breakups during the practice.
- Michael Johnson worked out at linebacker.
- Injury update: Safeties Chris Crocker (ankle) and Tom Nelson (ankle) were doing rehab work on the side along with defensive end Antwan Odom (Achilles). Defensive tackle Pat Sims (forearm) is expected not to return to the field until training camp in late July.
- Jerome Simpson had a couple nice catches, including one over Johnathan Joseph on a Carson Palmer bomb. Joseph did get a nice pass breakup on Simpson later in the practice.
- The other nice Palmer throw of the day came on a nice medium touch pass over the middle where he lofted it to Bernard Scott, who caught it in the end zone while being covered by linebacker Abdul Hodge.
- It was a veteran’s workout. The draft picks and college free agents will not return until next week.
Adam Jones, who I'm sure was hounded by the media after practice, didn't take any questions but he did issue this statement:
"First of all, I want to thank God for putting me in this situation. I want to thank the fans, the media for y’all attention today. I think I still have the skill set that I’ve had that made me a high draft choice.
"I know I have a ton, ton of work to do. It would be a dream come true to come in and help the Bengals in any way I can, also help win a championship. Like I said, I know I have a ton of work to do. To gain you guys’ trust is not going to come overnight, it’s going to take time. So all I can do is take it one day at a time, focus in on the things I’ve been focusing on, and come play football, man.
"Like I said, I’m happy to be here. I want to thank the city of Cincinnati for giving me and my family a fresh start. I want to thank the guys upstairs, Mr. Brown, I want to thank coach, I want to thank coach Zimmer, I want to thank the whole organization. I’m happy to be here and I look forward to talking to you all real soon"
It was a veteran’s workout. The draft picks and college free agents will not return until next week. This is where the competition for guys to earn a spot on the active roster begins. Wide receiver, safety and back-up cornerback are positions that will be interesting to watch over the next couple months. There is an abundance of talent at each position and not enough room on the roster to keep everyone.
At wide receiver, it is thought that the only two guys who are definitely going to be on the field are Chad Ochocinco and Antonio Bryant. Other than those two, veterans Matt Jones, Andre Caldwell, Freddie Brown, Quan Cosby, Chris Davis, Jarome Simpson and Maruice Purify (who has likely sealed his fate already) will compete for the remaining roster spots with rookies Jordan Shipley and Dezmon Briscoe. At safety, Roy Williams and Chris Crocker, the anticipated starters, are going to need to prove they deserve their starting jobs against Chinedum Ndukwe and Gibril Wilson among others. The Bengals are set at cornerback. Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph are in no danger of losing their starting jobs. There will be some heavy competition between the other corners to get a spot on the roster as a backup and a possible successor to one of the starting corners in the next couple years. Adam Jones, Keiwan Ratliff, Morgan Trent and David Jones will compete for a roster sport with rookie Brandon Ghee.