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The theatre for Operation No. 2 Receiver gathers like a prevailing storm just before God's exhale upon Paul Brown Stadium. All the while A.J. Green sits upon his throne of awesome plastic lawn chair with a mojito, while cocking an eyebrow upon revelations when one candidate surges ahead in the polls.
What's interesting about the anxious battle to find the No. 2 receiver is the variety of talent that these players highlight. Some have straight-line speed, others are stronger in traffic. None really the ideal all-around talent-level to become the next great type, which has often forced conclusions of having a committee situation, much like the prophesy at running back.
Zac Jackson with Fox Sports Ohio reflects on his impressions from media-invited workouts earlier this offseason, writing that Binns "caught just about everything thrown his way."
Who's the big guy with the long, fluid strides wearing No. 85? There are no TV cameras following him, so we know it's not Chad Johnson/Ochocinco. It's Binns (6'3, 210), who put together a strong spring after spending most of last season on the Bengals practice squad. He was called up to the active roster late in the year but didn't see much game action. He caught just about everything thrown his way in minicamp and OTAs, and he's put himself in position to make a leap this season. Binns has a whole lot of proving to do, but it appears he'll get his chance to do it over the next several weeks.
Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer offered similar observations during offseason workouts, concluding during his camp rosterology on Wednesday that Binns "some nice athleticism in offseason workouts and has made the most improvement out of any player on the roster in a year."
Much can happen from now until early September. It's still difficult to really see beyond the fog of candidates fighting to claim the No. 2 spot. And that's what makes training camp this year a little exciting.