Jeremy Hill getting first-team work alongside Giovani Bernard

The Bengals want to improve their rushing attack that ranked just 18th in the NFL last year. With the promotion of Hue Jackson to offensive coordinator and the 2nd-round selection of Jeremy Hill in this year's draft, Cincinnati figures to make that improvement in 2014.

It's been evident in OTAs how high the team is on Hill while also wanting to see what he's capable of. ESPN's Coley Harvey reports Hill has been getting reps with the first-team offense, even alongside Giovani Bernard at times:

It's clear after the first two open OTAs that they are trying to see whether he'll be ready to be used regularly this fall. So far, Hill has gotten his share of hand-offs with the first-team unit alongside Bernard. The two have been in the backfield at the same time, in addition to trading roles as the lone back in single-back sets that get called.

This also means BenJarvus Green-Ellis is getting pushed back into a group of running backs that will be in a dog-fight just to earn a roster spot.

It's left veteran BenJarvus Green-Ellis a little bit out of the starting picture. Green-Ellis has gotten his opportunities to work in Cincinnati's running back rotation, one that includes Rex Burkhead and Cedric Peerman, but it's clear Hill and Bernard are trending toward being the top tandem in the Bengals' backfield.