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There were some interesting surprises during training camp on Tuesday, many of them pleasant. With the Bengals back in pads, practice started off with some intensity.
Unfortunately, the Bengals retreated inside Paul Brown Stadium after the weather conditions deteriorated. The rain was initially thought to only be a 20-minute setback, and the team prepared to come back out shortly.
The players stayed busy during the break, and according to Tyler Boyd’s, John Ross’ and Joe Mixon’s Instagram stories, Josh Malone found a way to stay loose by turning the locker room into a dance floor.
Even though the Bengals wanted to continue practice, fans were asked to leave before they came back out.
the team ain’t done for the day but security is telling me that i am, in fact, done for the day
— john sheeran (@John__Sheeran) August 6, 2019
until thursday
It turned out that the weather would indeed end practice for good and finish some team sessions indoors.
After coming out to test the practice field, the Bengals are heading back inside.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) August 6, 2019
#Bengals finishing practice indoors.. Zac Taylor said there were a couple of team sessions that were left.. will do walkthrough inside.. Taylor said Mixon just got a maintenance day off and Bernard an extra day off
— Richard Skinner (@Local12Skinny) August 6, 2019
Injuries
RB Giovani Bernard continued to rest as some hamstring discomfort was recently put trade rumors to rest. WR John Ross is still day-to-day, so he continued to rehab as CB KeiVarae Russell appeared to have the day off. CB Darqueze Dennard and WR Hunter Sharp are recent additions to the rehab crew, while
A rare piece of good news came in after reports came in that rookie RB Rodney Anderson might be activated from the PUP list before the season starts. He spent Tuesday’s practice on the rehab field.
rehab field of gio, ross, dennard, anderson and sharp today. russell looks like he’s getting the day off.
— john sheeran (@John__Sheeran) August 6, 2019
Joe Mixon was also sidelined almost out of nowhere.
Running backs Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard are both not practicing today. Mixon is riding a stationary bike as the team starts practice. #Bengals
— Tyler Dragon (@TheTylerDragon) August 6, 2019
It turned out that the veteran backs were just given the day off.
Rest day for Gio Bernard and Joe Mixon.
— Lindsay Patterson (@LndsPatterson) August 6, 2019
Offensive line
All eyes have been on the offensive line during training camp to try and see who will start at left guard. John Jerry is listed as the first player on the depth chart with Christian Westerman and Trey Hopkins also rotating in the first spot.
There was a surprise there today as rookie Michael Jordan got the nod.
michael jordan out there at left guard with the 1s today
— john sheeran (@John__Sheeran) August 6, 2019
check him out against geno on this reach pic.twitter.com/KsTfr0yLlv
— john sheeran (@John__Sheeran) August 6, 2019
On the second line, Westerman was on the right and Jerry was on the left.
second team oline featuring christian westerman at right guard and john jerry at right tackle. both pave the way for a big jordan ellis run here. pic.twitter.com/aY3XxyOTDq
— john sheeran (@John__Sheeran) August 6, 2019
While it would be nice to see someone get some separation from the pack, it is great to see Zac Taylor is letting a lot of guys compete for the left guard spot. Marvin Lewis had a bad knack of handing jobs to veterans, and if anyone challenged them, it was usually just one guy getting limited reps.
Taylor, on the other hand, is letting four players compete for the same job. That kind of competition will bring the best out of everyone and help ensure the best man wins the job.