Bengals News (7/31): Hayden Hurst making most of opportunity

Evan McPherson's 65-yarder Jolts Bengals Training Camp
The Bengals fan favorites took over the orange-and-black festival known "Back Together Saturday," when the AFC champions welcomed back the faithful to Paul Brown Stadium for a training camp practice started by Man of the People running back Joe Mixon's address to the fans and ended with Evan McPherson's 65-yard bomb of a field goal that was the longest seen in these parts by special teams archivist Darrin Simmons.

Bengals Training Camp New Start For Hurst
"I'd have to say yes," said Hurst, when asked before practice if this is the most comfortable he's been in his five NFL seasons. "It's really that the coaching staff sees what I'm able to do. The confidence from the coaching staff. They believe in you and talk to you about stuff. Very transparent. It gives you confidence to go out and do your thing."

Bengals remain mum on Joe Burrow’s return from appendix surgery
At Back Together Saturday, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor wasn’t too interested in diving into the details on Joe Burrow’s return from appendix surgery.

Evan McPherson Kicks 65-Yard Field Goal at Cincinnati Bengals Practice
Evan McPherson has quickly established himself as one of the NFL's best kickers. He booted a 65-yard field goal in front of 28,283 fans to end Bengals' practice on Saturday.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero: It'd be a 'surprise' if safety Jessie Bates isn't playing for Cincinnati Bengals in 2022
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says that it'd be a 'surprise' if safety Jessie Bates isn't playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 NFL season.

Bengals camp: La’el Collins’ timeline is unknown, but there’s no worry - The Athletic
Placed on the non-football injury list Saturday with a back issue, Collins did some side rehab work on the field at Wednesday’s first practice but none since. Collins and offensive line coach Frank Pollack said the situation is not ideal, but neither expressed concern that the injury or the layoff would affect Collins’ preparation for the regular season.

Around the league

2022 NFL training camps: 10 things we learned from 'Back Together Saturday'
It's important, perhaps more than anything else, to note that it is very early in training camp. Everything we hear -- the optimism, the best-shape-of-his-life gushing, the changes in scheme and position -- needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Training Camp Buzz: QB Josh Allen willing to scuffle with Bills defense; Miles Sanders still Eagles' RB1
Jaguars teammates Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne have been on the same sideline for half a decade, but the quarterback has never seen his backfield mate quite like this. "I honestly think he looks like he's in better shape than I thought he was in our last year at Clemson," Lawrence said Saturday of the second-year RB. That's saying something, considering Etienne accounted for 6,107 total yards and 78 touchdowns in his four years at Clemson and both Lawrence and Etienne were first-round picks of the Jaguars in 2021. Unfortunately, the star RB didn't play a single down in his rookie year after suffering a serious foot injury in the preseason. But with an entire campaign to sit and get his body right, Etienne has emerged even better than before, at least according to his longtime quarterback.

DK Metcalf admits to bluffing Seahawks in negotiations before new deal struck
"I was going to be here, as much as I bluffed to John," Metcalf said Friday. "I wasn't leaving, just to let you all know. I wanted to be here. I wanted to play here and I'm glad that we got something done."

Aaron Rodgers on his new-look WR group: 'I like the guys that we got'
"I like the guys that we got," Rodgers said Saturday on Training Camp: Back Together Saturday. "Obviously not having Davante, who took the lion's share of the targets last year and had an incredible season, there's gonna be the same amount of balls and yards and touchdowns to go around. So now it's a matter of who's going to be in those situations to make those plays."