The Cincinnati Bengals have completed their two weeks of training camp, well, one week and six days. Either way, there are several key takeaways so far from Bengals training camp. It's still early in the preseason, but there are several things that stood out in practices. Some of the Bengals training camp news is positive, but not all of it. With that in mind here are four things we learned so far from Bengals training camp.
The Injuries
Injuries are an unfortunate reality of the NFL and the Bengals haven't been immune to them. Focusing on the major ones, there's still questions around just how long DT Andrew Billings will be out. He was expected to contribute at DT, but was carted off the field with a knee injury. There's still no word on how long he'll be out. CB and 2016 first rounder William Jackson tore his pectoral muscle in early August. Best case, he's placed on the IR-designated to return list.
In minor injuries, Darqueze Dennard and Andrew Whitworth are sitting out practices, although they shouldn't miss any regular season time. Vontaze Burfict is being held out of the preseason, but he'll be back for Week 4 after his suspension ends.
Wide Receiver Break Down
A.J. Green is the No. 1 wide out, but with both Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu elsewhere, the rest of the WR depth chart was unclear. That's starting to change in camp. Brandon LaFell, a free agent addition, looks to have the No. 2 spot locked up. Second round rookie Tyler Boyd is drawing plenty of praise, and should line up in the slot. If he lives up to the hype, he could be targeted more than LaFell.
But the rest of the position is up in the air. Brandon Tate, who has drawn the ire of Bengals fans in the past, is the veteran and listed as the No. 4 WR. James Wright, Mario Alford and several others will push Tate and fight for the No. 5 spot. Wright in particular is worth watching.
Offensive Struggles Against Vikings
The Bengals are doing joint practices with the Vikings, and the offense is struggling.
This has been over half of the Bengals plays in 11 on 11 pic.twitter.com/2LzF1jwLf9
— Stephen A Turner (@StephenATurner) August 10, 2016
The offense has struggled to put points up on the board, even when starting in the red zone. Green has appeared frustrated at several points in camp.
Can feel the frustration from A.J. Green after another failed red zone play. I cut off video before NSFW language. pic.twitter.com/gBjAoizxJP
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) August 11, 2016
The Bengals hope issues on offense will be figured out before the season starts. The loss of offensive coordinator Hue Jackson could be a problem here.
C.J. Uzomah Stepping Up
With Tyler Eifert potentially not ready to start the season as he recovers from injury and fellow TE Tyler Kroft nursing a knee injury, C.J. Uzomah is stepping up. He's looked sharp in practice and might be the player of the camp so far. A fifth round pick in 2015, the Bengals wanted Uzomah to take a step forward. He's doing just that, and at a time the Bengals need him with injuries at the position.
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