When the Cincinnati Bengals took the field for their first rep of 11-on-11 drills at practice on Tuesday, linebacker Germaine Pratt had a message for the defense.
Pratt had ended the previous day’s practice with an interception of quarterback Joe Burrow. On Tuesday, he started the practice by making the talking motion with his hand, signaling to the rest of the unit that they needed to communicate for another standout day of training camp.
Then, cornerback Chidobe Awizue broke up a pass and stopped wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a short pickup. Then, defensive end Sam Hubbard got to the quarterback on nearly every other play. Then, defensive end Trey Hendrickson intercepted his first pass in a Bengals practice uniform.
After every win, the defense celebrated. Meanwhile, the offense has had nothing to talk about.
“Let’s give credit to the defense right now,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “They’re playing better than they have in the last three training camps I’ve been to. That’s just the confidence that they’re playing with, the chemistry that they’ve developed over a short time, the understanding of the principles that we’re employing.”
Through the first week of training camp, the offense is still waiting for the explosive moments that Taylor expected when the team drafted Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins, extended Joe Mixon and then drafted Ja’Marr Chase.
On Tuesday, Burrow only completed one first-down pass as the offense struggled for his third practice this week. On Wednesday, Burrow got the day off.
“Just by watching (Burrow) move around in the pocket, his pocket presence I’ve seen seems great,” Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd said. “I feel like he’s ready to go. I also feel he (doesn’t) want to do too much. We are not going out there trying to destroy a defense. We aren’t going out there worried about killing them and trying to score every single play. It’s a whole unit thing so we have to make sure all 11 guys are tied into that play knowing their exact job.”
When the offense has practiced without either line on the field, Burrow has had impressive moments connecting with receivers. On Tuesday, before 11-on-11 drills, he found Higgins in the back corner of the end-zone as Higgins made a one-handed catch.
With Chase going one-on-one with Awuzie, Burrow sent a 20-yard pass to Chase down the left sideline. Chase maneuvered away from Awuzie, turned his head and caught a perfectly placed high pass. Burrow also threw a strike across the middle of the field in one-on-one passing drills and found Tyler Boyd with cornerback Awuzie trailing him by half a step.
Despite the lack of explosive plays in 11-on-11 drills, there isn’t any concern about the wide receivers' ability to get separation.
“(The defense) should be amped up like that because they’re going against an elite offense,” Boyd said. “I don’t get down when they get the best of us. I love it.”
But when it’s been the full offense against the full defense, those moments haven’t happened so far. Burrow’s interception was a result of Hubbard blowing by right tackle D’Ante Smith, Burrow needing to make a quick play and throwing the ball to Hendrickson.
Part of his struggles in 11-on-11 could have been impacted by the offensive line. Offensive tackle Jonah Williams has practiced well, but the defensive line got pressure up the middle and on the edge. On another play, cornerback Mike Hilton broke into the backfield and deflected Burrow’s pass into the ground.
“I think it’s the whole (offense) right now,” Taylor said. “We’re just getting a feel for each other. You’d like to be throwing touchdowns on every play right now but we got some progress to be made. But there’s no cause for panic for any reason.”
But Burrow also left a few throws on the table. On one of them, Burrow underthrew a wide receiver attempting a comeback route on the right sideline. His pass was closer to the cornerback, who trapped the ball against the ground.
“For all of our quarterbacks, it’s just getting used to that pocket movement,” Taylor said. “We’ve been doing (skeleton pads) all spring, and it’s the first day in pads, where guys are really coming off the ball and tightening up the pocket. I only expect that to improve going forward.”
The other way of looking at the first week of camp is that the defense has won its matchups at every level. In the offseason, the Bengals spent $100 million in contracts on defensive ends, drafted four defensive linemen and added three starting-caliber cornerbacks.
The defense was built to fit defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme as well as the culture Taylor is working to build. So far, there has been a significant, positive change in both areas for the defense.
“It is because guys bought in,” safety Vonn Bell said. “You can talk to or coach up a guy and he (doesn’t) take it personally. And that was the biggest thing from last year. Everything was personal; everybody was pointing fingers. But (no), it's on us now. We're really going to drive this thing day in and day out going to work every day.”
The secondary started charting their mistakes and their highlights, a tradition cornerback Mike Hilton brought from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jessie Bates III and Sam Hubbard, two of the team’s longest-tenured players, have stepped into leadership roles.
According to Pratt, there’s a different environment around the defense in 2021 than there was in 2020.
"People would point fingers if somebody messed up and wouldn't uplift you,” Pratt said. “We're trying to come together as a whole, be a tighter group, try to compete and try to get better."
The biggest improvements on the defense have come from Bell’s improved pass coverage, Awuizie and Hilton bringing more talent to the Bengals secondary and Hubbard taking the next step in his development.
As the defense continues to make big plays in camp, the defensive players are showing the rest of the Bengals how far they’ve come.
“We're just simplifying everything for everybody,” Bell said. “We're making sure there's no gray area and making sure everybody is on the same (page) so everybody can go out there and play fast. That's what we did and everybody bought in.”
As for the offense, Taylor isn’t concerned.
"I know what the offense is going to be capable of, especially in the passing game,” Taylor said. “That's why I like what I'm seeing from this team because I know what we're going to be and we've got plenty of time to get there. That's what helps me sleep at night.”
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