In a surreal bit of deja vu, the biggest talking point coming out of a joint practice for the Cincinnati Bengals is once again the aftermath of a fight.
This time, multiple skirmishes went down between the Bengals and Green Bay Packers, with DJ Reader calling out one Packers player who got walked off the field.
But besides the brawl, there were plenty of interesting things of note to jot down as the team preps for its preseason encounter with the very same Packers on Friday.
Here’s a look at some of the notable takeaways from the joint practice sessions.
About the fight...
…it’s football. Let’s get it out of the way first. Reader was — as expected — destorying the Packers, as he does most offensive lines. Things get heated, in the heat no less, and it’s not just teammates practicing against each other this time.
DJ Reader
"Just football.. good intensity.. he (Jenkins) wanted to get kicked out." DJ Reader on the brawl with Packers pic.twitter.com/9NAhgtqRHi
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) August 9, 2023
That said, the above is hilarious.
Defense shines
Second year in a row the Bengals D has been suffocating another team's offense during joint scrimmages.
Last year it was the Rams. This year Green Bay can barely get a first down.
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) August 9, 2023
No big shocker here — the defense again has elite continuity right at the top thanks to coordinator Lou Anarumo.
One big standout from the day? Second-rounder DJ Turner was sticky in coverage most of the time and had a few big plays.
Jonah Williams shines
Bengals O-Line vs Packers D-Line:
—
•RT Jonah Williams held up on all of his 1-on-1 reps.
•C Ted Karras vs Kenny Clark 👀 I saw one in favor of TeddyK.
•I don’t need to say anything about LT Orlando Brown Jr.
•Cody Ford got torched. #Bengals | @WLWT— Olivia Ray (@OliviaRayTV) August 9, 2023
It would seem the only constant about the offensive line on the day was Jonah Williams. The man tasked with making a career-altering move to the right side in the final year of his contract and coming off an injury looks…great.
It’s early, but there’s a chance this could turn out even better than expected for both player and team, which would easily mean Joe Burrow plays behind his best line to date.
Myles Murphy watch
Myles Murphy is dominating the second team in 11s right now.
Would be sack and then a big run stop.
— Kyle Smith (@Kyle_Smith1087) August 9, 2023
Cincinnati’s first-rounder was an obvious standout with the backups and was the first guy in rotating with first team when needed, which is exactly what his role should be starting in Week 1.
Burrow returns
Pepe + @JoeyB 🐅 pic.twitter.com/x53Ls8RmaU
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) August 9, 2023
This was Burrow’s first appearance at practice since his calf injury. No throwing or anything, but it was reasonable to expect he’d be there for a joint practice against another team. Nothing about his timetable has changed.
Other notes
— As expected, Zac Taylor said not to expect many starters during Friday’s preseason game.
— This might be a really productive draft class early. Murphy looks the part off the edge. Turner looks like he could step into the rotation at corner. Brad Robbins might win the punting job. Etc. For them to stand out this early on a championship-caliber roster is a great sign.
— The Jonah Williams rehab is really interesting. If he’s this fluid at it already, does that put La’el Collins in jeopardy if he’s healthy at 53 cutdowns? Could this over the long-term mean he gets an extension to stay as the right tackle? Lots of fun things to consider beyond this being a fantastic line in 2023.
— Wednesday was the first reassuring sign that the defense should again be very strong even after the loss of Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell.
