The first day of pads at Cincinnati Bengals training camp saw things escalate perhaps a bit more than coaches wanted at times.
Everyone expected an uptick in the action given the circumstances. Yet one instance of a scuffle stuck out more than most.
That moment belonged to tight end Hayden Hurst getting after rookie cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt after the former ended up on the ground after a play.
As head coach Zac Taylor told Jay Morrison of The Athletic, it’s not uncommon to see newer players struggle to adapt to the situation early in padded sessions:
“There’s a couple examples where we’ve got to do a better job of protecting each other. We’re not in a preseason game yet, regular-season game yet. Guys will continue to learn. Usually, the culprits are the younger guys who haven’t had any experience like this yet. Some of the veterans do a good job controlling their emotions, controlling their body. That’s an area we can continue to improve.”
This is certainly true — camp’s first fight with punches thrown featured a rookie.
Tuesday, Taylor-Britt’s encounter with Hurst was one of a few times that players ended up on the ground. Taylor’s made it clear they want to avoid that and do a good job or protecting each other in the process, but looking around the league, it’s an inevitable reality of early camp sessions.
