After they reconvened following Tuesday’s padded practice, quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase shared a quiet fist bump. In the wake of last week’s frustrating installation, the Bengals combo for the Zooming ’20s deserved it after what was the offense’s best day of training camp.
Burrow, so vocal a few days ago about his thirst for normalcy in the pocket, seemed quenched by Monday’s off day. Looking like his old swashbuckling self, he looked good even when he put the ball down and took off.
In a flashback to last training camp, he hit 10 of 15 passes and led the first offense on another long drive, this one consisting of 11 plays and capped off by running back Joe Mixon’s two-yard run that was complete with a spinning ball and dance.
“I thought we had a good day today as an offensive unit,” said Chase, the rookie wide receiver who flashed on a catch each in seven-on-seven and team and turned yikes into yards on the touchdown drive. “We capitalized last week on how we came out. Joe came out ready, all the receivers came ready. The running backs, the line. I think the majority did a good job.”
More so than the previous practices, Burrow was bouncing around in the pocket, bobbing and weaving away from the rush and, more importantly, stepping into his throws. In a third down team period, Burrow sidestepped the rush to keep the play alive and gunned it to wide receiver Tee Higgins over the middle.
Burrow was 6 of 7 in the move-the-ball period with the incompletion coming off a scramble throwaway following good protection. He scrambled for one first down and threw for three others.
One came when he pulled the ball out of a zone read and hit a quick out to Higgins. He went for about 20 on a beauty down the seam to slot receiver Tyler Boyd. Chase picked up a first when he bobbled a screen, but corralled it in stride.
Mixon did the rest near the goal line, getting it to the 2 on a catch in the flat and then following Billy Price’s good block on the touchdown run.
