Bengals training camp observations: Looking at Ja'Marr Chase vs. Eli Apple

Over the first week of training camp, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and cornerback Eli Apple have both had their moments where they’ve been swept up in their one-on-one matchup against each other.

They’ve both made highlight plays against one another and celebrated the moment. Apple has wagged his finger. Chase has pointed to the crowd.

As long as both players don’t put themselves in danger of getting hurt, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor appreciates watching the matchup.

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“Yeah, that’s training camp, man,” Taylor said. “They go against each other. One guy will win. The other guy will win. There’s going to be a lot of talking. That’s the way it goes. They do a good job controlling beyond that. But sometimes you need a little bit of that energy in practice.”

Chase is the star of the show. He’s the player who has the most highlight-reel catches and the one who has fans waiting 30 minutes after practice for an autograph. After a slow start to camp last year, Chase is the best player on the field with Joe Burrow not around.

"(Chase) has even improved,” Bengals quarterback Brandon Allen said. “A guy like Ja’Marr is going to improve every year. But a guy like Ja’Marr, as good as he is already, it’s scary to see him improve. He has gotten a lot more free in his routes and detailed in his routes."

On Thursday, Chase beat Apple on a go-route down the field. He adjusted to an underthrown pass by Allen, cut toward the middle of the field and made the throw in coverage. Apple had his own highlight moment by breaking up a pass with a leaping deflection on the goal line while guarding Chase in one-on-one coverage.

The next day, Chase and Apple got tied up while they both were trying to make a play in the back of the end zone. Chase hit the ground but popped right up.

On another play, Apple put his arm around Chase’s shoulders, committing pass interference to break up a pass. After one of Chase’s catches, he stared back at Apple as he walked back to the huddle.

Chase and Apple continued the back-and-forth on Saturday, celebrating their own highlight plays. Chase’s best catch came against cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on a play where he lined up in the slot, cut toward the middle of the field and made the contested catch with Awuzie right on his back.

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“It’s normal for me to watch (Chase) do this,” Taylor said. “I probably take a little for granted when he makes these plays. He’s just such a viable threat in any one-on-one situation or sometimes when you cheat to him.”

Apple has also had his standout moments, including an interception on a pass outside the numbers to wide receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. on Friday. On Saturday, Apple continued his success with a pass breakup in the back corner of the end-zone, and he marked the end of the play by signaling “incomplete” to the fans at Paul Brown Stadium.

“Our (defensive backs), they compete, man,” Taylor said. “They don’t back down from anybody. Particularly, (Awuzie) and Eli, it’s been really fun to watch. Those guys all play with a high degree of confidence.”

Apple’s feistiness was one of the most important qualities in his breakthrough 2021 season. Awuzie and cornerback Mike Hilton have said Apple helps set the right mentality in the defensive backfield, and Taylor sees it the same way.

“(He’s) competitive, man,” Taylor said. “He competes every snap. Got a lot of confidence in himself and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him. Enjoy watching him compete against the group of receivers we got every day because he doesn’t back down.”

Bengals offense: An update on where things stand installing plans

Without quarterback Joe Burrow (appendix) in the building, the Bengals have focused on installing the entire offense during the first week of camp. Regardless of what formation they’re seeing from the Bengals’ defense on the other side, the Bengals are prioritizing getting reps with as many different plays as possible.

“This week and really most of next week is (about) getting everything in so that the next four weeks after that we can start to fine-tune it and start to play much faster and game plan a little bit more,” Taylor said. “But right now, it’s just getting it in. It’s not always a perfect match for what defense we’re going against but we’ve got to make sure we’ve at least repped it so guys are familiar with the stuff.”

Taylor said his focus is on whether everyone can process a play call quickly and take the concepts they’ve studied in team meetings to the practice field. One of the most important traits Taylor has recognized is the offense’s ability to retain the information they’ve learned in meetings and apply it on the field.

“Some of the new guys really get a chance to see how they process information,” Taylor said. “In a game week oftentimes, there’s going to be a package of plays, I can’t give you a percentage of what the playbook is that week, that’s going to be new and guys got to learn it in four days.”

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“I’ve been around guys that learn it on Wednesday. They got it down pat and they’re ready to execute on Sunday. I’ve got guys that take all the reps through Saturday to really understand it before they can execute on Sunday. So you kind of get a feel of what you’re dealing with. It’s not good or bad. You just now have a better understanding of how that player needs to learn and how you gotta approach that moving forward.”

More Bengals observations from Saturday's practice at PBS

Running back Joe Mixon made the play of the day, beating cornerback Tre Flowers in one-on-one coverage on a wheel route where Mixon sprinted out of the backfield down the left sideline. Mixon reeled in the one-handed catch and earned a big ovation from the crowd.

“I think he has really done a great job,” Taylor said. “He always comes back in great shape. The way he moves, you can already feel his power even without the pads on. He’s such a team guy.”

Wide receiver Mike Thomas and defensive end Jeffrey Gunter both left Wednesday’s practice with injuries, but they were both back on the field on Saturday. Tight end Mitchell Wilcox also returned after missing two days with an undisclosed injury. Wide receiver Pooka Williams remains out.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ja'Marr Chase and Eli Apple headline Cincinnati Bengals training camp