Cincinnati Bengals training camp observations: Evaluating position battles on the roster

During his eight-year NFL career, Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters was the No. 4 wide receiver for every team he played on.

Walters only started nine of the 98 games he played. So he knows what he’s looking for as he evaluates whether Mike Thomas, Stanley Morgan, Trey Taylor or Kwamie Lassiter II will be the first wide receiver on the depth chart this season behind Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.

Higgins is currently limited in practice as he recovers from a shoulder injury, which is giving the coaching staff more snaps to evaluate the first players on the bench.

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“It’s got to be a guy that can play all three positions,” Walters said. “I was a No. 4 receiver throughout my NFL career. It’s a guy you can plug into any position and won’t miss a beat when his number is called. He’s going to make a play.”

During the offseason, the Bengals didn’t sign or draft any wide receivers, leaving themselves with less depth than they had entering 2021. During training camp, the Bengals coaches are looking for another receiver to emerge as a potential depth piece.

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Thomas is the most experienced, working with Taylor since 2017 when they both were with the Los Angeles Rams. He only had five catches last year, but he focused during the offseason on “taking a picture before every snap” and improving his ability to make contested catches.

He had mixed news at practice on Friday.

On a deep route down the left sideline at practice, Thomas used his speed to break away down the field and made a completion that took the offense past midfield. After making the toe-tapping catch, he collided with slot cornerback Mike Hilton, limped off the field and missed the rest of practice.

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The Bengals haven’t yet updated the status of his injury, but he returned to the practice field at the end of the day to go through a few catching drills. When healthy, he’s the favorite to be the No. 4 receiver.

“Mike’s been really a consistent player for us,” Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “He knows the system. He’s productive when he’s had chances and he does a really good job (on special teams).”

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If Thomas made the best catch of the day, Morgan Jr. made the second-best. A few plays after dropping a potential first down catch, Morgan Jr. ran a looping route across the field into the far-left corner of the end-zone. He stuck out his right hand and reeled in the touchdown.

Morgan Jr. made the most catches of anyone on the first day of camp. Then on day 3, he caught two touchdowns, including the highlight play where he shook two safeties to create a window for quarterback Brandon Allen.

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On top of his impressive camp, Morgan Jr. is the best run blocker and the best special teams player that the Bengals have at wide receiver.

“We all love Stanley in our coaching staff and in our locker room,” Callahan said. “It’s Stanley’s mentality, it’s his toughness, it’s his unselfishness. He does everything at 1,000 miles an hour. The reps he got this offseason were helpful for him to really refine his receiving ability, his route running, his knowledge of the system.”

It's Bengals guard Jackson Carman's job to lose

At some point in training camp every year, Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack tells the story of former New York Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp, who famously lost his starting spot when he was hurt to a young future Hall of Famer in Lou Gehrig.

Pollack’s message to the offensive line is that there should always be competition. But through the first week of camp, Jackson Carman is on track to be the Bengals’ starting left guard.

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“He has a lot of the natural athleticism that you covet in a lineman for someone his size,” Pollack said. “Now, he’ll apply the technique and athleticism together to become an offensive lineman. He has done a great job. He’s working hard to continue to get that ascending curve.”

Last year, Carman lost his starting spot when he showed up to camp out of shape and struggled picking up on the details of the Bengals’ scheme. Pollack said he was impressed with Carman’s attention to detail all spring, which has put him in a strong position. And when Carman reported to camp, Pollack said Carman’s physical shape was “night and day.”

“He’d laugh and say, ‘Yeah, I learned a hard lesson,’” Pollack said.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie Zach Carter filling an important void on the defense

When the Bengals drafted defensive tackle Zach Carter in the third round, they picked him at least a round earlier than he was projected to go in most mock drafts. But defensive tackle was the weakest position in this year’s NFL Draft. Carter’s sack production playing in the SEC and his athletic profile made him worth the pick for the Bengals front office.

Carter’s combination of size and speed give him a clear role on the Bengals defense. While he played edge rusher in college, he’s focused on defensive tackle with the Bengals. He’s receiving consistent opportunities in training camp to work on his new role.

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Carter is the only defensive tackle on the Bengals’ bench whose strength is his pass rush ability, and Carter has mostly worked on filling that role in the Bengals defense.

“I’m really working on technique,” Carter said. “That’s the main thing about this transition to the league. Everything is good. You’ve got to out-technique people. And I’m trying to read my keys and be instinctive. The defensive line is about being instinctive.”

Bengals injury updates

Rookie defensive end Jeffery Gunter left practice on Friday with an apparent leg injury. In 11 on 11 drills, Gunter got his legs twisted up and fell to the ground. He limped off the field on his own power.

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Wide receiver Pooka Williams, competing for the Bengals punt return job, and third string tight end Mitchell Wilcox also missed practice.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Looking at the Cincinnati Bengals position battles on the roster