Bengals Training Camp 2024: Ossai's push, depth chart debut, Money Mac

another Monday training camp day skinny this one was an easy one all special teams we didn't get to see a whole lot of 11 on 11 seven on seven but there were a few bright spots especially for the defense yeah they had 11 11 on 11 session the offense was driving it off their own goal line they started at the two first team offense got a first down second team got a couple the first team came back and Joseph oai tackled Zack Moss for a safety beat Orlando Brown on the play I don't know if that was supposed to be a double team whatever but it was a good play by Joseph Osa and the defense and uh they did a pretty good job keeping them pinned in which is what you got to Hope if that happens in a reg season circumstance Joseph asaiah A guy that beginning of the year we were talking to Lou anarumo about he needs to have a big year because his contract's coming up but this is a guy who flashed as a rookie you know the legend of Joseph asai started he sack Tom Brady in the preseason and then he's kind of disappeared since then I know he's been hurt a lot and L anarumo said the best thing for Joseph asai this year is he's not rehabing anything he's coming in healthy how do you think he has looked because this is a team all of a sudden that needs some pass rush help especially with depth he's had a good camp and I mean today was a flash day for him he's flashed a couple of times not like he did today he actually had a couple other pass rush performances today as well and to your point you know it kind of started the Downs slide that that last game in Kansas City when he committed the penalty on Patrick Mahomes in that AFC Championship game he actually had a pretty good second half of that season but to your point about Lou anarumo what he has said is the guy really had to rehab and rehab and rehab he didn't have to do that through OTAs he didn't have to do that in the offseason he just had to get ready for this season to his credit he's taken full advantage of that at the moment and especially with Trey Hendrickson and Sam hubber being out he's got more snaps and more rep for the ones and the big news today before the practice even started was cam sample we kind of knew this was coming never good when you see guys go down with those small tissue lower leg injuries Tor Achilles out for the season big hit because as you mentioned starting two defensive ends are limited right now you were cam was going to make this team and play a depth role and now he's gone yeah I mean he can do a lot of stuff they play mostly inside even though he's listed as an end but he can play some end to your point he's a rotational piece to what Zack Taylor said about him today he's been a big role player for this team in multiple roles and I I don't think that can be taken for granted and so it's is it a huge loss no Trey Hendrickson's a huge loss but it is a loss for a guy that's a rotational piece in many ways for this football team the depth chart came out today any surprises for you um not really I know some people will be taking back the Trent Browns number one at right tackle even though he hasn't practiced but that's a veteran getting the right tackle slot rookies very rarely unless you're planning on that rookie being a starter and they're not there yet with am Marius Mims they may get to that point with him the way he's played um no and I'm trying to there's anything else on the other side of the ball you know Sheldon rankins is listed as a starter that makes all the sense in the world maybe some people surpris Von Bell is in there as a starter I'm not cuz I thought that was going to be Von Bell and Gino Stone and I still think it's going to be that way I guess maybe Miner is Trent Irwin's pencil in as wide receiver number three but it's literally penciled in at the moment so there's so many options at that spot so no nothing that really jumped off the charts it's going to change before the starting game anyway so this is just the first draft we'll see the final draft before the first regular season game comes other big news in the NFL today Harrison bucker becomes the highest paid kicker in NFL history that's significant for this franchise because Evan mcferson very good I'd say up there with Harrison buter as one of the best kickers in the NFL right now he's due for an extension as one we got to talk to him in the locker room yeah he didn't seem overly worried if if it happens it happens if it doesn't it doesn't he said you know I you don't want it hanging over your head I to his to his point he also talked about you know as a kicker you got to block a lot of things out he'll block this out if it comes to them not extending him um but the money's there now you see what the fat the money is and where that is and Evans in that territory for sure in my opinion and probably in his agent's opinion maybe even in his own opinion you said all the right things today you know he's going to get paid somewhere um you'd hope it's here but you know maybe not I I I do think something gets done I just don't know if it's going to get done in as timely a manner as we'd all like it to get done and you know doesn't happen in this league very often you know what they can also do in this off season they can tag him they can tag him you know I I don't know if you do that to a kicker very often if you want to use the tag on a kicker but they could he's a pretty good kicker if there's a guy that I'd say you could franchise tag he'd be one of them uh we also got to talk to Trent Brown in locker room first time we've really heard from him since coming off and he did some individual drills today uh he seemed pretty nonchalant in my opinion and said I don't really need I'm I'm good I'm 31 and I'm good yeah I I think you know some of this you can read into that he doesn't want to take part in all of training camp I get it um he didn't want to disclose what the injury was Zack Taylor said it was General tightness I don't know if that's that feels like a very general term General tightness thank you very much um so listen I think this was a guy that just knows what to do to get ready for a training camp you'd like him to hey we all want the guy to do the college try right you want him on the field you want him grinding you want him grunting I think he realizes I don't need to do that anymore he did say he does need to get reps in the offense to feel comfortable I thought he gave a great answer when asked you need a a preseason game he said I don't think it makes sense to play a few plays and then not play for a couple of games I don't think he's wrong don't forg again he's going to get some joint practices um he'll get enough reps to get in it's a matter of getting in football shape it's a matter of when he does get in those snaps when they put the tape on is he better than amarius Mims or is amarius Mims better than him they've made no bones the best guy's going to play and so he's going to have to play well in order to get that starting spot and we'll see what he's made of all right first preseason game coming up on Saturday we finally have a little bit of movement maybe the murky waters are clearing of what this team is going to look like when they take the field on Saturday