Bengals Training Camp 2024: Receiver injured, depth being tested on defensive line

Chris reer Richard Skinner out here after another day of Bengals training camp they headed inside payor Stadium for One Last tuneup before the first game I I hate calling preseason games games because they're not really games they're more scrimmages but this is a final tuneup before the Tampa Bay Bucks come to town skinny and the big story today obviously Charlie Jones going down with what looked like a significant leg injury yeah during a seven on seven looked like he was trying to avoid a collision with Joe Bachi I thought Bachi had flipped him but I think he was trying to avoid it he might have made a little contact with Allen George but the trainers were over for a while they actually moved the drill away from him and then you see it out of the corner of your eye the cart comes out and that's never a good sign then you saw when Charlie actually had to be helped to the cart that's not a good sign and then teammates coming over Pat and Charlie on the helmet that's usually not a good sign but then we see Charlie in the locker room afterwards and it seemed like some teammates were joking with him he seemed to be in pretty good spirits um we all walked up to him to try to talk and he said let me take a shower first and the Bengals decided now we're going to hold him off limits um which is probably right I think they need to find out specifically what that injury is I'm sure he's have an MRI on it and and after that we'll know more he was limping you saw we all saw that part of it but uh uh you know for for a guy that again getting carted off it could have been a whole lot worse and it still may be for all we know but at least in the short term it doesn't seem that bad everyone's spirits in the locker room were pretty up so I don't know if they already have a prognosis if he was already examined but it just seemed like everyone was very sigh of relief in there we'll wait till the doctors tell us officially what it is but Andre Yash did let it out and said well you know a knee contusion is probably the best case scenario for him Andre is not a doctor even though he went to an Ivy League school so this could be a very big impact not only on the offense but on special teams because he's the punt returner I'd say he's probably one of the main guys fighting for that kick returner spot but this is also a guy who's at a really good camp and was pushing for a lot of playing time yeah I think it was down to and again we're including Jamar Chase being going to play week one in the mix I I mean I think it was he and Andre yosa had kind of separated themselves as the as the guys to be the number three receiver Trent Irwin's probably still in that just because of the trust he has with Joe burrow but primarily those two young guys have stepped forward and done some really good things and done some of those good things out of the slot as well so yeah the setback there um it'll be interesting again to see how long this is you know they've got a weird time table here starting Saturday they got five main events in a 12-day period three games and two joint practices um even if it's a contusion and he's still limited I don't know how much he plays in these next two weeks so you got some young guys having major OPP opportunities in key settings not just practice settings and training camp practice settings but in those joint practices which are fairly live and in these games and in the return game as well um you know Charlie is the punt returner one but he's also in the mix to be a kickoff returner and now maybe somebody else gets an opportunity I mean I watched Alex Ericson literally make this team as an undrafted rookie taking a punt back against Minnesota in the first preseason game and it earned his trust from the coaching staff and he got more and more opportunities so I mean listen it it stinks for Charlie Jones but it doesn't open up opportunity for other guys and that's what the preseason is all about let's gaze into the crystal ball and the reality that is if Charlie Jones is out of significant amount of the regular season for whatever reason who now steps into that spot because that's this is a very fullwide receiver room with some guys that we've talked about that could be on an NFL roster that are going to have to get cut just because the Bengals have so many yeah I mean you know Shedrick Jackson's had a great Camp Kendrick prior had a great Camp um you know Kendrick was one of the last cuts a couple years ago and on last cut day was sitting in this locker room and found out oh the Jacksonville Jaguars have picked me up so instead of the Bengals who were waiting to put him on their practice squad he packed his gear and went to Jacksonville for a period of time so he's been on an active roster he didn't play very much but he's been an active roster Hakeem Butler was signed they love Hakeem Butler uh talked to Trent Walters a wide receivers coach a couple of days ago did a story about him and he really raved about hakee and and just his physicals and he gives him something different he's 65 227 stronger bigger receiver certainly you know kind of aent Tate like in a way and um aent Tate stuck in this league for a period of time so I think they have enough guys to make up for but Charlie Jones was really having a great camp and you just wonder what might have been and what I guess still could be and I think that's the thing I guess we play the waiting game at this point now this is also a team that has signed a lot of names at defensive tackle on defensive end because they've had to cam samples out now McKinley Jackson the rookie that they were going to count on to get some significant defensive tackle snaps he's missed practice Zack Taylor said he's weak to week if you followed this team over over the last few years week to week could mean the entire season it could mean next week who knows but uh the chances that this team needs to go out and find some more depth there up front I don't think they do it's interesting you in the short term um you know you're missing probably for this game Trey Hendricks and Sam hover and you're obviously missing McKinley Jackson and you're missing cam sample um devona Maxwell still has not been cleared to practice Dominique Davis is hurt j2y just came back that's seven guys off the top of my head I'm probably missing somebody but if you start looking at the depth chart well Sam and T are going to be there when the regular season starts Joseph osiah and Miles Murphy are behind them the tackle rotation that may be the one that's a little bit interesting cuz you still you know you still have Chris Jenkins you still have BJ Hill you still have have Sheldon rankins Zack Carter still in the mix I mean I'm already to eight deep right there and what you're probably only going to keep nine so while it looks dire and it's why they've signed some of these other guys they need to get through the preseason without killing your main guys I think that's why they signed three defensive lineman I don't think it's that bad and I don't think they go out on the market I Jeff Gunner might might still be in the mix to make this team too so there's cedri Johnson The Rook so they've got guys um in the mix and and so for right now I think they're they're okay all right last practice before it doesn't count I was going to say it counts for real but it doesn't it's the preseason hey it's still a game we'll get our football fixed on Saturday when Tampa Bay comes for the first preseason game