Notes from today's #Bengals practice, another solid showing from... the rebuilt defense. -Play of the day goes to Bryan Cook, stepping in front of an anticipation in-breaker from Burrow to Mitch Tinsley. Great read, veteran play. 📽️⬇️ DJ Ivey was thrust in with the first team with Dax Hill scaled back today. He showed well, including a great PBU on a deep ball left one-on-one with Tee Higgins. -Bengals DL continues to make Burrow and company uncomfortable. Not as rough as yesterday, but those guys are just a load right now. -Two days in a row now with a splash play by Colbie Young. Confidence is growing in the rookie. -Dohnte Meyers shows up every day. -Deep cut: A few particularly nice reps in 1-on-1 work for UDFA Corey Robinson II. -Burrow off a bit today. Missed on a couple deep balls and got sniped by Cook for the INT. -A number of Reds in attendance, including Sal Stewart, who was in his Ja'Marr Chase jersey and exchanged his jersey with Chase after they all chatted for a while. -More plays and analysis coming on The Athletic blog and Growler recap show.show more

Notes on today's #Bengals practice, the most competitive and... game-like conditions we've seen so far. - Great back-and-forth with big plays from both sides. Logged six drives for ones-vs-ones and two touchdowns. Burrow connects with Andrei Iosivas and Tee Higgins for scores. - The Higgins TD was a classic back-shoulder high-point in the corner against DJ Ivey. Unguardable stuff. Jay Morrison had a perfect angle on the video. - Tanner Hudson with the play of the day for the 2nd-team offense with a fourth-down TD against a double team from Flacco. - Blitz was working forcing stops with Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter both coming up with nice plays. 📽️ Another day, another flash play for Colbie Young, although he also dropped a contested catch in the end zone. -Jonathan Allen with a sack. - No Bryan Cook, no Dax Hill, no Jalen Davis (in team) left the DBs a little shorthanded. - Honestly, just a high-level practice for both sides. Starting to see things come together. - Check back for more analysis and plays in The Athletic and on the Growler Podcast camp recap.show more

Joe Burrow goes deep to Ja’Marr Chase. DJ Turner... with good coverage on a play Ja’Marr can’t make. SOUND UP. Watch and listen to the leadership by Bryan Cook after the play. Cook then picked off Burrow the very next play after this. #Bengals FOX19 NOWshow more

Notes from today’s #Bengals practice: - Overall, another winning... day for the defense, but not as conclusive as recent practices - Cashius Howell popped in a big way on a couple rushes off the edge against Orlando Brown using both speed and power. Also blew by Andrew Coker for a would-be sack. Probably his best practice to date. The fact Zac Taylor referenced him having the same tenacity as Erick All tells you what you need to know about he’s viewed. - Vet day for Chase meant extra passes for Tee Higgins. Hit some, but still off at times, working to get their connection down (nobody should be worried about this). - Ugly drop by Andrei Iosivas to close practice on a crosser. A lot to like about where Iosivas is at, but he just has to eliminate those moments from his game or he’ll be watching Colbie Young before long. - Offense had been very good operationally this camp, but a delay of game and false start showed up today. -Dax Hill still limited, DJ Ivey and DJ Turner both with PBUs. 📽️ Jalen Davis with a nice play on third down with a PBU -Colbie Young had a drop, but also the recipient of one of Burrow’s best balls of the day running a seam between Knight at Battle.show more

For those paying attention to the Bengals' position battle... at Right Guard: 🎥 Lucas Patrick missed a block & allowed pressure on 3rd & 5 (first possession). Joe Burrow - with arms in his face - still completed a pass to Ja'Marr Chase for 1st down. This was the first of 6 consecutive completions on the Bengals' opening TD drive. #Bengals WCPO 9show more

Five observations from the #Bengals joint practice with the... Colts: 1. Joe Burrow was sharp in the short to intermediate passing game, going 26-for-32 overall with 2 TD and 1 INT. After one precise throw where Tee Higgins high-pointed it, I heard a Colts safety yell, “Oh s***!”show more

On the day that the Cincinnati Bengals announce their... blockbuster deal with Ja’Marr Chase, I got a story … In 2021, Chase hit a rough patch in camp with drops. It was a big story at the time, the kind that blow up in the summer. Anyway, I came thru for an early August practice, and hung out with coaches on the field for about a half-hour after the session ended. I turned around, and there was Ja’MarrChase, out there on the Juggs, having kept one teammate behind to help him. Five minutes later, he was by himself, with an equipment man shooting the balls at him. At the end of my camp trip, I showed my football-obsessed first-grader (now a fourth-grader) how this player picked fifth overall was responding in the face of adversity early in his career. Almost all the rest of the players and coaches were inside. It wasn’t a show. It was a guy consumed with being the best. Which is why I think the Bengals will sleep well writing him those checks.show more

49ers just wrapped up Block 2 of camp with... a reminder of how good Brock Purdy is — even without his top 3 WR (Evans/Stribling injuries are NOT serious), Purdy's offense managed some crisp success: 🏈Demarcus Robinson was Purdy's favorite WR, reminiscent of when 49ers beat Philly with a skeleton crew. The deep out was the duo's bread and better 🏈Best play: Excellent one-handed catch from TE Brayden Willis on a corner route from Mac Jones. 🏈Deommodore Lenoir had two more PBUs — including one on a Purdy-Robinson deep out. CB1 been very active this camp and said this morning on KNBR that he's as locked in as ever 🏈6-3 rookie CB Ephesians Prysock notched a nice reaching PBU vs 5-9 Junior Bergen. 🏈Speaking of Bergen, he's making quite a few plays on offense and I wouldn't be quick to discount him in the punt return battle. FWIW, Bergen has made more offensive plays than Jacob Cowing, with whom he may be in a battle for a 53-man spot 🏈49ers did some red-zone work today where safety Ji'Ayir Brown had a nice, athletic PBU in the corner against TE Jake Tonges. Jordan Watkins later caught a TD from Jones in the corner 🏈New RB Khalil Herbert is wearing No. 40. He dished out some real contact on his first run — at 212 but just 5-9, Herbert is not a player defenders enjoy running in to. He'll be in the KR mix alongside Deebo Samuel — "hell yeah, let's go!" was Boyer's reaction to the Deebo signing 🏈LB Nick Martin dropped what should've been an easy INT from Kurtis Rourke, but he was in correct position. Later he made a nice stop on a Kyle Juszczyk catch 🏈Team drills started with a nice CMC run (he's had a handful already). And yes, as I've stated already and will discuss more, rookie Jaden Dugger worked with the thinned-out DE group for the first time. He did notch a would-be sack. A lot to unpack when it comes to his talent and that move as the 49ers navigate the dog days. More soon...show more

Five observations from Day 6 of #Bengals camp: 1.... NL Rookie of the Year candidate Sal Stewart attended practice and met the 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. “Every Sunday this jersey is on,” said Stewart. “My girlfriend bought it for me as a Christmas gift. I told her, ‘Hey, I want a Ja’Marr Chase jersey.’” What does Sal admire about Chase? “Everything,” he said. “His explosiveness, his competitiveness. When he came out and said the ‘7-11’ thing — I’m young so I think that’s super cool. But then the next game he goes out and proves it. That’s awesome.”show more

Today seemed, IMO, to be a significant statement practice... for Jacob Cowing. He grabbed one of Brock Purdy's numerous (perfect) deep passes but it goes deeper than that. HIGHLIGHTS: 🏈A few minutes earlier, Cowing and Marques Sigle collided on a deep corner attempt. Cowing was down for a while and limped off — it even looked like his day might be over. But Cowing returned and made the best catch I've seen from him in a 49ers uniform on a 40-yard laser over the middle. The resilience there definitely counts for something, especially considering Cowing's early-career availability issues 🏈Nick Bosa sighting! Did some running on the field while the 49ers were practicing for the first time in a couple weeks. Looked good. CMC (tightness) later watched team drills in person 🏈Keion White (adductor) popped the sled during practice, a good sign of progress 🏈Purdy's top-notch camp continues. He's driving the ball, he's layering the ball, he's hitting deep shots, he's been money on the gimmes, and he's escaping when needed. Many crisp connections between Purdy and the Mike Evans/De'Zhaun Stribling duo — #15 caught a TD vs Deommodore Lenoir 🏈Will Cowing be the 49ers' top punt returner? He caught several reps today. Notably, Jordan Watkins — coming off a very good showing in the preseason opener at WR — muffed one and was upset about it 🏈D-linemen CJ West and Titus Leo both left practice early with injuries 🏈Best 1-on-1 work of rookie OT Enrique Cruz Jr.'s young career came today. Held up well vs Ogbo Okoronkwo and Xavier Thomas. Progress! 🏈Rookie WR Will Pauling catch a nice red-zone TD from Jones, beating Jack Jones in coverage 🏈Rookie DT James Thompson Jr. remains an active presence. Good run stop today. Also had rookie LB Jaden Dugger with a run stop. Tall young LBs, including Larry Worth, continue getting good shine 🏈George Kittle said he's hitting top speeds and has a chance to play Week 1. He praised TE Luke Farrell's growth within the offense in Year 2 — thinks he'll have a big year (Farrell caught a couple more passes today) 🏈Klay Kubiak doesn't believe QB Kurtis Rourke's rib injury will keep him out for a long time. Kubiak said the 49ers deemed Rourke to be better than a 7th-round talent but think he was still available there because of the ACL tear he played through in 2024 🏈This was Malik Turner's most productive offensive practice. Caught a deep one from Purdy vs Upton Stout and also a TD from Mac Jones on a play fake earlier 🏈Jones to Deebo on a rainbow deep pass: Nice play 🏈Final play of practice — the last camp session with fans at the 49ers' facility this year — went to the defense. Very nice Upton Stout PBU against Stribling in the end zone The 49ers will travel to LA tomorrow and conduct a joint practice with the Chargers Tuesday. Brock Purdy … Justin Herbert Mac Jones … Trey Lance Kyle Shanahan … Jim Harbaugh Klay Kubiak … Mike McDaniel Good work coming!show more

DJ Ivey has been matched up on an island... with Tee Higgins several times in this #Bengals training camp. He has answered the call. Big first week of camp from 38 so far and looks to be carving out a key role on this defense.show more

This baseball was launched by Cal Fisher. Cleared the... scoreboard in left field and probably damaged a car in the parking lot out there. Two knocks for him today to go along with a couple of defensive highlights. Made a great catch on a pop-up in foul territory.show more

Five observations from Day 9 of #Bengals camp: 1.... Right tackle Trent Brown was cleared to practice today but spent one more day on the rehab field (tossing a 50-pound bag among other things). Look for him to be in uniform and taking part in football activities tomorrow.show more

While many around the league don’t expect any linebackers... to be drafted tonight, if there is one, it certainly could be #TexasAM’s Edgerrin Cooper. Cooper is the most complete LB in the 2024 draft class. He’s shown to be: 1️⃣an elite athlete 2️⃣a consistent and impactful run defender 3️⃣a capable and efficient blitzer, and 4️⃣able to use his size and bend to disrupt in pass protection As a run defender, he finished with an 87.6 PFF grade, highest among any expected draft linebackers in this year’s draft class. That includes 15 TFLs or no gain plays. As you can see (🎥), his downhill force plus balance and control allows him to consistently win in the run game As a pass rusher, he had 7 sacks on the year, 4 of which came from playing on the line of scrimmage. When lined up on the line of scrimmage, he generated a pressure on over 30% of his pass rush snaps. Elite ‼️ And in coverage, he finished with a top-10 coverage grade int eh country last season (per PFF College) among LBs lined up in the box. He’s able to use his length and bend, along with developed vision and timing to disrupt plays from the box. Couple all of that with a 4.51 forty time and would-be impressive athletic testing numbers if he was 100% for the draft process (why he wasn’t able to officially go every day in practice at This Account Has Moved), and it’s hard to ignore his NFL starting potential. There’s a real chance he goes in late round one, but if he’s there on Day 2, he may not only be one of, if not the, first linebacker drafted, but may be one of the first players taken on Day 2 of the draft. #ShrineBowlWhosNextshow more

Had a completely unscripted amazing moment at practice today.... A Young man was watching our practice from the stands. Tay Yearby invites him down to watch from the field. Tay and Drew Sims (QB) then put him in at RB for the last play of the day. We have great men on this team!show more

What a day! 🤯 Algorand was mentioned 32 times... by Google in its whitepaper on quantum risks, highlighting its leading work in PQC! Not sure everyone realizes how BIG this is, massive credibility for $ALGO and huge recognition for the team! 👏 Algorand has been one of the few blockchains/DLTs taking the quantum threat seriously for years, as it's not a question of if but when. Post-quantum implementation takes time and resources, it needs to be anticipated! The past few months have been incredible for $ALGO on that front, as it became one of the first major chains to execute a post-quantum transaction on mainnet using NIST-selected Falcon signatures! Not to mention the great news from a few days ago, with Chris Peikert officially joining Algorand Foundation from AT after the merge! So exciting, as Chris is literally one of the world's leading experts in post-quantum cryptography! What a chance for Algorand to have him and some of the best experts in PQC on its team! SO BULLISH 🔥🔥show more

Day 6 notes - OLB Tuli Tuipulotu participated in... one 7-on-7 rep but did not take part in the remainder of team drills, marking his sixth straight practice with limited participation as his contract situation remains unresolved. - LT Rashawn Slater left practice and spent time in the medical tent before not returning. After practice, Justin Herbert said Slater wanted to get back on the field and was in good spirits afterward. - The offense came out sharp, with Herbert completing his first eight passes before S RJ Mickens broke up a pass. From there, the offense and defense traded wins throughout the rest of practice. - S Kendall Williamson intercepted Herbert. - OLB NaDame Tucker had one of his best practices of camp, consistently generating pressure and recording three sacks* - DT Teair Tart was disruptive throughout, including a sack* - LB Denzel Perryman recorded a sack* - S Derwin James Jr. made an impact as a blitzer throughout with a sack and also added a pass breakup - The competition at left guard continued, with Kayode Awosika and Trey Pipkins rotating reps. - First-round pick Akheem Mesidor flashed again with his explosiveness and added a sack* - OLB Khalil Mack consistently pressured the quarterback throughout practice. - The Chargers’ interior defensive line generated pressure throughout the day. - RB Keaton Mitchell had a couple of drops. - OLB Bud Dupree diagnosed a screen pass immediately and blew up the play before it could develop. *Sacks listed are “would-be sacks” based on pressure. Coaches did not blow the plays dead, so quarterbacks could continue their repsshow more