Notes from the Third and Final Day of MiniCamp

[BFritz21]

The team finished up the third and final day of minicamp yesterday and then have a little over a month before training camp begins.

CincyJungle makes it sound like it was a productive final day:

It says that William Jackson III is batting down passes and even Jackson noted that, a week ago, he was just learning the concepts but now it's all starting to come naturally. I know that we're deep at corner, and we don't normally play rookies too much, but I'm hoping that this kid sees a fair amount of PT early because he's a playmaker. He knows that he's developing quickly and will gain confidence, which is important in a corner, and he sounds like he's ready to be on the field ASAP:

Quote:"A week ago just learning the concept, I'm getting the high/low (responsibility) and things like that, and it's just starting to come to me," Jackson said via Skinner.

Of course, all rookies as that they're ready, but him acknowledging about learning concepts and picking it all up makes it seem like he's mature enough to see the field and like he knows what he's doing.

Jackson is a taller guy with longer arms, so I think he's going to be one of the exceptions to the rule of normal shorter corners is, just like Richard Sherman is an exception, especially since he was so productive in college:

Quote:This past season, Jackson led the NCAA and set a school record for pass breakups in 2015 with 23. His 31 3/4" arms and 6'0" height allow him to knock down passes easier than most, and he's already translating it to the NFL level.

"It's going to help me a lot, because I've got long arms, and I can kind of slow them down," Jackson said. "You just had to use your feet and your body (in OTA and minicamp). It was good."

He realizes that it gives him an advantage and he knows how to use it

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It doesn't sound like Eifert will be ready to go before the season starts and could even miss the opener, but I'm actually anxious to see Uzomah and Kroft on the field at the same time because I think they could make some noise. If they do, which I think they will, one of the two could be nice trade bait.

Quote:However, Bengals reporter Coley Harvey was on Mike Clay’s fantasy football show on SiriusXM Radio Thursday and said he did not expect Eifert to play in Week 1. It continues to look like that will be the case, and the real question will be if he misses just one game or more.

If Eifert is unable to even run routes with Andy Dalton once the preseason opens, it's going to be hard for them to keep as in-sync as they were last year when both guys were having Pro Bowl seasons. It also means players like Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah must step up to keep the team rolling.

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Then it just notes that Wright could make the team and be a top four receiver after missing all of last year when he looked good in 2014 preseason, but it also notes that he could just as well get cut.

Finishes up by saying that offensive tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, cornerback Darqueze Dennard and fullback Ryan Hewitt are expected to be back by training camp, which I'm excited for Dennard because I love DBs and he has a lot of potential, and I'm also anxious to have my insecurities about the future tackles put to ease.

I'm loving that football's back!