One Last Blast From Joe Burrow And A Final Defensive Stand As Camp Curtain Closes

If anybody came up with an all-Camp team, Jones would have been a unanimous choice and he went out in style in camp’s last practice with a Dave-Lapham-You’ve-Got-To-Be-Kidding-Me one-arm grab of a Burrow tracer for a one-yard touchdown.

For the second time in 72 hours, Burrow hit Jones with a precision touchdown pass placed where only the receiver could catch it. Burrow drilled it up and through three defenders against the Commanders Monday night. On Thursday afternoon, after seeing Jones blanketed by cornerback Josh Newton on the back line of the end zone, Burrow let loose with a screamer. Jones lunged slightly off the turf and pulled it in with one arm even as he hit the deck.

“He really had as good as defense as you get on that play. And Joe threw it in the only spot I could literally go after it,” Jones said. “I turned around and the ball was there. I only had time to get one hand up. He put it right on there. I’d like to see a little speedometer on that and see how fast he was.”

For a man who led the country three years ago at Purdue with 110 catches, Jones had to admit this one that didn’t count is one of his tops.

The one-hander? No accident. Every off day last season, when Jones and tight end Mike Gesicki met in the gym, one of their drills involved throwing to each other and the receiver had to catch it with one hand.

“I tip it and Joe catches it and almost runs for a damn first down. He looks way faster in person. I told him that. He was moving. I looked back at the place where the ball went, and I just saw him skedaddling.”

Rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr., didn’t practice Thursday, but it doesn’t seem to be serious the way Golden was talking about No. 44. Golden has a good reference point. During his first year as Bengals linebackers coach in 2020, the Bengals took Logan Wilson in the third round. Now there is Knight, a second-rounder, and another rookie, No. 49, Barrett Carter, a fourth-rounder, in Golden’s first year as DC.

“I think he’s had a great camp. I wouldn’t trade 44 or 49 for anybody in the draft,” Golden said. “I think both those guys are they’re learning. They’re growing. We’re putting a lot on them, obviously. But again, I keep reminding those guys of what Logan was like as a rookie, in terms of just the learning curve and trying to expedite that, and that’s what we’re doing right now. But both of those guys (have) physical gifts. Love the game and prepare like crazy every day.” …

With right guard Lucas Patrick out day-to-day and Cordell Volson (shoulder) out for the year, rookie Jalen Rivers was at right guard and another rookie, Dylan Fairchild, was at left guard and gave as good as they got Thursday. These guys are Pro Football Focus favorites. Rivers had the Bengals’ best run-blocking grades from Monday night and Fairchild is currently PFF’s highest-graded rookie offensive lineman …

Wide receiver Jermaine Burton returned to practice Thursday for the first time since getting dinged in the preseason opener. He scored a touchdown in red-zone action for the Twos when quarterback Jake Browning hit him over the middle for a leaping catch. When safety Daijahn Anthony went for the interception, there was no one behind him. …

Safety Geno Stone also worked for the first time in team since that game in Philly, but don’t expect hm to play in Saturday’s preseason finale (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s FOX 19) at Paycor Stadium against the Colts …

In fact, no Opening Day starter or regular is expected to play, except kicker Evan McPherson, punter Ryan Rehkow and one of the two long snappers. If you’re curious about who makes the club on the big Aug. 26 cutdown, not playing Saturday could be a better sign than playing …

Golden doesn’t want to give anything away about what he’s going to look like in the Sept. 7 opener in Cleveland. If a vanilla defense caused a problem for two games that don’t count, he’ll take it.

“If there’s anybody to blame in that situation, it’s me, because they’re very static looks and very easy for the offensive scheme,” Golden said. “And that’s a choice that I made. I’ve got to live with that. And right now, the guys are focused on getting better each day, learning our system and then obviously transitioning to Cleveland here pretty quickly.” …