Bengals receivers still young and developing

Jim Owczarski | Cincinnati Enquirer

Josh Malone and Korel Hamilton tracked down James Urban as the Cincinnati Bengals and coaches walked off the practice fields following their organized team activity on Tuesday, the rookie wide receivers stopping their position coach for plays printed on a piece of paper.

As Urban flipped through a thicket of folded sheets, Malone silently grew antsy – and then quickly grabbed the one he was looking for when it appeared. Urban smiled. The pair wanted to get their mental reps in, quiz each other on the call, formations and routes.

Much was made a year ago when Urban was tasked with bringing draft picks Tyler Boyd, Cody Core and undrafted free agent surprise Alex Erickson (as well as a still-raw James Wright) along in Ken Zampese’s offense, but his room got younger in 2017 with the departure of Wright and the addition of draft picks John Ross and Malone.

Who is Cincinnati's fastest man? The Reds' Billy Hamilton would love to race the Bengals' John Ross in a 40-yard dash.

So, it’s back to basics.

“Everybody is everything right now. They may be playing some positions and we find out who can do certain things. And the way you do that is you throw ‘em in and make ‘em do it. So you know hey, I’ve never done that particular route before, well, you’re doing it now so here you go. That’s the way we’re just rolling through. That’s how I handle it this time of year. I know that’s how you develop them and I know that’s how you get guys to go. And the idea is when we hit training camp, we’ll have a pretty good idea of who’s doing what and then we’ll start fine tuning from there.”

It’s a necessary element of the OTA for Urban because the Bengals’ top seven players at the position only two have more than a year of experience – A.J. Green and Brandon LaFell.

The final five players have played a combined for 77 career catches and 1,080 career offensive snaps, per Football Outsiders.

LaFell played in 1,010 offensive snaps alone last year.

Boyd, Core and Erickson at least have played in NFL games, but they are still the definition of young and developing as they enter year two.

“Just coming in each year, you want to get better at something,” Green said. “That’s what I’m looking for in the young guys: something they didn’t do well last year, have they worked on it to get better this year?”

The one year of experience comes with the benefit of getting reps with Andy Dalton in the OTA, but that also comes with an expectation from the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

“Yeah, they are younger but it’s another year in the system,” Dalton said. “We’re not teaching them where to line up. We’re teaching them OK, this is exactly how we want to run the route and different things like that. The biggest thing for them is, don’t stray away from what we’re doing. When it’s just one-on-ones with quarterbacks and receivers, make sure you run the route exactly the same way so the timing is there and everything’s down.”

To round out the camp roster, the club signed second-year player Chris Brown, who began last year in Dallas before missing the season with an injury, brought back practice squad players Jake Kumerow and Alonzo Russell and signed undrafted free agents Hamilton and Monty Madaris.

“You’re going to have some mess ups, but the biggest thing is when you mess up, try not to see the same one twice,” Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron said. “That’s how you learn. This time is for messing up.

“And if you don’t know, just ask. That’s the biggest thing. Just ask me, because I’ve got most of them in my huddle. There’s going to be some miscommunication. But I feel like right now it’s been fine. Guys are working hard and doing good.”

Of the receivers on the outside looking in, Kumerow would be the one expected to really push the draft picks and Erickson.

“It’s time for Jake,” Urban said. “He’s gotta go, and he knows it. He’s stepped up so far and I expect nothing but Jake’s best. Jake knows how to do it, and it’s time for him to show what he can do.”

Time is shortening for the 6-4, 206-pound undrafted free agent out of Division III University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, as he is entering his third training camp after two years on the practice squad.

He would have another season on the practice squad open to him under the collective bargaining agreement, but he is technically the most tenured receiver behind Green and LaFell when it comes to time spent in the facility after signing at the start of the 2015 season.

“Coaches have maybe a higher expectation for me this year in that I know the offense better and I’ve been here compared to guys that haven’t,” Kumerow said. “So yeah, possibly they might hold a higher expectation of me but I always hold high expectations for myself so I’m just ready to go man and ready for these games to start coming.”

With the cut-down rules changing so the club can keep 75 players through the final preseason game, there is perhaps more of a chance for the five or six players fighting for a roster spot to show their wares.

“Hey, look, they’re all fighting for jobs in the NFL,” Urban said. “And our goal is that every one of them work in the NFL this year. I think we have the talent to do it, and I think our guys are working hard to achieve that goal. So, they know what the reality is. They’re no dummies. None of them have shied away, and I don’t expect them to. And all of them know that if not here, then somewhere. And that’s how our mindset is.”