The youths.
It was not a good day for rookie pass-catchers.
Third-round wide receiver Jermaine Burton was expected to play a large role with Tee Higgins sidelined, but he didn’t show up to walk-through on Saturday, so the club rightfully sat him on Sunday.
Fourth-round tight end Erick All’s day started well as he hauled in two catches for 24 yards on two targets, but his day and season were cut short when he tore his ACL. It stinks to lose All, but this could create an opportunity for the Bengals’ other rookie tight end, Tanner McLachlan, to finally get on the field.
The day was much more pleasant for the team’s first round selection, Amarius Mims. Mims had more targets than Maxx Crosby had sacks on the day. Go ahead and file that under strange but true. Mims was largely on his own in pass protection against Crosby and held up as well as anyone. Matt Lee also saw some action late in the uneven contest. The seventh-round center played a season-high six snaps on offense.
On the other side of the line, second-round pick Kris Jenkins had an excellent day, notching 5 tackles and his first career sack. Third-rounder McKinnley Jackson added three tackles of his own on a limited snap count.
The Bengals’ dominance helped players like fifth-round cornerback Josh Newton, sixth-round defensive end Cedric Johnson, and UDFA linebacker Maema Njongmeta see more action on defense. Njongmeta tallied an impressive three tackles.
Punter Ryan Rehkow booted three punts, averaging over 58 yards per kick. His longest was 65-yarder.
All in all, 10 rookies saw action in this game, with McLachlan and safety Daijahn Anthony being the only ones left out of the action.
