Matt Lee Opens Up About First NFL Training Camp: 'Take It A Day At A Time'

Cincinnati is hoping it got a seventh-round steal out of the center.

Cincinnati Bengals center Nate Gilliam (66), Cincinnati Bengals center Matt Lee (62) and Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Eric Miller (74) look on at Bengals spring practice at the IEL Indoor Facility in Cincinnati on Thursday, June 13, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — Our James Rapien caught up with rising rookie center Matt Lee on Enter The Jungle this week as the big fella finishes his first NFL preseason.

Lee got a heavy snap diet against the Bears as he continues acclimating into NFL life. He is trending towards making the team as a seventh-round pick after holding up against Chicago's starters.

"I was pretty emotional in my own head, and, maybe over inflating it mentally," Lee said to Rapien on Enter The Jungle about the big chance this past Saturday. "But it's pretty awesome, to go and get a full game of it, 60-plus reps, it's awesome. ... I think overall, there's stuff to improve upon, like always, definitely a few things I could hammer, hammer, hammer every day that I can continue to improve upon. I thought there was a lot of good, and then there was bad. Take it for what it is. And today, focus on it. Tomorrow, focus on it Wednesday, focus on it. Thursday focus on it. Just make it like a creature, of habit thing to really hammer those things."

Lee has not allowed one quarterback pressure yet this preseason, as he leads all qualified rookie linemen in PFF grade (86.1 overall)

"Ted (Karras) and all of them they got so much experience in this league," Lee said about learning from veterans. "Ted and (Alex) Cappa for sure, just the knowledge they know and the kind of bits and pieces, whether in the meeting room watching film, or we're out on the field and they see something, just little stuff to throw your way and talk you through and help you with. Both those guys and the rest of them for sure. But both those guys have freaking played a lot of football, been as far as you can go in a season, stuff like that. And being able to learn from them is huge and valuable."

The 23-year-old couldn't have started much better than this.

"Take it a day at a time, right?" Lee said in the interview. "And take each practice for what it is, and then do everything you can to get better."

After 2 weeks of preseason, Bengals rookie C Matt Lee has had 50 pass blocking opportunities, including starting reps.

He has allowed 0 pressures and his PFF pass blocking grade is 86.1‼️

You could argue he is already one of the Bengals top 5 OL.

— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) August 18, 2024

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