Rookie Report: How Charlie Jones Impressed Darrin Simmons and Andrei Iosivas's Perfect Draft Day Celebration

The Bengals' young rookie wide-outs are excited to join such a talented group that includes Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.

Andrei Iosivas spent his Friday morning at Cincinnati’s rookie minicamp. 

Drafted in the sixth round by the Bengals, it was evident that he was thrilled to be there by the smile on his face when reporters walked into the rookie locker room. 

Joe Burrow gave the young receiver a warm welcome in the form of a text message the night he was drafted 202 overall.

“That was pretty nice of him, all of my friends were kind of freaking out but I had to act cool,” Iosivas said.

The simple act of a text from the face of Cincinnati’s franchise made draft night even more memorable.

“He’s the star of the team obviously and you want to be welcomed to the family and he’s the head of the household," Iosivas said. "What better way to let me in you know what I mean?”

After the exchange Iosivas celebrated in a way that his new teammates would appreciate: with a cigar in hand surrounded by his best friends.

“I got off the phone and said I was a Bengal and everybody in the living room did a group hug,” Iosivas said. “Me and my friends we all went outside and started smoking cigars.”

Now that the celebrations have ended and he has officially inked a contract with the team that drafted him, Iosivas is ready to execute the agreement he made with Burrow a few weeks ago to get to work.

He’s excited to have the opportunity to work with Burrow’s number one target, Ja’Marr Chase.

“Whether it’s on youtube or on TV I’m always watching how he moves and how he gets separation so it will be pretty cool to see that in real life,” Iosivas said. “He’s so strong and gets separation so well in the middle of his route and at the top. Everyone is focused on their release at the beginning of the line of scrimmage but he is really good at the ladder half of his route so I’ve been focusing on that.”

Charlie Jones is another rookie that has been watching the Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Chase trio. 

Jones impressed Special Teams Coordinator Darrin Simmons during the pre-draft process. He evaluates more players than almost anybody else in the building. In order to stay organized and find the best talent he color coats certain players. The top talents are colored green.

“There was a group of about four returners that I had rated highly,” Simmons said. “Meaning they could really have the opportunity to help us in the return game.”

Jones was shocked, but excited to get the call from Cincinnati.

“He (Simmons) came out to my pro day, met with him briefly but honestly other than that I didn’t expect to be out here,” Jones said.

On an ice-cold day in Indiana, Simmons showed up to Purdue’s pro day to see Jones. 

Being the thorough evaluator that he is, Simmons had Jones move from the warm practice facility into the windy elements to see what kind of player he really was.

“It was cold, it was windy, and the sun was like right in my face. I had everything,” Jones said.

He did have everything according to Simmons, who labeled Jones as a green prospect following the workout. 

“I think his quickness and cutting ability are what showed up first for me,” Simmons said. “Being at his pro day and seeing him run routes I could also see his burst and acceleration.”

A short field is as good as gold in the NFL. Teams who can start outside of their own 30-yard line on a consistent basis tend to give their offense a much higher advantage which could translate to more wins during the course of a season.

Aiming for any competitive advantage possible in the AFC, the Bengals are looking to beef up their return game and Jones is a part of that plan moving forward. 

Trent Taylor averaged 10.3 yards per punt return last season and Cincinnati was in the top 10 of the NFL scoring last season. The Bengals ultimately lost to Kansas City i the AFC Championship Game. 

The final 20 seconds of that game featured a 29-yard punt return by Chiefs Skyy Moore, which completely flipped the field. Patrick Mahomes had a clear advantage when his offense started on Cincinnati’s 47-yard line. He’d scramble, draw a penalty, and allow Harrison Butler to kick the game-winning field goal from 45 yards out.

Kansas City is notorious for having a strong return game. They consistently lead the league in touchdowns scored (61 in 2022) and that is the team who the Bengals are hoping to beat this year. 

The days of moral victories over the Steelers are over. This new era of Bengals football is focused on beating one of the most consistent teams in their league.

Jones could put Cincinnati in a position to give Burrow the ball with a short field and the game on the line. He could be a difference maker right away in Cincinnati. 

Burrow and Jones will meet in person on Monday after a few draft night texts were exchanged. Simmons is will aware of Jones’ potential value in crucial moments and I’d be willing to bet that Joe Burrow is as well.

“I think he (Jones) can bring real value to us in the return game,“ Simmons said. “He catches the ball very well which is the first prerequisite to being an effective returner. He also has a natural feel for making people miss and couple that with his quickness, cutting ability, and burst and he has the opportunity to to be productive.”

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