Bengals Notes — On the hunt for a wide receiver, finishing draft preparations and hoping for health

The Bengals are on the hunt for a wide receiver, as they put the finishing touches on NFL Draft prep and hope A.J. Green and Jonah Williams can stay healthy

The Bengals are putting the finishing touches on their preparations for the NFL Draft.

They won’t admit it publicly, but they’re going to select Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick. 

Much like they did in 2011, when they took A.J. Green and Andy Dalton with back-to-back picks, the Bengals are interested in adding a wide receiver in this draft that can grow with Burrow.

“A guy that can come in and learn and has good football IQ,” head coach Zac Taylor said on Tuesday when asked about what the team is looking for at receiver. “That's important for us to continue to elevate the football IQ on both sides of the ball. Guys that have natural hands, have a good understanding of how to run their routes.”

The Bengals have talented wide receivers, but Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate are the only ones under contract beyond this season. John Ross and Green have dealt with injuries over the past few years, so it’s hard to expect them to play a full season.

Most believe there is plenty of depth at wide receiver in this draft, but the Bengals look at it a little differently.

“Each guy has a different set of attributes, whether it's size or speed or inside/outside guy,” Taylor said. “There's a healthy amount of players there that a lot of teams can view differently. We know we've got our order at that position. So we feel very comfortable, not only at the receiver position, but at all the positions.”

Virtual Draft

All 32 NFL teams participated in a mock draft on Monday to make sure everything runs smoothly when it’s time for the real thing. It got off to a rocky start, but they rebounded to salvage the rehearsal.

“It just started off with a little hiccup. It was nothing on our end. I can assure you of that,” Taylor said. “But from there, it went smooth. We went through however many picks, I think it was two full rounds. It looked like it was pretty clean.”

Every team was involved in the first 16 picks. The first 16 teams traded their selection to ensure all 32 teams were comfortable communicating with one another. The Bengals ‘traded’ with the Cowboys, who have the No. 17 pick.

Taylor is confident that the organization is prepared for the draft. They’ve had to do their scouting a bit differently this year due to COVID-19. Most pro days were cancelled and player interviews were conducted virtually.

“Our support staff has done a tremendous job,” Taylor said. “I’m talking about the trainers and the scouting departing trying to uncover all the information that they can on the guys who are dealing with issues from an injury standpoint. They have really put in a lot of the leg work to make sure that we have a final picture of all the information that we are going to be able to acquire on a player before we decide if we are going to pick them or not. That hasn’t been easy for us or any team, but I’m really proud of the work our staff has done to acquire the information, so we can be comfortable with the decision that we make on those guys.”

The Bengals wrapped up most of their draft preparations on Monday. They may change a few small details between now and Thursday, but they’re prepared and ready for the draft.

Excited for Green, but uncertainty looms

The Bengals’ coaching staff is excited to see Green play this season. He missed all of last year with an ankle injury.

"He is a premier receiver in this league. I'm excited to finally get a chance to coach him,” Taylor said. “We want A.J. to be here. We continue to work through everything. It's very important to have him here next year for any quarterback we have on this team. He's a great player. He approaches things the right way.”

Taylor didn’t comment when asked if Green would join the Bengals’ virtual workouts this offseason. Cincinnati used the franchise tag on the 31 year old this offseason. Both sides have until July 15 to agree to a long-term deal. It may benefit everyone involved if Green plays on the tag and proves he can still be a game changer.

Last Years’ No. 1

Jonah Williams hopes to make an impact this season after missing all of his rookie campaign. He suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder during mini camp. He underwent surgery in June and was able to return to the practice field, but was never activated.

"He felt great in the month of December when we got him back out on the practice field. He's fully healthy, ready to go,” Taylor said. “It's too bad that we didn't get a chance to use him last year, but we're getting a healthy player who is in the right state of mind mentally. He's ready to help us at left tackle and we're excited to get Jonah back on the field and get him ready to go whenever that time comes.”