Cincinnati's veteran center describes a relentless pass rush and suffocating pressure reminiscent of a Super Bowl champion, testing the revamped offensive line and fueling breakout expectations for Chase Brown.
The Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up their fourth day of training camp on Saturday afternoon, and veteran offensive lineman Ted Karras had a lot to say about his impressions of the offense and the team as a whole. It was a day in which Karras had to deal with Dexter Lawrence in the middle of the defensive line, something he noted while also gaining more clarity on what the Bengals' running game will look like.
Karras told Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer that this is a team full of grown men. He also told Mike Petraglia of CLNS Cincinnati that it feels like they are trying to block the 2016 New England Patriots every day in practice, which was Karras' rookie season in the NFL. He said he feels the same level of stress approaching the line of scrimmage that he felt during that season.
The pass rushers on that team included Chris Long, Alan Branch, Malcom Brown, Jabaal Sheard, Trey Flowers and Rob Ninkovich. That New England defense allowed just 15.6 points per game, so Karras using it as a comparison is a significant compliment to Cincinnati's current defensive unit.
Dexter Lawrence may have had his best day of training camp, consistently applying pressure to Joe Burrow and plugging running lanes. Lawrence frequently faced double teams, but on one rep against Karras at center, he showed off his finesse and speed by swimming past Karras with ease and forcing a quick throw from Burrow that resulted in a dropped interception by cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor.
That type of play is the subtle difference a player of Lawrence's caliber can make. It is not necessarily a sack or a tackle for loss, but pressure up the middle gets quarterbacks off their base and increases the number of turnover-worthy plays, which Cincinnati's revamped secondary should be able to capitalize on.
Despite all of Lawrence's dominance, Karras discovered something about the Bengals' running game that he believes will be predicated on winning reach blocks, staying square, and allowing Chase Brown to find running lanes to exploit his speed. Reach blocks are commonly used on outside run plays, which makes sense for the Bengals because Brown is not really a between-the-tackles runner.
I wrote recently about how Brown is a candidate to have a huge season and possibly work his way into the conversation as a top-10 running back in the NFL after this season. Increased continuity and clarity with his offensive line will only strengthen that case.
