If Day 2 of Cincinnati Bengals training campwas tame and subdued, Day 3 was downright drab.
The players won't have pads on until next week, but they weren't even wearing helmets on July 31, which was more walkthrough than anything else Also, the practice was closed to the public, so there wasn't much atmosphere on the practice fieldsacross the street from Paycor Stadium.
"Drab" can have its upsides, though. The risk of injury appeared to be very low, and head coach Zac Taylor also telegraphed that Day 3 would be a lighter session. The team is in the middle
of four-straight days of practicing, so a lighter day was more than justified.
If the team went all-out every single day of training camp, it'd be like a scene out of "The Junction Boys" and Cincinnati might not have enough bodies left by Week 1 against Tampa Bay.
Here's what we learned from Day 3 of Bengals training camp:
Evan McPherson looking sharp early in Bengals camp
When the set of wheeled goal posts is placed in position for work on field goals and extra points, two members of the Bengals equipment team serve as referees to judge the kick. They stand underneath the two posts and give their best approximation of whether or not kicker Evan McPherson's tries are successful or not.
Combining McPherson's training camp attempts from July 29 and July 31, he's either 12-for-12 or 11-for-12 so far in camp. On July 31, he appeared to hit all five of his tries, including a long of 53 yards. There was some debate from special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons regarding one of kicks, though, and McPherson said he expected that debate to drag on into the afternoon.
Whether he's hit all 12 or narrowly missed on a lone kick so far in camp, McPherson feels good, and he should.
"Feeling good. Body's healthy, which is a positive thing," McPherson said. "Kicking-wise, I feel like I'm in a really good spot. Felt like I had a really good OTA session and going into the summer ahead of training camp, I've kinda kept that thing rolling from OTA's. I feel like I'm hitting the ball well. I feel really comfortable with the operation. I feel like I don't have to worry about that at all.
"All I focus on is kicking the ball and not complicating things for myself."
After struggling in 2024 and later losing a big chunk of the season to injury, McPherson in 2025 was 25-for-28 on field goals and 41-for-44 on extra points (and at least one of the missed field goals was batted down in a stiff wind in the loss to the New York Jets, and wasn't really his fault).
Like the Bengals' offensive line, the primary members of the field goal unit − McPherson, long snapper William Wagner, holder/punter Ryan Rehkow − have year-over-year continuity. A year ago, Wagner was in competition with veteran Cal Adomitis, but there's no competition this summer. McPherson said he interpreted that as a vote of confidence.
"I feel like whenever you don't have competition in camp, it says a lot about the guys that we have in our room already, and the work that we did last year and in OTA's," McPherson said. "They (the Bengals) didn't feel like there was any need to change, and I think that gives us confidence. It's gonna be us three."
Day 3 headcount for Bengals training camp
BJ Hill (PUP list) and Dexter Lawrence II didn't participate in the July 31 session, with Lawrence getting off his feet for some rest.
Jonathan Allen participated July 31 after a rest day July 30.
What's next for the Bengals?
Fans are scheduled to be back on-site at the Kettering Health practice fields Aug. 1 for a ticketed practice that's available to season ticket holders and ticket waitlist fans. So far, the team is scheduled to open the gates to the fields at 9:25 a.m.
The Bengals haven't said anything regarding possible changes due to the Aug. 1 weather forecast, but rain is expected throughout the morning and into the night.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals training camp takeaways: Why Evan McPherson is feeling good
