Surprise winners and losers always emerge from Cincinnati Bengals training camp.
But if one had asked which wide receiver might be a breakout early in camp this year, most would have pointed at rookie draft pick Colbie Young.
Noah Thomas has something to say about that, though.
Young is the big-ticket item with Tee Higgins-like skills the Bengals drafted in the fourth round. Thomas, though, also happens to be out of Georgia and is 6’5” with some Higgins-like skills of his own.
Thomas had the highlight play of Day 2 when he made a leaping catch from Joe Flacco over DJ Ivey.
It even got the attention of Ja’Marr Chase.
"That's an explosive, and that's what we need. That's another Tee Higgins. We've got somebody else to go there and get a jump ball,"
Chase said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "I don't really get jump balls like that. Joe usually leads me out in front. But seeing it from the younger guys and seeing what kind of catches they can make, contested catches, that's what we need."
The play in question:
Catch of the day made by number 17 Noah Thomas with DJ Ivey in tight coverage pic.twitter.com/2vTkYN9PgZ
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) July 30, 2026
CATCH OF THE DAY‼️🤯
— Joey DeBerardino (@JoeyDeBerardino) July 30, 2026
Bengals rookie UDFA WR Noah Thomas (Georgia) just hauled in an unbelievable catch here at day 2 of Training Camp, on a great ball from Joe Flacco.
Watch Thomas hold onto the ball on top of DJ Ivey’s helmet.
Insane concentration from the young rook. @WDTN pic.twitter.com/k3Asxxjbvj
Wideout is a brutally tough position for spots four through six on the depth chart in Cincinnati. But if this is a sign of things to come from Thomas, he’s about to force a revamp of most final 53-man roster projections.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals UDFA turning heads at training camp with Ja'Marr Chase praise
