The intensity of the work on Day 2 of Cincinnati Bengals training camp wasn’t less than on July 30, it just didn’t bubble over like it did midway through the first practice of the 2026 season.
A training camp shoving match or dustup can indicate some underlying positives, but having one every single day would be pretty concerning. So, if July 29 was the tone-setter for a hungry Bengals team, July 30 looked like getting back to work and drilling down on the necessary work of camp.
Here’s what we learned on Day 2 of Bengals training camp:
Ja’Marr Chase addresses training camp scuffle with DJ Turner II
Remember that little disagreement that occurred during the opening day of Bengals training camp? The one that ended with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase emerging from a giant shoving match with cornerback DJ Turner II’s helmet before Chase hurled it down the field?
Chase addressed the matter during his scheduled post-practice news conference on July 30. Like the others involved, Chase chalked the moment up to competitiveness.
“We’ve got to do a better job of getting back to practice and not getting distracted,” Chase said.
Chase added that he liked seeing Cincinnati’s defensive backs with a bit of an edge to them, and he certainly saw plenty of the edge during the mid-practice disruption July 29.
“It might help them practice a little harder,” Chase said.
Shemar Stewart avoids ‘major injury’ to left knee
The best news on the second day of Bengals training camp was that Stewart, the second-year edge rusher and former Bengals first round draft pick, didn’t suffer a major injury on the opening day of camp, which required him to be carted off the field.
“He hyperextended his knee,” Taylor said, adding that the injury would require several weeks of recovery.
There’s no doubt this situation is still a setback for Stewart, who needs to rebound from a fraught rookie season. But a setback of weeks is preferable to one of months, or a year.
Bengals on the sideline
Taylor didn’t elaborate on when he’d give some players, and particularly those on the defensive line, some rest during the four consecutive practice days to begin training camp, but he made clear it would happen and that it shouldn’t be cause for alarm. The four consecutive days of practice right out of the gate is the longest stretch of its kind all camp.
That would explain why Jonathan Allen was watching July 30. Also unavailable for Cincinnati was BJ Hill, who is on a physically unable to perform designation.
Play of the Day: Bengals WR Noah Thomas makes circus catch
On Day 1 of Bengals camp, all the newsworthy moments occurred on the far east side of the practice complex. That took most of the fans out of play in terms of having a good vantage point to watch since the majority of those in attendance utilize standing room and temporary bleachers on the west sideline of a second practice field.
So, with unobstructed and close-up views galore, undrafted rookie wide receiver Noah Thomas treated the fans to the best play of the day when he went up and stole a contested catch off cornerback DJ Ivey.
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco lofted a deep ball down the sideline. Thomas went up for the ball with Ivey, pinned it against Ivey’s back, and then secured the catch after both players hit the deck, pulling the ball up and over Ivey’s helmet and into his chest.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 3 takeaways, player standouts from Day 2 of Bengals training camp
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
