SLANTS AND SCREENS: Last year kicker Evan McPherson ended “Back Together Saturday,” with a 65-yard field goal and he wanted to go two yards longer this time. It would also be a yard longer than Justin Tucker’s NFL record.
But it was about five yards short as the wind suddenly died.
“Maybe 15 yards short. That’s probably the worst ball I’ve hit since I’ve been here,” McPherson said. “I duffed it. You play golf, right?”
But what the people didn’t see as they were going to their cars is McPherson staying on the practice range with punter Brad Robbins and drilling a 65-yarder again.
“I didn’t want to end on that bad of a kick,” said McPherson, who thinks he backed up too much and let the adrenaline take over on the long one.
Before the duff, he thought was hitting them well and he drilled a 52-yarder right after he barely missed a 50-yarder left …
Tee Higgins could have been Player of the Day Saturday, just like he could have been the first practice. The guy looks terrific. “Best shape of my life,” said Higgins, who stayed in Cincinnati to work out this summer ….
Running back Joe Mixon is a man of the people. He played catch with some of the fans as he lofted footballs into the stands and on his last run of the day he raced 70 yards into the end zone and launched himself into the front row …
Taylor-Britt said he and Siemian baited each other on his interception. Siemian wanted him to go in the flat and Taylor-Britt hovered there until he broke back and reached up to grab it …
Right tackle Jonah Williams worked with the Ones after getting a day off Friday and working with the Twos Thursday.
“Just precaution if it starts swelling, but I feel amazing. I don’t even feel it,” said Willams, who had surgery for a dislocated kneecap. “From now on it’s pretty much two days on and one day off and I don’t think we’ll have to load management it as much.” …
Punter Drue Chrisman has yet to practice this camp after a hospital stay and Taylor is looking to special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons to manage the rookie Robbins without competition.
“Darrin is a pro at that and so just statistically there are things we’re looking for and evaluating all things that go into that competition there will be plenty of time for Drue to come back and compete side-by-side with Brad,” Simmons said. “In the meantime there is plenty to compare it to and Darrin has decades worth of notes to compare it to and see where we need to be at in punting situations and give Brad things to continue to work on and try differently. Darrin has a great plan in place for that.” …
It was reported the Bengals worked out old friend Drew Plitt as well as Reid Sinnett this weekend in the quest to pick up a No. 3 quarterback in Joe Burrow’s absence. Don’t look for a quick announcement on which XFL player they’ll sign, but he figures to be in place for Monday’s practice.
Plitt is on the phone list and is the guy they turned to last year to spell Browning and Brandon Allen in the preseason when Burrow had an emergency appendectomy the day before training camp started.
Plitt, who played at Loveland High School in the Cincinnati suburbs before quarterbacking Ball State, thrilled the home folks last year in the final minutes of the preseason opener at Paycor Stadium when he led the Bengals to a two-minute drill touchdown. He hit all six passes for 76 yards, the last one a 25-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kendric Pryor with 74 seconds left in a 36-23 loss to Cardinals.
Sinnett, out of San Diego State, has been on the practice squad of three teams since he came into the league in 2020 and had two stints with the Dolphins
