One moment stood out at the Bengals’ OTA session on Tuesday as much as any in the traditionally forgettable practices that occur this time of year.

In the middle of a 7-on-7 competition between offensive and defensive starters, cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt found himself lined up against tight end Mike Gesicki in the slot during a third-down drill. When Gesicki cut toward the sideline and Joe Burrow unloaded a pass in his direction, Taylor-Britt made his move.

The fourth-year corner exploded toward the ball, leapt in the air, snagged it, flipped to land an elbow in bounds and held on for the interception.

He immediately erupted and started talking trash in the direction of Burrow and the offense, while tossing the ball up toward the sky to amplify the disrespect.

JUICE 🧃#WhoDey x @CamTaylorBritt_ pic.twitter.com/saSKkiM5du

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) June 3, 2025

Seemingly before the ball even landed, Burrow took the next snap, looked off the safety and unloaded a bomb to Ja’Marr Chase who was sprinting five yards past cornerback DJ Turner down the sideline for what would have been a touchdown.

Call this the ultimate “Take That” go ball.

The drill wasn’t even designed for deep passes. Chase nearly ran into the defensive line participating in a different drill down the sideline, not thinking any deep routes were coming their way.

No, this wasn’t scripted. That’s what made Burrow’s reminder all the more exciting.

“You want Sheisty to come out,” Taylor-Britt said afterward.

Joe Burrow goes DEEP to Ja’Marr Chase during 7-on-7 drills pic.twitter.com/khe8zTZuo5

— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) June 3, 2025

With all due respect, there hasn’t been much of this level of competitiveness and tenacity this time of year in Cincinnati. The Bengals rarely break out good-on-good — in fact, they never do ones versus ones in 11-on-11 — but even when they have, these types of moments have been few and far between.

There hasn’t been a philosophy shift in the offseason program, necessarily. That will be coming when training camp rolls around. Yet, the urgency and competitive levels of the last two weeks featured a notable uptick from the light work of previous seasons.

What does it all mean? Not necessarily a game-changer in the big picture, but the seriousness of the proceedings is encouraging, specifically on defense.

CTB and the DBs not going quietly

If there was a group you’d expect to stay relatively humble after what happened last year, it would be the Bengals’ defensive backs. Each of the five starters during OTAs was benched at some point last year except for safety Geno Stone, who took a pay cut.

Yet, credit to new defensive coordinator Al Golden, because the young grouping of Taylor-Britt, Turner, Josh Newton and Jordan Battle have all shown up at different moments and rarely have been shy expressing their excitement.

Taylor-Britt had the loudest moment Tuesday, but Newton also had a pass breakup, as did Turner, who enjoyed a productive session last Tuesday.

There’s more press-man coverage and versatility in where they line up. Taylor-Britt’s interception is a great example. He was locked up with Gesicki in the slot. The Bengals are looking for an answer there after moving on from Mike Hilton and Taylor-Britt is being tested as part of the equation.

Dax Hill, who played well during his first stint at outside corner last year, is recovering well from ACL surgery and still looks to be used all over, but there’s a clear lean into letting these corners all test the waters at different spots to add to the number of answers Golden has during the season.

For now, in terms of the confidence emanating from the group, it’s working.

No slowdown in Brown and Iosivas

The two players who enjoyed the biggest leaps last year were running back Chase Brown and wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, both second-year, former Day 3 picks. Brown developed into a premier back in the league and a primary weapon for the offense and Iosivas put a stranglehold on the third receiver spot alongside Chase and Tee Higgins, in conjunction with TE/WR Gesicki.

Well, there’s no sign of slowing down. More than 45 minutes after practice ended on Tuesday, there they were, the two just then coming off the field long after most had showered and moved on with their day. These were the same reports given when they sought out receiver coach Drew Lieberman last offseason and experienced huge gains on the field.

Despite more competition around them, they have only solidified themselves as central figures in the offensive game plan, with Iosivas’ size and athleticism really starting to shine in his second year working as both an inside and outside receiver.

Fairchild and Patrick … for now

OTA starting lineups aren’t typically worth even mentioning, but I will regarding the positional free-for-all happening at both guard spots. Third-round pick Dylan Fairchild and free agent signee Lucas Patrick currently hold the starting spots.

There will be many more important mileposts in this competition that also involves Cody Ford, Jaxson Kirkland, Cordell Volson, Jalen Rivers, and really any player over 300 pounds who proves capable of playing the position. Yet, the messaging at the league meetings following the signing of Patrick and post-draft after selecting Fairchild in the third round was that these are the early favorites.

Those words were backed up by the actions of running with the first team right now.

WR5 will be fun to watch develop

The depth of the pass catchers has improved this year, as noted before with the ascension and return of Iosivas and Gesicki. What’s lining up to be among the most entertaining battles of training camp will be the chase for the fifth receiver spot behind the top four.

The primary contestants for the spot are Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones and Isaiah Williams. There have been eyes opened around the progress of Williams, a 24-year-old out of Illinois who played six games for Cincinnati last season after being claimed off waivers from Detroit on Nov. 8. His quickness has shown up and he could find an impact as a slot receiver on offense. Whoever wins the role will also likely land as the starting kickoff returner. All three took reps at the position last season. Jones has a punt and kickoff return for a touchdown to his name. Burton showed flashes in his opportunity, as did Williams.

Burton’s journey will be as much off the field as on it as he aims to leave a disastrous rookie year behind him and regain trust inside the building. So far, so good on that, but there’s a long way to go. Jones needs to prove he can stay healthy.

There’s a good chance all three will see extended playing time in the preseason to see who carves out this important niche on the two-deep.