Trayveon Williams got the nod Tuesday with both Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard given the day off at Cincinnati Bengals training camp.
That makes it two days Bernard has had off now with what the team is calling hamstring tightness — the same ailment hitting wideout John Ross.
The coaching staff merely said they wanted to give Mixon a day off, which aligns well with their approach of being overly cautious with players so far this camp.
“Gio and Joe, we just gave them the day off because those younger guys, they’ve got to be ready to play this first preseason game — those young guys do — so they need all the work they can get,” coach Zac Taylor said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.
This opened the door for a late-round pick like Williams, the electric rusher out of the SEC who looks like he could end up being a long-term Bernard replacement if the Bengals don’t re-up with the veteran back again.
Fans heading to camp in the coming days will just have to deal with the new caution-based approach from the staff. Given the trends so far, it’s hard to imagine Mixon or Bernard play a big role in the game against Kansas City on Saturday night, either.
