“It’s the second time he did the first day of OTAs, so that’s a good sign,” Jones said. “I had a good year last year and he beat me on the first day. He beat me on the first day again this year. I don’t man, I’m a bit, what’s the word I’m looking for, superstitious.”
Dalton has been throwing since receiving medical clearance months ago, but this was the first time he competed in a practice setting.
“It’s exciting,” Dalton said. “’I’ve been throwing for a while now, so I kind of know how it feels. But it’s good to be back out there and not have any concerns with it. It was a good day.”
Dalton also connected with Green on a couple of deep balls against cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris.
“It felt good to get back out there and run up under some balls with somebody on your back,” Green said. “It’s good to have him back. The season he was having last year was unbelievable, and then to see him go down really hurt.”
Pacman praise: What was already expected to be a spirited competition for playing time at receiver got even more interesting Tuesday with the reports that tight end Tyler Eifert, who led the Bengals with 13 touchdown receptions last year, could miss up to three months due to the ankle injury he suffered in the Pro Bowl.
Jones said he was impressed by what he saw from the young group of receivers trying to fill the void left by Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency.
“I like 17,” Jones said of 6-foot-4 undrafted free agent Alonzo Russell. “He’s tall and sneaky fast. I figured that out today. And 83 (second-round pick Tyler Boyd) is like a Cadillac. He’s got the nicest stride on the team. He’s smooth as hell. It don’t look like he’s runnin’ fast, but he’s movin’.
“I was very impressed by 15 (second-year receiver Mario Alford) today. He played pretty fast today,” Jones continued. “They look pretty good. I’m eager to see how good they can be. I’m eager to see how the young guys pan out. I see two or three of them that maybe can make a splash for us.”
Roll call: In addition to Eifert, several others did not practice during Tuesday's voluntary session, including linebacker Rey Maualuga, undrafted rookie offensive lineman Alex Redmond and quarterback AJ McCarron, who is in Alabama for the birth of his son.
Cornerback Darqueze Dennard, still recovering from season-ending shoulder injury, and linebacker Vontaze Burfict only participated in position drills during the first 20 minutes of practice.
Tackle Cedric Ogbuehi and H-back Ryan Hewitt watched from the sidelines in sweats, while defensive tackle Brandon Thompson and wide receiver James Wright, both of whom are rehabbing knee injuries, did rehab work off to the side, along with undrafted rookie running back DyShawn Mobley.
First-year linebacker Jeff Luc at first appeared to be missing from practice, but the University of Cincinnati product changed his jersey number from 50 to 44 and is now playing fullback.
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