Lessons Learned from Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp This Week

The Cincinnati Bengals wrap up their training camp this weekend with positional battles still to be determined. That will come via player performance in the final two preseason games and how they look in the practices leading up to them.

It was a short week of camp for the Bengals this week as they prepared for Thursday's preseason matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the final full week of the Bengals' 2012 camp.

Cornerback Battle Still Unsettled

Too many injuries at cornerback have prevented the Bengals from getting a good look at all the players who would otherwise be vying for starting jobs, which may force them to turn yet again to Nate Clements and Leon Hall to being their opening-day starters regardless of their depth.

As such, those who are or become healthy will have to work extra hard to stand out and earn themselves a roster spot, with the first round of cuts looming.

Five of 11 cornerbacks were not active for Thursday's game against the Falcons: Dre Kirkpatrick, Shaun Prater, Adam Jones, Brandon Ghee and Jason Allen. Clements and Hall were the starters, Terence Newman saw time, and T.J. Heath, Taveon Rogers and Chris Lewis-Harris, who recently moved to the position from wide receiver, provided the depth.

The severity of some of these cornerbacks' injuries may make the decision a bit easier for the Bengals, but without time to thoroughly evaluate every player, the Bengals may find it difficult to make the final decisions. 

Jordan Shipley on the Bubble

The Bengals are projected to keep six wide receivers on their active roster, and it's beginning to look less and less likely that Jordan Shipley will be one of them.

Shipley, who tore his ACL last season, has been progressing more slowly than hoped, and as such, hasn't gotten much work with the first-team offense. In the Bengals' first preseason game against the New York Jets, he only took the field with the third team, in the fourth quarter.

With other receivers like Andrew Hawkins, Marvin Jones and Armon Binns shining in both camp and on the field, it's a crowded field for Shipley to invade. With his recovery going slower than planned and so much talent in the receiving corps, these may be his last few days in Cincinnati.

Update: The Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy is reporting that the Bengals have waived Shipley after his knee continued to bother him.

Injuries

The secondary isn't the only area that has struggled with injuries throughout camp. Heading into Thursday's second preseason game, the list of injured was long.

Aside from the above-mentioned cornerbacks, running backs BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott, wide receiver Ryan Whalen, defensive ends Carlos Dunlap, Robert Geathers and DeQuin Evans, defensive tackles Pat Sims and Brandon Thompson, safety Tony Dye, offensive guard Travelle Wharton and linebackers Thomas Howard and Rey Maualuga dealt with injuries of varying severity, causing them to miss time in practice and this week's preseason game.

Though many of these non-practicing players were held out for precautionary reasons and thus likely won't miss time during the regular season, the injuries the Bengals have had to deal with throughout camp has forced them to adapt quite frequently to an ever-changing situation.

This will certainly impact how they approach the first wave of roster cuts, which are set for August 27. Players who would have otherwise made the roster might find themselves without a spot in Cincinnati simply because injury forced the Bengals' hand.

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