Cincinnati Bengals: What We've Learned Through Week 1 of Training Camp

The Cincinnati Bengals are through the opening week of this summer's training camp. With its passing comes valuable revelations about where the team is headed in 2015 and how.

Injuries, roster battles and more take the spotlight this time of year, especially with the team's preseason opener against the New York Giants still a ways off in the distance (August 14).

As such, the headlines center on player performance and injury status ahead of the first cuts. Veterans such as offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth continue to impress, comeback stories such as Geno Atkins are working out well and position shifts for notable veterans are all talking points with the first week complete.

Within, let's examine these key points and what the biggest takeaways mean.

Geno Atkins Is Back

One of the biggest questions entering this summer centered on defensive tackle Geno Atkins.

The former Georgia star played in 16 games last year, but he was a shell of his former self compared to his form as one of the league's best before a knee injury in 2013.

Last year, Atkins just didn't have the same burst off the snap and nabbed three sacks and a 20th rank at Pro Football Focus. Compare it to 2012, when he recorded 12.5 sacks and ranked No. 1 in the league at PFF.

So far, it sounds like Atkins looks back to his usual self, per a revealing note by Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson: "At the moment, this guy is the best player on the field either side of the ball. You can’t block him. Run or pass. Kevin Zeitler is one of the finest right guards in the league and he’s got his hands full."

There are similar sentiments available throughout the Internet. It's just one week of action, sure, but one could argue Atkins is the most important player on the roster. The ripple effect of his absence would be catastrophic, so right now it's so far, so good for the Cincinnati defense.

Andrew Whitworth Isn't Ready to Fade out of the Lineup

When the Bengals drafted Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in the first two rounds of this year's draft, it made some sense to accelerate the sand flowing through the hourglass on Whitworth's time as starter.

As a wise man once said, not so fast, my friend.

The hoopla surrounding the rookie tackles makes sense, but it's easy to forget Whitworth posted perhaps the best season of his career last year, ranking tied for No. 9 at PFF. He's 33 years old, but Whitworth cut a bunch of weight and told Hobson he wants to play four more years:

"

The number that kept coming up is 12 years. Some might have squeezed to 13, but most of them were 12. I still have three to four years left. NFL football is just different now. The way we practice, our schedule, I can go longer. The one denominator I found is that they were probably a little heavy late in their careers and I don’t think that helped them play longer…Carrying that much weight, at some point you’re going to break down.

"

Whitworth looks great, both from an eye-test and play perspective. He's lighter than usual, which, in theory, should help him combat some of the speed-rushers he'll face on the edge as he ages.

In a year's time, who knows? Maybe the Bengals kick Whitworth to guard. Right now, though, it sounds like he's intent on staying put.

Tyler Kroft Continues to Impress

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Tyler Kroft out of Rutgers wasn't the biggest name on the board when the Cincinnati Bengals walked to the podium with the 85th overall pick of this year's draft.

None of it matters now.

Kroft is on fire in camp, a necessity for a team with one notable starter at tight end (Tyler Eifert) after losing a veteran (Jermaine Gresham) to free agency.

Folks can tell from highlight videos Kroft is a weapon. A tweet from ESPN.com's Coley Harvey proves he's already turning heads in this area: "During goal-line drills just now, Josh Johnson placed a nice touch pass to Tyler Kroft. Kroft one-handed it, fell with TD over Vincent Rey."

More important is Kroft's development as a blocker so he can stay on the field in any situation. Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com provide comments on this area: "He not only made multiple tough, contested catches in the passing game but held up far better than the others in pass protection drills. The Bengals viewed him as the best tight end in the draft, and while he still has a long way to go, early returns have been positive."

Kroft needs to continue this form if the coaching staff wants to put him on the field with Eifert often next season. If he continues to improve as a blocker, it won't be a tough decision.

Young Corners Look Ready

Cincinnati didn't bring on a veteran to protect the young corners this year—former first-round picks Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard must step up and play well alongside starters Leon Hall and Adam Jones.

Kirkpatrick doesn't need to go wild proving himself, not after folks will recall his picking Peyton Manning off twice and taking one back for a score in a late-season win against the Denver Broncos last year.

Still, it's good to hear from Harvey that the new every-down starter continues to excel: "Dre Kirkpatrick has had a really good day. Just broke up a goal-line pass to Denarius Moore. Kirkpatrick made a great break on ball."

More pressure rests on Dennard's shoulders given his lack of significant playing time last year, but things sound good so far based on praise from defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, per Harvey: "Darqueze is competing for a starting job so when he gets his opportunities and his reps in there he's trying to get the most of his opportunities, just like the rest of these guys are."

Should Dennard continue to progress in this manner, it gives the Bengals injury insurance and lineup options. Which is fitting, because it makes way for the next point.

Leon Hall's Move to Safety

Gail Burton/Associated Press

So far, it looks like the Cincinnati coaching staff won't allow talent to sit by the wayside this year. With Kirkpatrick and Dennard coming along strong, the veteran Hall has seen some time at safety. 

Dehner noted the lineup change near the start of camp: "Versatility on display today. A smattering of Leon Hall at safety and Rex Burkhead at slot. Expecting more of that as camp progresses."

It's not permanent, but it does allow the Bengals to keep their best players on the field.

Granted, Hall's doing pretty much what he did in nickel packages under former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, as he told Hobson: “Honestly, that's nothing really new. For whatever reason, it's kind of come up again. I did that with Zim. I'm still at the nickel position, it's just a changeup basically. We did that here with Zim a couple of years, so it was nothing new.”

This isn't so much about Hall losing a job or moving around as it is the Bengals trusting the young guys to see playing time. It's a notable development, and in today's pass-happy league, there is no such thing as too many quality defensive backs on the field at once.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of August 6. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.