Zac Taylor Highlights Impact of Noah Fant Addition, Updates Bengals Training Camp Injuries

 Zac Taylor had his second meeting of the week with media members on Thursday. It started immediately after news broke that Cincinnati is signing free-agent tight end Noah Fant to a one-year contract.

Fant represents a nice boost to the depth at this position as a 2019 first-round pick. He's posted at least 414 receiving yards in each of his first six NFL seasons. He had 48 receptions for 500 yards and one touchdown for the Seahawks last season and will be catching passes from the best quarterback yet in his career.

"He gives you even more flexibility," Taylor said about Fant. "You got a player that's really a plus player in both the run and the pass, and so at the point of attack, blocking, backside of blocking and protection can help you, but also really explosive as a receiver, great size, great explosiveness, really good hands, tough to bring down. I think that's another weapon, anytime we can add weapons like that and Erick All played that role for us last year as well. So, again, we really feel good about where our with our tight end room."

Cincinnati has had a pretty smooth on-ramp into training camp with no serious injuries. Potential starting guard Lucas Patrick (calf) returned to practice in full pads on Wednesday to compete with Cody Ford.

He's one of a few veteran Cincinnati has worked in and out of the practice fold with an eye on the top health marks possible.

"I wouldn't read anything into anything in terms of lineups," Taylor noted about different names sitting out some drills here and there. "There's days where we have a plan on offense or defense of what it's going to be, and then all of a sudden the guys can be down for that practice, and it totally changes the plan, and now we're in a whole new plan.

"So I wouldn't read anything these first couple weeks into who's lining up with who. Because oftentimes, it's so fluid with us at 8:52 a.m. before a 10 o'clock, practice, That's just part of training camp and and there's plenty of time for a bunch of these battles to shake out."

Cincinnati has one week until its first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.