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          NFL Nation

          Andy Dalton throws routes to John Ross after Bengals' practice

          • Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff WriterJul 30, 2017, 11:15 PM
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              Katherine Terrell came back to ESPN to cover the New Orleans Saints in the summer of 2022. She left the company in 2019 after joining in 2016 to cover the Cincinnati Bengals. Katherine is a graduate of LSU and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, and she has covered the NFL since 2013. You can follow Katherine on Twitter: @Kat_Terrell
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          CINCINNATI -- Long after the Cincinnati Bengals had concluded their third practice of training camp, three figures remained on one of the playing fields: quarterback Andy Dalton, rookie wide receiver John Ross and Dalton's 3-year-old son, Noah.

          Dalton threw passes to Ross for about 15 minutes with Noah chasing after him before Dalton put Noah on his shoulders to sign some autographs for the remaining fans in attendance.

          Dalton said he wanted to work with Ross specifically because the receiver is still limited in what he can do. Ross had offseason labrum surgery and hasn't been cleared to practice without limitations. While Ross can do individual drills and field punts, he's not doing any 7-on-7, 9-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills yet.

          "Right now he's not able to get the reps that everybody else is able to get," Dalton said. "There's the no contact thing right now for him, so the only time you're getting it is afterward. I was just trying to take advantage of the extra little time that we can get, and just get that work in that we aren't able to get in practice."

          Ross is still working through some rookie growing pains, dropping a few passes on his first day. He's also been working on locating and getting his timing down while fielding punts.

          Ross scored four touchdowns as a kickoff returner in college, but returned only four punts during his freshman year at Washington.

          Padded practices: The Bengals wore shoulder pads for the first time Sunday, putting them one step closer to their preseason opener against the Buccaneers on Aug. 11. They'll put on full pads for their Monday afternoon practice.

          "It’s another step, another phase to what you’re doing in football and you’re trying to make that progression, learning to play behind our pads and drop our knees and have good pad level," coach Marvin Lewis said. "We’ll see how the tape looks."

          Overheard at camp: "74, you're on the ground a lot!" -- Lewis to right tackle Jake Fisher.

          Kicking battle: Jake Elliott and Randy Bullock each attempted kicks on Sunday, with Jonathan Brown sitting out. Bullock did not miss a kick and was good from 28, 38, 33 and 35 yards; he tried the 33-yarder twice and made it both times. Elliott was good from 28, 38 and 35 yards; he tried the 33-yarder twice and missed the first one. The Bengals blew the whistle on Elliott and Bullock's 33-yard attempts to try to distract them and get them to work through different scenarios.

          Through two days, Bullock is 8-for-8, Elliott is 4-for-5 and Brown is 2-for-3.

          Smith back at right guard: After one day of playing right tackle with the second team, Andre Smith was back at right guard with the first team, where he has been playing all summer. The main first-team offensive line has been Cedric Ogbuehi, Clint Boling, Russell Bodine, Smith and Fisher.

          Plays of the day: Rookie running back Joe Mixon flashed his speed late in the day, running for an estimated 55-yard touchdown with defenders trailing behind him. Mixon has been mixed in with both the first and second teams. ... Cornerback Bene Benwikere intercepted Jeff Driskel ... Defensive tackle DeShawn Williams, playing with the second unit, got pressure up the middle on AJ McCarron ... Alonzo Russell made a nice grab despite tight coverage from KeiVarae Russell.