Who Dey notes: Bengals’ Joe Mixon in New Orleans, Kirkpatrick’s back

Bengals rookie, Joe Mixon, is serious about his craft. Fans should be giddy about his devotion to the fine details. If you forgot about Dre, he’s been cleared for limited action.

This is what fans want to see in the rookies. There has to be an inner voice and passion that drives them to be better. When that drive meets action and purpose, a situation like Joe Mixon’s arises. Nah, he’s not in trouble. Let it go. Even though he was at a Future concert with Adam Jones, his vision isn’t blurred. In fact, his foresight is so crystal clear, he’s going to be in New Orleans with another running back. Mixon is going to be spending some time with Adrian Peterson going over the fine details of their craft.

According to ESPN, Mixon will be training with Peterson before camp gets underway. When Bengals fans get a glimpse of Mixon in the stripes wearing number 28, it won’t be Peterson they think about. Like any died-in-the-wool Cincinnati fanatic, that jersey number will pull up memories of Corey Dillon. I’ve compared him to Dillon and another Bengals great. He also has the qualities of James Brooks. Don’t just believe me, listen to NBC’s Cris Collinsworth run down the similarities.

"“He’s 225 and he can block,” Collinsworth said, via Bengals.com. “He’s an incredible runner and tremendous receiver. Maybe not James Brooks, but you can begin to dabble in that category a little bit. At 225, that’s pretty impressive. I’m going to leave the politics out of it for a little while and just talk about him as a football player. I thought he was the most complete back in the draft.”"

See, I told ya so. Teaming up with Peterson will definitely get Mixon ready for the NFL grind.

If You Forgot About Dre… 

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Actually, that classic tune should be playing while Dre Kirkpatrick swats away passes from Andy Dalton. Earlier during OTAs, Dre was seen on the sidelines sporting a soft cast. He had injured his wrist in what he called a “freak accident.” If you saw that cast and instantly went berserk, join the club. After signing a sweet deal during free agency, that’s the last thing Bengals fans needed (or wanted) to see.

Thankfully, Kirkpatrick is back on the field and working his way back to health. The Bengals have cleared him to be more than a cheerleader on the sidelines. But, don’t expect to see him shadowing Cody Core or Tyler Boyd just yet. The 11-on-11 drills are not in the immediate plans as of yet.

"“I want to take it slow,” Kirkpatrick explained. “I don’t want to just rush out there for what? We ain’t playing no game or nothing. So I don’t want to go out there and re-injure it or get hit on the hand. When I come back I want to be 100 percent.”"

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That makes more sense than some Bengals fans will admit. While it would be great to see Kirkpatrick roaming down the field, it will be even better to know he’s doing it healthy.

The Bengals have a talented team assembled on paper. Having all the weapons in top shape will ensure a playoff run that is way overdue.