Hakeem Adeniji is likely done for the season. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed that the offensive lineman will likely be sidelined for the entire 2021 campaign after undergoing surgery (via Geoff Hobson of the team’s website).
Adeniji tore a pectoral muscle less than two weeks ago, necessitating the surgery. There’s a chance that the recovery time only takes a few months, but it sounds like Taylor is assuming that the lineman will be out for the entire season.
This is a tough break for the 23-year-old. The 2020 sixth-round pick had an opportunity to build off an impressive rookie campaign that saw him appear in 15 games with five starts. Adeniji ultimately saw time in 22-percent of his team’s offensive snaps and 13-percent of his team’s special teams snaps.
The lineman logged snaps at both tackle spots and even tight end last season, and his versatility meant he was likely to retain his spot on the roster. As Hobson notes, there was even some optimism that Adeniji could start at one of the guard spots, meaning the Bengals will have to dig into their offensive line depth to replace the second-year pro. Per Hobson, D’Ante Smith could see more snaps at offensive tackle, while the team could turn to a handful of guard candidates (including Xavier Su’a-Filo, Quinton Spain, and Michael Jordan).
Lol. Adeniji was going to be at the very bottom of the depth chart. It’s too bad he got hurt. This certainly isn’t a hit to the line tho
Right. Carman at RG then a scrum between Sua, Spain, Michael Jordan, and even Billy Price for the LG spot. Adeniji looks to have some potential as a swing tackle but that’s probably it
Idk about scrum. I think Jordan has the upper hand. It’s his to play/practice his way out of in my opinion. LT Williams LG Jordan C Hopkins RG Carmen RT Reiff (or however u spell it). Carmen eventually slides to RT. Price is ur swing inside Prince and Spain r both probable roster carries. And Sua is probably ur 4th sub. I don’t think it’s a great deep line. But it’s a passable group and better then what they have trotted out in recent years.
I’ve felt all along that Riley Reiff was going to wind up kicking inside – and I’m still not convinced that he won’t. I TRULY believe D’Ante Smith will be the long-term starter at right tackle – and possibly at LT if Jonah Williams can’t find a way to stay healthy.
As it stands now, though, I’d say the Week 1 starting guards are most likely Carman and Spain, with Jordan as the swing guard backing up both spots.