Bengals DE Carl Lawson Tears ACL, Done For Season
Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson suffered a torn ACL against the Buccaneers and will miss the remainder of the 2018 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Lawson, 23, was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft and immediately contributed upon entering the NFL. While Cincinnati limited his playtime given his collegiate injury history (Lawson saw only 41% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps a year ago), he still managed to post 8.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hits, the latter of which tied him for 19th league-wide. This season, Lawson had posted only one sack, but still was ranked as a top-15 edge rusher, per Pro Football Focus.
Despite a bevy of talent up front, the Bengals entered Sunday’s contest ranked just 19th in adjusted sack rate, and they’ll now have to move on without Lawson in tow. Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson are Cincinnati’s starters at defensive end, while Sam Hubbard and Jordan Willis will continue to get rotational snaps.
The Bengals don’t currently have a defensive end on their roster, so they could conceivably look to the free agent market for reinforcements, although — unsurprisingly — there aren’t a ton of quality options freely available. A trade could also be possible, although Cincinnati would have to work out a deal before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Bengals Not Inclined To Trade For TE
- The Bengals have lost a number of tight ends to injury, but they’re “not thrilled” with the idea of trading for a replacement, reports Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who adds Cincinnati believes it would be difficult for an acquisition to get “acclimated” to a new offense at midseason. Tyler Eifert, who has been affected by injuries for the majority of his career, broke his ankle earlier this season, while Tyler Kroft is currently dealing with a foot injury that has no return timetable. C.J. Uzomah is now the club’s starting tight end, with Matt Lengel and Jordan Franks in reserve. While a trade may be unlikely, Dehner did offer a number of candidates who could make sense, including Jared Cook (Raiders), Marcedes Lewis (Packers), and Charles Clay (Bills).
NFL Workout Updates: 10/24/18
Today’s workout updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Arizona Cardinals
- TE Ethan Wolf; K Zane Gonzalez
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Marcus Lucas
Cleveland Browns
- WR Deontez Alexander, Marcus Tucker; CB Linden Stephens; LB Corey Nelson
Detroit Lions
- RBs Gerald Holmes, Jalen Simmons; DE Anthony Lanier; DT Josh Banks
Houston Texans
- TE Khari Lee
Indianapolis Colts
- WRs C.J. Board, Montay Crockett, Chad Hansen; DT Zaycoven Henderson; S A.J. Howard
Jacksonville Jaguars
- LBs Richie Brown, Colton Jumper, Mike Needham, Aaron Wallace; CB Breon Borders; S Jack Tocho
Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
- T Andrew Lauderdale
Oakland Raiders
- OTs Darius James, Jamar McGloster, De’Ondre Wesley; Gs Maurquice Shakir, Isaiah Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- G J.J. Dielman; S Justin Currie
Tennessee Titans
- RB Ralph Webb; TE Khari Lee; DT Vincent Valentine; LBs Vontarrius Dora, Gimel President
Eric Reid Grievance Against Bengals Fails
- An NFLPA grievance against the Bengals filed on behalf of Eric Reid did not go in the union’s favor, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports. An arbitrator denied the grievance, ruling the Bengals were within their rights to ask the then-free agent safety if he planned on continuing to kneel during the playing of the national anthem. The NFLPA argued the Bengals passed on Reid solely because of the anthem controversy, per Garafolo. Now on the Panthers, Reid has knelt during the anthem with Carolina. His collusion grievance against the NFL is still pending and isn’t expected to be heard in the near future, Garafolo adds.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/23/18
Here’s a rundown of today’s NFL workouts:
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Nick Keizer (Twitter link via Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
Detroit Lions
- DL Ziggy Hood (Twitter link via SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan)
New England Patriots
- LS Jon Condo, K Andrew Franks, LB Terence Garvin, LB Christian Kuntz, P Jeff Locke, WR Tanner McEvoy, P Colton Schmidt, WR Deangelo Yancey (Twitter link via ESPN’s Mike Reiss)
New York Jets
- S Ibraheim Campbell, S Kai Nacua, DB Quinten Rollins (via Caplan and New York Post’s Brian Costello)
Tennessee Titans
- TE Ben Koyack, QB Paxton Lynch (via Caplan)
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Rees Odhiambo (from Colts’ practice squad)
- Released: OG Zac Kerin
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OG Oday Aboushi
- Released: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on IR: DT Willie Henry
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jordan Franks
- Placed on IR: TE Mason Schreck
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Pharaoh Brown
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: DT Jay Bromley
New York Giants
- Released from IR: LB Ray Ray Armstrong
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: S Doug Middleton
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Marcell Ateman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB De’Vante Harris
- Waived: CB Javien Elliott
Tennessee Titans
- Released from IR: WR Michael Campanaro
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/23/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Deatrick Nichols
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OG Sean Harlow
- Cut: C J.C. Hassenauer
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Brandon Bell
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB Devante Mays
Denver Broncos
- Cut: OG Avery Gennesy
Houston Texans
- Signed: OLB Daeshon Hall
- Cut: RB Josh Ferguson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Rolan Milligan
- Cut: QB Phillip Walker
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Raymond Davison, T Pace Murphy
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Austin Proehl
- Cut: WR Steven Mitchell
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Jalen Myrick, OT Adam Bisnowaty
- Cut: DT Curtis Cothran
- Placed on injured list: DE Jonathan Wynn
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Donnel Pumphrey
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Aaron Burbridge
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DB Justin Currie, OG J.J. Dielman
- Cut: RB Lavon Coleman, LB Azeem Victor
Bengals WR John Ross To Miss Time
Bengals wide receiver John Ross is expected to miss a few weeks with a groin injury he aggravated on Sunday, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ross, of course, is no stranger to the sidelines after missing the bulk of his rookie season with injuries. 
The silver lining for the Bengals is that they have a Week 9 bye after their Sunday contest against the Buccaneers. After that, Ross may have a shot at returning against the Saints on Nov. 11, or on Nov. 18 against the Ravens.
Ross, 24 next month, has just seven catches for 79 yards through five games this year. On the plus side, he has two touchdown grabs – one coming against the Colts in the season opener, and the other in Week 4 against the Falcons.
Ross brings serious speed to the Bengals offense, but he has yet to bring production. Some expected an uptick in his usage after tight end Tyler Eifert was lost for the year, but that has not materialized so far. While Ross is out, the Bengals will continue to run their aerial game through star A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd.
League Office Worried About Losing Burfict Appeal
Vontaze Burfict seems to always be involved in controversy. The Bengals linebacker only recently returned from a suspension that cost him the Bengals’ first four games of the season, and found himself once again the subject of a lot of criticism due to several hits he made during Cincinnati’s loss to the Steelers last week.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/19/18
Here are today’s practice squad moves, with a trio of wide receivers on the move:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Robert Foster
Cincinatti Bengals
- Signed: WR Auden Tate
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Krishawn Hogan
- Released: WR K.J. Brent