Bengals LB Nick Vigil To Miss Time
Bengals linebacker Nick Vigil suffered a sprained MCL against the Steelers on Sunday and will be sidelined for roughly a month, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Vigil, a third-round pick in 2016, started 11 games for the Bengals in 2017 before ankle and back injuries landed him on injured reserve. His most recent health issue doesn’t figure to shelve him for the season, but it does sound like Cincinnati will be without one its starters for the next four weeks, during which the club will face the Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Saints with a bye mixed in during Week 9.
With Vigil out, the Bengals deployed backup Vincent Rey in his place against Pittsburgh. Rey figures to see the bulk of playing time with Vigil on the mend, and the 118-game veteran boasts plenty of experience on fill-in duty. Other linebackers such as Jordan Evans, Hardy Nickerson, and rookie Malik Jefferson (who has thus far played only special teams) could see more snaps alongside starters Vontaze Burfict and Preston Brown.
Vigil had been in the midst of his best season as a pro, as Pro Football Focus currently ranks him as the NFL’s 22nd-best linebacker. In six games, Vigil had managed 51 tackles plus two passes defensed.
Tyler Kroft Has Broken Bone In Foot; Latest On Preston Brown
The news keeps getting worse for the Bengals and their tight ends. After losing Tyler Eifert for the season due to a broken ankle, Cincinnati will be without Tyler Kroft for at least the next several weeks, if not the entire season, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Kroft left the team’s Week 5 win over the Dolphins with a right foot injury, and as it turns out, he has a broken bone in his foot. Schefter reports that Kroft will meet with a specialist within the next several weeks to determine whether he can play through the injury or if he will need season-ending surgery.
It’s a tough blow for Kroft, who emerged during Eifert’s absence last season to post 42 catches for 404 yards and seven scores. That performance even had Kroft, who is in the last year of his rookie contract, thinking about a lucrative multi-year extension, which is probably not in the cards at this point. Before his injury, Kroft had managed just four catches for 36 yards in 2018, and he was being considerably out-snapped by C.J. Uzomah (who, like Kroft, was a 2015 draft choice). It appears that Uzomah will remain Andy Dalton‘s top tight end for the rest of the season, even if Kroft is able to come back, though Cincinnati added some depth to the position earlier this week by plucking Matt Lengel off the Texans’ practice squad.
Meanwhile, Bengals linebacker Preston Brown is dealing with a painful injury of his own. An ankle injury forced him to miss two games earlier this year — the first games he ever missed during his five-year career — and he re-aggravated that injury during last week’s Dolphins game. Paul Dehner Jr. and Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer report that Brown will not be completely healed for some time, but he will attempt to battle through the next three games before the team’s Week 9 bye, which he is very much looking forward to.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/10/18
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Cincinnati Bengals
- RB Ralph Webb; Ss Quin Blanding, Chris Cooper (link)
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
- TEs Kyle Carter, Will Tye; Ts Tyreek Burwell, Rick Leonard (Twitter links)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Bo Scarbrough (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- TEs Braedon Bowman, Kyle Carter, Pharoah McKever (link)
Miami Dolphins
- WRs Reggie Davis, Amba Etta-Tawo (link)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Deatrick Nichols
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
- Released: QB Connor Cook
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DB Demetrious Cox
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Jeremiah McKinnon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Jeremy McNichols
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Jerell Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Tray Matthews, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: FB Dimitri Flowers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Leon McQuay, TE David Wells
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Jeff Richards, LB Tre’von Johnson
- Released: CB Channing Stribling, T Jamar McGloster
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Travis Rudolph
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Jordan Morgan, WR Roger Lewis, RB Dalyn Dawkins
Bengals Sign Matt Lengel
The Bengals signed tight end Matt Lengel off of the Texans’ practice squad, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Lengel will give the Bengals another tight end to work with following Tyler Eifert‘s season-ending injury. 
Lengel, 28 in December, first entered the league as a UDFA with the Bengals in 2015. In 2016, he hooked on with the Patriots where he caught his only NFL touchdown to date. Last year, he was waived/injured by the Pats and found his way to the Browns practice squad. He earned a promotion midway through the year and saw time in a December loss to the Bears. Lengel was picked up by the Texans after the Browns waived him in April, and he joined their practice squad after missing the final cut. Now, he’s back where it all started.
Lengel has appeared in seven career NFL games and hopes to add to the total in Cincinnati. For now, he’ll be playing behind Tyler Kroft, C.J. Uzomah, and Mason Schreck.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/9/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Rishard Matthews (story), K Daniel Carlson, K Kai Forbath, QB Malik Zaire
Baltimore Ravens
- LB Alvin Jones
Buffalo Bills
- WR Aaron Burbridge, WR Bennie Fowler, QB Landry Jones, P Drew Kaser, P Brad Nortman
Carolina Panthers
- LB Thurston Armbrister, LB Brandon Chubb, LB Josh Keyes
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Blake Bell, TE Khari Lee, TE Clive Walford
Cleveland Browns
- OT Brant Weiss
Detroit Lions
- LB Garret Dooley, LB John Timu, LB Aaron Wallace, DT Jamie Meder, DT David Parry
Green Bay Packers
- RB Tra Carson (signed to practice squad), WR Keon Hatcher (signed to PS), WR Devin Lucien, WR Teo Redding
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
- S Mike Mitchell (signed, story)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Jamaal Charles (signed, story), RB Charcandrick West, LS Jon Condo, LS Matt Overton, LS Zach Triner, TE Pharoah McKever (signed to PS), WR Breshad Perriman, QB Josh Woodrum
Kansas City Chiefs
- LB Nate Orchard, LB Gimel President, LB Frank Zombo (signed, story)
New Orleans Saints
- WR Quan Bray, WR Rashad Greene, WR Jordan Leslie, WR Brandon Reilly, WR Lucky Whitehead, WR Shane Wynn, CB Chris Campbell, LB Kennan Gilchrist, LB Manase Hungalu, LB Greer Martini, DB Lardarius Webb
Oakland Raiders
- LB Josh Carraway, DE Anthony Lanier, CB Quinten Rollins
San Francisco 49ers
- RB Matthew Dayes (signed to PS), RB Andre Ellington, RB Jeremy McNichols, RB Shane Vereen, RB Charcandrick West (story), QB Jack Heneghan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- OG Kofi Amichia, WR Jace Billingsley, Fred Brown, Corey Coleman, Damoun Patterson, Austin Proehl, QB Joe Callahan, OT De’Ondre Wesley
Tennessee Titans
- LB B.J. Bello, LB Nigel Harris (signed to PS), LB Tegray Scales
Bengals Waive RB Thomas Rawls
The Bengals have waived running back Thomas Rawls, according to a team announcement. Rawls signed with the Bengals on Sept. 19 but lasted less than a month with the club. 
Although Rawls was on the Bengals’ roster for multiple weeks, he was only on the active roster for their Week 5 win over the Dolphins. He did not touch the football in that game or record an official statistic.
Rawls spent the offseason with the Jets and many believed that he would wind up as active participant in their running back committee. However, he was bounced during the club’s final cuts. Rawls had 830 yards as a Seahawks rookie in 2015, but hasn’t done much since then.
The release of Rawls is a good indication that backup Giovani Bernard is nearing his return from a sprained MCL. Bernard is expected to miss Sunday’s showdown with the Steelers, but a return on Oct. 21 against the Chiefs remains possible.
Bengals Work Out TE Clive Walford
The Bengals worked out free agent tight end Clive Walford, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If signed, Walford could help to fill the void following Tyler Eifert‘s season-ending injury. 
The Raiders made Walford an early third round pick in 2015, but he never lived up to his potential at the pro level. He received a lot of hype his first couple training camps, and was expected at various points to start at tight end for the Raiders, but ended up lasting just three years in Oakland.
The Raiders cut him back in March, and he was quickly scooped up by the Jets, who claimed him off waivers. Walford missed the Jets’ final cut, and the fact that Walford couldn’t make the Jets despite the team having very few proven options at tight end wasn’t a great look. Since then, he has auditioned for the Seahawks, Chiefs, and Jaguars, but has yet to find an NFL home for the 2018 season.
Through three seasons in Oakland, Walford amassed 768 yards and six touchdowns on 70 catches.
Cowboys Sign CB C.J. Goodwin
The Cowboys are signing cornerback C.J. Goodwin off of the Bengals’ practice squad, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The well-traveled 28-year-old will give the Cowboys another option in the secondary as Chidobe Awuzie recovers from an ankle injury. 
Goodwin spent the offseason with the Bengals, but was unable to make the final cut on Labor Day Weekend. He’s been biding his time on the practice squad ever since, and he’ll finally get a chance to see live action in Dallas. Goodwin has appeared in 28 career games, most of them coming between 2016 and 2017 with the Falcons.
For now, Goodwin will serve as the club’s fifth cornerback behind Byron Jones, Jourdan Lewis, Awuzie, and Anthony Brown. If Awuzie can’t go on Sunday, he may get a spot on the active roster for the afternoon tilt against the Jaguars.
Bengals Place Tyler Eifert On IR
Vontaze Burfict is back. On Friday, the Bengals activated the linebacker and formally placed tight end Tyler Eifert on injured reserve. 
Burfict was suspended for the first four weeks of the season thanks to a PED suspension. He’s no stranger to bans, having drawn multiple punishments from the league office for violating safety rules, but this was his first for banned performance enhancers. Over the last five years, he’s missed 32 regular season games thanks to injuries and suspensions. Despite it all, Burfict remains one of the very best linebackers in the NFL. In 2017, Burfict managed 69 tackles and 1.5 sacks in ten games.
Eifert has also missed a boatload of time over the last five years, playing in just 28 regular season games out of a possible 80. His latest injury, a broken ankle, will rule him out for the remainder of the year.
It’s yet another tough blow for Eifert, who is one of the league’s most talented tight ends. Before he exited the Bengals’ game against the Falcons, Eifert was displaying some of his old form and had four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. Through four games, the former first-rounder had 15 grabs for 179 yards in total.
The oft-injured Eifert re-signed with the Bengals this offseason on a one-year, $5.5MM deal. When he hits free agency in March, he’ll likely be looking at yet another one-year platform deal, perhaps with less in base compensation.