Bengals RB Giovani Bernard To Miss Time
Running back Giovani Bernard did an admirable job of holding down the fort while Joe Mixon missed two weeks of action. Unfortunately, Bernard is now dealing with an injury of his own. The veteran will be out for 2-4 weeks with an MCL sprain, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
At minimum, Bernard will be sidelined for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins and the following week’s contest against the rival Steelers. Beyond that, Bernard is in jeopardy of missing games against the Chiefs and Bucs. The good news is that the Bengals have a Week 9 bye, so he’ll have some extra time to rest his knee in early November.
In the past two games, Bernard has scored three touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. His presence will be missed, but the Bengals’ rushing attack should be just fine if Mixon can resume his usual workload on Sunday.
Without Bernard, Mark Walton will assume the No. 2 RB role. The recently signed Thomas Rawls is also on hand as a depth option.
Billy Price Out At Least Two More Weeks
- Rookie Bengals center Billy Price hasn’t suffered any setbacks since suffering a foot injury in Week 2, but he’s still expected to be in a walking boot for at least two more weeks, tweets Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. That means Price will miss games against the Dolphins and Steelers, and possibly more if his recovery timeline is extended. Cincinnati’s bye comes in Week 9, so the Bengals could potentially hold Price out through then if they want to be cautious. With Price out, the Bengals have turned to former starting guard Trey Hopkins to fill in at the pivot.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/1/18
Today’s tryouts:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Chicago Bears
- OL Willie Beavers, Will Holden, Marcus Oliver, Menelik Watson
Green Bay Packers
- DEs Joey Mbu, Kendall Reyes
Houston Texans
New York Jets
- DEs Jared Crick, Anthony Lanier; G Jamil Douglas; FB Jalston Fowler; CB Sterling Moore; WRs Brandon Reilly, DeAngelo Yancey
Philadelphia Eagles
- S Robert Golden, Charlie Miller; LBs Dewey McDonald, Hayes Pullard
Ingram, Edelman To Return In Week 5
As we approach Week 5 of the NFL season, several NFL players are returning from four-game bans. As noted by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), that list includes notables such as Saints running back Mark Ingram, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving, Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget, Colts running back Robert Turbin, Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. 
Players do not count against a team’s roster max while suspended, so clubs will have to make room for these players before adding them for Week 5. There will be some tough decisions to make, but the upside is clear in most of these cases, particularly when it comes to offensive weapons like Ingram and Edelman or defensive pillars like Burfict and Irving.
Alvin Kamara should remain the focal point of the Saints’ running game, but the return of Ingram will give opposing defenses something else to think about. And, as we saw in the first three weeks of the Patriots’ season, Edelman has been sorely missed.
Bengals TE Tyler Eifert Carted Off Field
UPDATE: Eifert suffered a broken ankle and will undergo surgery, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). It will end the tight end’s season.
Tyler Eifert‘s hopes for a comeback season took a major hit on Sunday afternoon. The Bengals tight end suffered a lower right leg injury during today’s game against the Falcons. D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution described the injury as “horrific” while NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that it was “gruesome.”
The tight end had hauled in four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown up to that point, and he was injured following a tackle by Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. Eifert was ultimately carted off the field with his right ankle in an aircast. Dr. David J. Chao (otherwise known as the Pro Football Doc) tweets that the injury is a definite season-ender, and it will require surgery. However, Chao cautions that the injury can’t be attributed to Eifert’s continuous injury issues, and he doesn’t believe it will end the 28-year-old’s career.
It’s a tough blow for Eifert, who has continually battled injury problems throughout his career. Since the beginning of the 2014 season, the tight end has missed 40 total regular season games, and he’s struggled through back, ankle, and elbow ailments. The former first-rounder had appeared in the Bengals’ first three games this season, hauling in 11 receptions for 141 yards. His best season came back in 2015, when he caught 13 touchdowns in 13 games.
Assuming Eifert is out for the foreseeable future, the Bengals will be forced to lean on their other tight ends. C.J. Uzomah will continue to sit atop the depth chart, and the team could also turn to Tyler Kroft and Mason Schreck.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/18
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released from IR: RB Tra Carson
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Mo Alie-Cox, RB Jeremy McNichols, DE Carroll Phillips
- Waived: LB Skai Moore, TE Erik Swoope
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: RB Jonathan Williams
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Darius Kilgo
Bengals Sign DL Adolphus Washington
The Bengals have signed defensive lineman Adolphus Washington from the Cowboys’ practice squad, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets. Washington was a third-round pick of the Bills in 2016, but has yet to do much at the pro level and missed the team’s final cut this year.
The Bills reportedly tried trading Washington last season, but found no takers. That’s no surprise given that he has failed to perform and was arrested last summer on weapons charges.
In two-plus years with the team, Washington started 21 games for the Bills and racked up 56 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three passes defended while being used primarily as a run-stuffer. With the Bengals, he’ll try to fill the void after Ryan Glasgow was lost to a season-ending knee injury.
Bengals’ Ryan Glasgow Done For Season
The season is over for Bengals defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow. Glasgow, who was carted off the field yesterday, has been diagnosed with a season-ending knee injury, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Bengals feared the worst after Glasgow left the stadium in crutches. A Monday morning MRI confirmed the bad news.
Glasgow, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft, appeared in all 16 games last season, mostly as a reserve. This year, he tallied eleven tackles off of the bench through two games and change.
Although he was not a starter, the injury is a definite blow to the Bengals’ defensive line depth. After placing Glasgow on IR, it’s likely that the Bengals will either promote defensive tackle Andrew Brown from the practice squad or make an outside signing.
The Bengals dropped to 2-1 after losing to the Panthers 31-21 on Sunday. This week, they’ll take on the Falcons in Atlanta.
Joe Mixon Could Return For Week 4
- Bengals running back Joe Mixon could potentially return to the field in time for Week 4, per La Canfora. Mixon underwent knee surgery immediately following Cincinnati’s Week 3 Thursday night victory, and initial assessments indicated he could be sidelined two-to-four weeks. However, because the Bengals played mid-week in Week 3, Mixon’s timeline could be sped up, meaning he could return to action when Cincinnati faces Atlanta next Sunday. A second-round pick in 2017, Mixon was outstanding during the Bengals’ season opener, averaging more than 5.5 yards per carry on the ground while adding five receptions in the passing game. Backup Giovani Bernard is holding down the fort while Mixon is out, while the Bengals also have Mark Walton and Thomas Rawls on their running back depth chart.
Bengals’ Billy Price To Miss Time
The Bengals will be without center Billy Price for a while thanks to a lower left leg injury, as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Price says he’ll be in a walking boot “24/7” before team doctors re-evaluate him in two weeks. 
“Finally figured out what it was this morning,” Price said. “Last couple days was just trying to figure out what it is and what’s the plan going forward. They thought it was an ankle now turned to a foot, there wasn’t any swelling and it wasn’t Lisfranc, so just thankful for that. That’s great news.”
The Price injury hurts (no pun intended), particularly with running back Joe Mixon also on the shelf for 2-4 weeks with a minor meniscus tear. The 2-0 Bengals will go up against the Panthers and Falcons in the next two weeks without two offensive starters, and their absence could stretch into October contests against the Dolphins and Steelers.
For however long they’re out, the Bengals will be relying on running back Giovani Bernard and fill-in center Trey Hopkins to hold down the fort.