Bengals Work Out Four Long Snappers
- As Clark Harris recovers from an injury, the Bengals worked out long snappers John DePalma, Ryan DiSalvo, Thomas Gafford, and Tyler Ott, according to Caplan (via Twitter). The team ended up signing Ott to the practice squad.
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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tyler Patmon
- Cut: DT Bruce Gaston
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB De’Vante Bausby, WR Dres Anderson
- Cut: Darius Jennings
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Derrick Mathews
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE E.J. Bibbs
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Randell Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Marcus Ball
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Mike Liedtke, CB Cody Riggs, WR Myles White
- Cut: RB Russell Hansbrough
Bengals’ A.J. Green Not Ruled Out For Season
Good news for the Bengals. Wide receiver A.J. Green did not suffer a full hamstring tear, as initially feared (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). According to one source, he’ll probably miss a few weeks and won’t require surgery. The hamstring only has a small tear/strain, so he may be able to play through it. Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tweets that Green will miss this week’s game against the Ravens.
Green gave fans everywhere a major scare when he was carted off the field early in Sunday’s contest between the Bengals and Bills. In the midst of another incredible season, that looked to be the end of Green’s year. Now, Green can be back for the home stretch of the regular season. The Bengals are not technically out of the playoff running, but it will take a lot for them to go from 3-6-1 to a playoff berth.
For the sixth consecutive season, Green has put up elite receiving numbers. The 28-year-old has hauled in 66 receptions this year for 964 yards and four touchdowns. In fact, even though he failed to collect a catch during yesterday’s contest, Green still ranks in the top-five in receptions and receiving yards. The 2011 first-round pick has only missed four regular season games in his career, including three in 2014 as he recovered from a toe injury.
In Green’s absence, the Bengals will be forced to rely on wideouts Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd. LaFell, 30, was signed by the Bengals this offseason, and the veteran has compiled 33 receptions for 419 yards and four touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, the Bengals used their second-round pick to select Boyd, a Pittsburgh standout. The rookie had been relatively quiet through the first two months of the season, although he did catch his first touchdown yesterday.
The Bengals offense took another hit yesterday, as running back Giovani Bernard tore his ACL. The 24-year-old is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Giovani Bernard Tears ACL
After the sobering news of A.J. Green‘s hamstring tear potentially shelving him for the season, the Bengals look set to play without Giovani Bernard as well.
The Bengals’ top pass-catching running back tore his left ACL against the Bills today, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (on Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms this diagnosis (Twitter link) in what’s become a dreadful day for a franchise that will be missing a massive chunk of its receiving yardage going forward.
Bernard’s injury occurred on the Bengals’ final drive, one that fell short of the end zone as the Bills held on to the road victory. The fourth-year running back caught four passes on Cincinnati’s ill-fated march and did not require a game-stopping sequence to be helped off. But his season appears to be over, with the fortunes of the Bengals having taken a drastic turn for the worse.
Playing again in a timeshare with Jeremy Hill, Bernard totaled 673 yards from scrimmage this season. The former second-round pick who signed an extension this offseason was likely heading toward a fourth straight season with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage. He eclipsed 1,200 in the two years in which he played all 16 regular-season games — 2013 and ’15. Bernard entered this season having never played fewer than 13 in a campaign.
In losing Green and Bernard, the Bengals will be without their Nos. 1 and 3 receiving options. Both are signed to long-term deals, however. Bernard’s extension years will begin in 2017, with the former North Carolina running back being on the Bengals’ books for $3.75MM next season.
Cincinnati dropped to 3-6-1 today and is likely going to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
A.J. Green Has “Significant” Hamstring Tear
Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green left today’s game against the Bills in the first quarter after suffering an injury, and a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that Green is dealing with a “significant” hamstring tear, and the Bengals fear Green may be lost for the season, according to Geoff Hobson of the team’s website (Twitter link). Green will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of the damage, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, but Rapoport says that the situation is “not good.”
[RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart]
Losing Green for any amount of time could signify a death knell for the Bengals, who now sit at 3-6-1 after narrowly falling to Buffalo earlier today. By any indication, Green is Cincinnati’s best offensive player, as he ranks second in the league with 964 receiving yards while adding four touchdowns. With Green sidelined, the Bengals will be forced to turn to an uninspiring set of wide receiver options, a list that includes Brandon LaFell, James Wright, and rookies Tyler Boyd, Alex Erickson, and Cody Core. If forced to add a pass-catcher from its practice squad, Cincinnati could look at either Jake Kumerow or Alonzo Russell.
Despite the Bengals’ unimpressive record, the club is still in playoff contention thanks to the poor play of the rest of the AFC North. A wild card berth is probably out of the question, but even after today’s loss, Cincinnati sits only 1.5 games behind the Ravens and Steelers in the division standings. The Bengals will have the opportunity to close that gap as the season closes, as four of the team’s final six games come against AFC North foes.
Bengals Notes: Jackson, Peerman, Thompson
The Bengals haven’t yet made a decision on which player they will bring back from injured reserve, as Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com writes. Cincinnati has two options for IR/return — first-round cornerback William Jackson III and veteran running back Cedric Peerman — and both are “essentially healthy,” per Terrell, meaning the Bengals are simply biding their time before choosing between the two.
“Obviously the first-round pick is an asset, and you want to get him involved,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “We’ve had him all year since he’s been back from Houston and since the surgery, so to keep him invested in the football team.” The Bengals’ secondary has been below-average, meaning Jackson — who will the only 2016 first-rounder who hasn’t seen the field after Jared Goff starts for the Rams tomorrow — would be a welcome option. But Cincinnati’s sub-par special teams unit is missing its ace in Peerman, making the decision between the pair all the more difficult.
Here’s more on the Bengals and the rest of the AFC North:
- Defensive tackle Brandon Thompson will return to practice next week, said Lewis, opening a three-week window during which the Bengals can choose to transfer Thompson from the PUP list to the active roster. Thompson suffered a torn ACL in the 2015 season finale after spending the year as a reserve, appearing in nine games and acting as a run-stuffer. If Cincinnati doesn’t opt to active Thompson in the next three weeks, he’ll either need to stay on PUP for the rest of season or be waived.
William Jackson III Holds Unfortunate Distinction
- With Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff starting in Week 11, Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes that Bengals cornerback William Jackson III will be the only 2016 first-rounder to not yet play this season. Jackson suffered a torn pectoral muscle over the summer and was placed on IR. It’s possible that the 24th overall pick could return this season, but his status is currently up in the air.
Bengals Insiders Curious About Defense's Decline
- The Bengals sitting at 3-4-1 places them on tenuous terrain regarding the AFC playoff race. One reason is a defense that ranks 23rd in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, having regressed to the point some within the organization are labeling several veterans as having “aged overnight,” Pete Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes. The Bengals have several starters either over 30 or within months of their 30th birthday, and Daugherty writes a regression from the playoff race the team has participated in the past five years would open Marvin Lewis to preparing for a rebuild on that side of the ball. Of course, the 14th-year coach being in charge of said rebuild may be iffy should a veteran team that’s failed to win a playoff game despite five straight AFC bracket cameos finish out of contention.
Bengals Worked Out Travis Coons
- The Bengals tried out kicker Travis Coons, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN (Twitter link). The club also auditioned Zach Hocker, Kai Forbath, and Randy Bullock this week, but Mike Nugent remains in place as its lone option at kicker. The 34-year-old Nugent is on notice, though, having connected on just 14 of 19 field goals. In the Bengals’ 27-27 tie with the Redskins last week, Nugent missed a field goal and an extra point.
Ravens Claim Chris Lewis-Harris From Bengals
The Ravens have claimed cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris off waivers from the AFC North rival Bengals, reports Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. In a corresponding move, Baltimore has waived corner Will Davis, per Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter links).
Lewis-Harris, whom the Bengals cut Thursday, will now join his second organization. The fifth-year man originally signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent from Chattanooga in 2012. Lewis-Harris, 27, logged 26 appearances with the Bengals, including seven this season. He also racked up his first career interception in a Week 4 win over Miami this year and participated in 31.7 percent of the Bengals’ special teams snaps during the first half of the season.
In addition to the Ravens, the Dolphins also put in a claim on Lewis-Harris, according to Owczarski. Notably, Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was previously the Bengals’ defensive backs coach. To Joseph’s chagrin, Lewis-Harris will head to Baltimore, which is banged up in the secondary and facing an important meeting with division-rival Pittsburgh on Sunday.