The Cincinnati Bengals won’t have two key pieces on the field for Sunday’s showdown with the Denver Broncos — and possibly more games after that.
Thursday, the Bengals announced right tackle Riley Reiff went to injured reserve. That means he’ll be out at least the next three games due to an ankle injury he re-aggravated last weekend.
The team also announced starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie went to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
There’s an outside chance Awuize could still return for this weekend’s game against the Broncos, pending league rules and the circumstances of his status (vaccination, positive/negative test, etc.).
Otherwise, the team hopes Trae Waynes can come off IR this week and start in his place. Vernon Hargreaves is another cornerback dealing with an injury this week and Darius Phillips already went to injured reserve, so they’re running out of options.
With Reiff gone at right tackle, it’s an extended audition for either Isaiah Prince or D’Ante Smith. The former is dealing with an injury of his own, though, and the latter is a rookie who struggled in past showings.
