As expected, the Cincinnati Bengals will do what they can to still get first-round pick Jonah Williams on the field as a rookie.
Williams needed surgery to repair a torn labrum during OTAs and was likely out for the season. It was always listed as “likely” because the team would at least throw him on the PUP and see if he can make it back.
A new note from Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com confirms this line of thinking:
It’s a longshot, but the Bengals haven’t given up on the idea of rookie left tackle Jonah Williams playing late in the year. His torn labrum may very well be a season-ender, but you could see them keeping him on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of the season rather ending his season on injured reserve in order to keep their proverbial options open.
This is something that has been touched on recently. Prominent examples such as New Orleans Saints tackle Terron Armstead have made fast turnarounds in a similar timeframe in the past and gotten back on the field that same season.
The story is a little different with Williams though. He’s a rookie being asked to play left tackle, so if he makes it back, it would wildly shake up the offensive line if Cordy Glenn had to shift back to left guard and learn the position on the fly.
But that’s getting way ahead of things. Williams is prepping like he’s starting despite the injury and the Bengals have made it clear they’d love to have him back if he gets healthy.
Once again, the Bengals are at the mercy of the injury bug.
