The Cincinnati Bengals are starting to provide a little more clarity on the state of the injured offensive line tasked with protecting Joe Burrow.
After a Sunday loss in which Jonah Williams, Trey Hopkins and Bobby Hart went down with injuries, head coach Zac Taylor met with the media and provided some updates.
According to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., Hart will miss Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans with a knee injury. But Williams, despite leaving with a neck issue and not returning, is only classified as day-to-day, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. Taylor also noted Hopkins will enter concussion protocol.
If it turns out Williams can’t go against the Titans, the Bengals will be looking at starting Fred Johnson at left tackle and sixth-round rookie Hakeem Adeniji at right tackle.
It’s a sour state of affairs for a Bengals line that was finally starting to get some strong performances out of guys like Hart. Now the coaches have to hope a well-positioned bye after the game against the Titans helps the line get back to full strength for the season’s second half.
