The Bengals hit the field on Wednesday to prepare for their matchup with the Houston Texans on Christmas Eve. But, many players were not participating. That’s more concerning than it would be on a normal Wednesday because today’s practice was the only padded practice of the week due to the game being played on Saturday and the team leaving for Houston on Friday.
Both the Bengals and Texans had a huge number of players listed on the injury report, though, most of the Texans players on the report were full participants.
Non-participants for the Bengals included starters Clint Boling (shoulder), Tyler Eifert (back), Jeremy Hill (knee) and Vontaze Burfict (concussion/knee). Alex Erickson was also not at practice, though it wasn’t injury related. And, Tyler Kroft was a non-participant with a knee/ankle injury. It’s unclear when that injury occurred and how serious it is.
It’s pretty concerning to see Eifert on the injury report with a back injury. A back injury is what delayed his return to the field following his ankle injury from January’s Pro Bowl. In short, you never want to see Eifert on the injury report. But, he did finish Sunday’s game against the Steelers so we’ll see how the Bengals list him throughout the week.
Boling has gotten limited days and off days on a weekly basis since injuring his shoulder in Week 4 against the Dolphins. He should be fine for the Texans game.
Burfict left Sunday’s game with a head injury, but returned in the second half after clearing concussion testing. But, early this week, he let the Bengals know that he was experiencing symptoms and he does in fact have a concussion. That’s bad news and I don’t expect Burfict to play on Saturday in Houston.
Hill left Sunday’s game with a knee injury, but also returned. He didn’t practice today and could be limited in his ability to play on Saturday. If he is limited, expect Rex Burkhead to play more, which he deserves anyway after outperforming Hill last week.
Limited on Wednesday were Wallace Gilberry (calf), A.J. Green (hamstring), Michael Johnson (shoulder), Vincent Rey (hamstring), Pat Sims (hip) and James Wright (knee). It’s not encouraging to see Green still limited. He’ll likely need to get in a full practice before playing in a game. It would be great to see Green back on the field, but only if he’s truly ready to return. The hope was Green would return this week, but I wouldn’t bank on that after seeing him limited on Wednesday.
Gilberry has missed the past few weeks with a calf injury and it looks like he’s inching closer to returning. Rey left Sunday’s game with the hamstring injury he’s still battling, but, he did return to the game. If Burfict is out on Saturday, Rey would likely be called upon to step up, assuming he’s healthy enough to play. If not, rookie Nick Vigil will see an increased workload. Sims’ hip injury is also news. It’s unclear how serious that is, so we’ll need to continue to monitor the report the next two days. And, Wright was also limited after returning to the lineup against the Steelers following a few missed games. He’s likely just getting rest on his knee, which is what kept him out for the past few weeks.
For the Texans, running back Lamar Miller was the only non-participant. He’s battling an ankle injury but expects to play on Saturday. A bunch of other Texans were limited, including former Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who has missed the last two games with an injury to his ribs. He’s been a thorn in the Bengals’ side since leaving Cincinnati for Houston, where he’s still a starter. It’s unclear if he’ll play against his former team this weekend.
Bengals vs Texans Injury Report
NAME | INJURY | WED. | THU. | FRI. | GAME STATUS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NAME | INJURY | WED. | THU. | FRI. | GAME STATUS |
BENGALS | |||||
G Clint Boling | Shoulder | DNP | |||
LB Vontaze Burfict | Knee/Concussion | DNP | |||
TE Tyler Eifert | Back | DNP | |||
WR Alex Erickson | NIR | DNP | |||
DE Wallace Gilberry | Calf | LP | |||
WR A.J. Green | Hamstring | LP | |||
RB Jeremy Hill | Knee | DNP | |||
DE Michael Johnson | Shoulder | LP | |||
TE Tyler Kroft | Knee/Ankle | DNP | |||
LB Vincent Rey | Hamstring | LP | |||
DT Pat Sims | Hip | LP | |||
WR James Wright | Knee | LP | |||
TEXANS | |||||
RB Lamar Miller | Ankle | DNP | |||
DE Jadeveon Clowney | Elbow/Wrist | LP | |||
ILB Brian Cushing | Ankle | LP | |||
CB Jonathan Joseph | Ribs | LP | |||
OLB Whitney Mercilus | Back | LP | |||
K Nick Novak | Oblique/Back | LP | |||
OLB John Simon | Chest | LP | |||
G Jeff Allen | Concussion | FP | |||
T Chris Clark | Ankle | FP | |||
TE C.J. Fiedorwicz | Concussion | FP | |||
TE Ryan Griffin | Hamstring | FP | |||
CB Kareem Jackson | Hamstring | FP | |||
S Don Jones | Illness | FP | |||
ILB Benadrick McKinney | Wrist | FP | |||
ILB Brian Peters | Quadricep | FP | |||
G Xavier Su'a-Filo | Finger | FP |
DNP - Did Not Participate
LP - Limited Participation
FP - Full Participation
Game Status:
Out = Player will not play
Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play
Questionable = 50% or greater chance a player will play
(-) = Not Listed - No game status available