Jake Kumerow suffers injury on Day 1 of Bengals training camp

Update: Kumerow reportedly has a left ankle sprain.

The Cincinnati Bengals may have suffered their first injury of training camp.

On Friday, wide receiver Jake Kumerow went down with a lower leg injury that forced him to the sideline, and it appears he’s done for the day.

Cincy Jungle’s own Kyle Phelps is on scene, and he adds the injury may not be that serious.

This comes as Kumerow was having a good first day of training camp, though he’s still facing some stiff odds of making the final roster.

Kumerow spent most of his college career at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he caught 66 passes for 1,116 yards and 14 touchdowns in his senior season. In his final two seasons, Kumerow’s team won back to back Division III national titles, but he still went undrafted in the 2015 draft before signing with the Bengals.

Now in his third year with the Bengals, Kumerow is vying for a spot on the final roster at a position that is loaded heading into training camp. With A.J. Green, John Ross, Cody Core, Tyler Boyd, Josh Malone, Brandon LaFell and Alex Erickson on the roster, that will probably prevent Kumerow from ever getting significant reps in camp and the preseason, let alone having a real shot at the 53-man roster.

Unfortunately, injuries have plagued Kumerow in the past. Last year, he suffered a hamstring injury that cost him much of camp, which led to him getting limited reps in preseason games. He did have a big game in the fourth preseason game against the Colts, catching three passes for 60 yards. It wasn't enough to earn him a spot on the final roster, but he did make the practice squad and remained there for the entire 2016 season. Kumerow also spent all of 2015 on the practice squad and has one year of eligibility remaining there.

That’s about the most Kumerow can hope for this season, but an injury could derail even his hopes of making the practice squad again. We’ll have more details on this story as they become available.