Bengals battling illnesses ahead of clash with Packers

The Cincinnati Bengals apparently have a bug going around the team.

On Wednesday, three different players were listed as being limited due to an illness. Two of them were Cincinnati’s starting tackles in Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher.

The last thing this offensive line needs is an injury, so of course, an illness is affecting both starting tackles. It’s unclear what the illness is or if it’s serious enough to sideline Fisher and Ogbuehi for the rest of the week.

It’s hard to see them missing Sunday’s clash with the Green Bay Packers, but even if they play, missing practice time is not ideal. They’ve both struggled mightily through the first two games and rank near the bottom of Pro Football Focus’ rankings, which have Fisher ranked 62nd and Ogbuehi 60th out of 72 eligible tackles. They need to be on the field practicing if their play is going to improve.

If Ogbuehi is out, Andre Smith figures to start at left tackle, as he would on the right side if Fisher were out. But if both Ogbuehi and Fisher missed a game, the Bengals are really hurting. Starting guard Trey Hopkins is an emergency tackle, but he’s out with a knee injury. Perhaps Smith would be the left tackle and Clint Boling would move from left guard to right tackle, something he’s done before.

One other player battling illness is John Ross. The rookie receiver is looking to rebound from his dud in Week 2 after fumbling on his first touch, which led to him being benched for essentially the rest of the game.

It’s unclear if the same illness is affecting all three players, but one would think it is. Hopefully, it’s not affecting the rest of the team. The Bengals need all hands on deck come Sunday as they look to get their season turned around.