Bengals injury roundup from first minicamp practice

The Bengals hit the field Tuesday for their first of three minicamp sessions.

Among those not able to practice for one reason or another included Tyler Eifert, Tyler Kroft, Tra Carson, Josh Shaw, T.J. Johnson and Darius Phillips.

Kroft has been sidelined for OTAs due to an unknown injury, but it sounds like he’ll be good to go when training camp begins.

Eifert is out with some sort of mysterious issue, so hopefully that’s nothing serious. He really can’t afford another major injury if he ever wants to earn a big payday from any NFL team.

Carson has been missing OTAs and is already facing stiff odds of making the final roster. He needs to be fully healthy when training camp begins to have any hope of beating out guys like Mark Walton, Brian Hill and Quinton Flowers for a roster spot.

Despite continuing to miss OTAs with an unknown injury, Johnson is likely to make the final roster as a backup center and guard. He’s got one year left on his deal, however, so his spot if far from being a lock if he keeps missing time and doesn’t perform well in training camp.

It’s unclear what’s plaguing Phillips, who’s fighting for a roster spot after being a Day 3 selection in this year’s NFL Draft. Depending on how the cornerback position shakes out, he could be battling Shaw for a spot, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal. he’s also coming off a bad 2017 season, so his roster spot should be far from secure in 2018.

Now, time for some great news: Jake Fisher is healthy and working his way toward winning the right tackle spot:

Fisher is working his way back from a procedure for atrial fibrillation during the 2017 season. It was a scary ordeal at the time, but it looks like Fisher will be able to resume his football career and compete for a starting spot in 2018.

More good news came as Shawn Williams returned to practice after being sidelined in previous OTA sessions:

Williams’ unknown injury was never thought to be serious, and it gave rookie Jessie Bates a chance to get more reps as he vies for a big role in 2018.

In a bit of a surprise, Logan Woodside was present and working at Tuesday’s camp session, which came hours after it was revealed he was arrested for a DUI on Saturday.

Even though the Bengals’ just drafted Woodside, he was only a seventh-round pick, and his future is very cloudy after his arrest.

For what it’s worth, Carlos Dunlap was present after missing previous OTA sessions while hoping to land a new contract.

We probably shouldn’t expect to see any Dunlap this week as he tries to avoid an injury and eventually get a new contract. He’s working under the final year of his deal, but there’s optimism an extension can be reached.