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With final cuts coming Saturday, it looks highly unlikely Cody Core is going to make the Bengals’ 53-man roster for a third-straight season.
The former sixth-round pick by way of the Ole Miss Rebels had a promising rookie year in 2016, but since then, injuries and the inability to get regular-season snaps has led to him falling down the depth chart.
Core was already on the outside looking in for this year’s 53-man roster thanks to the emergence of Josh Malone and Auden Tate. Then, Core suffered an undisclosed injury in early August that’s kept him sidelined ever since.
The good news is Core did start working on the rehab field on Tuesday, a sign that he’s getting close to returning.
Cody Core and Vinny Rey doing rehab on side during today’s walk-thru. First time I’ve seen Core doing anything. The Core-Auden Tate call will be an interesting one.
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) August 28, 2018
The bad news is Marvin Lewis does not expect Core to play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Colts.
Marvin Lewis said he doesn’t think Cody Core will be able to play Thursday.
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) August 28, 2018
Core needed to play in this game to have any real shot at making it through final cuts. It’s going to be very hard to justify keeping him unless an injury happens to another receiver.
Frankly, you could made a case for guys like Kermit Whitfield and Ka’Raun White deserving a roster spot more than Core, who has been a ghost for most of training camp and the preseason,
Core’s best hope at remaining in Cincinnati is on the practice squad. It’s hard to see him being claimed on waivers, but there’s always a chance someone like the Ravens claim him. Remember, they have former wide receivers coach James Urban, who worked with Core for the last two years, so there’s an obvious connection there.