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New Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes will have to wait a short while until he makes his debut for Cincinnati.
Per NFL insider Tom Pellisero, Waynes suffered a pectoral injury that could keep him out for two months pending a second opinion.
#Bengals CB Trae Waynes is seeking a second opinion on a pectoral injury, with the initial fear that he could miss about two months, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 11, 2020
A blow to Cincinnati, which paid big in free agency for the former #Vikings first-round pick.
The Bengals made their return to the practice field last week but have yet to put pads on. It’s unclear how Waynes suffered this injury, but it’s certainly not the first to ever happen in the early stages of training camp.
Earlier in the offseason, Waynes’ agent advised him “not to do any football drills” until his three-year contract with the team was signed. As Pelissero explains, Waynes did eventually pass his physical and sign the contract the team offered him, and the injury came afterwards.
More from @gmfb on the injury to #Bengals CB Trae Waynes, whose agent had warned the team that not letting Waynes do an off-site physical in March would affect his offseason workouts to protect his $15 million bonus, and thus could put him at greater risk in camp. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/zX7SqOC2xt
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 11, 2020
Luckily, Waynes was not the only cornerback the Bengals added this offseason. Newcomers such as Mackensie Alexander, LeShaun Sims, Winston Rose and Tony Brown could all help soften the blow of Waynes being out.
The player with the most to gain is likely Darius Phillips, though. Phillips made strides towards the end of last year as a starting outside cornerback, and should be inline to take the snaps Waynes will be missing out on.
Waynes agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal this free agency which includes a $15 million signing bonus. If the NFL season keeps going into October, we could see Waynes make it back to the field sometime around then.