Jessie Bates good to go vs. Detroit, but Trae Waynes is hurt again

Some good news came out this morning for the Cincinnati Bengals, as one star defensive player is going to be available as the team faces the Detroit Lions this weekend.

During his Monday meeting with reporters, Zac Taylor confirmed that safety Jessie Bates III would be good to go this weekend against the Lions.

Bates took a hit over the middle in one of the last plays of the game yesterday against the Green Bay Packers as he tried to break up a pass intended for Randall Cobb. Fans got even more concerned when Taylor wasn’t able to confirm exactly what had happened to Bates or the extent of the injury following the game.

Luckily for this defensive unit, Bates just got a little “rattled up.”

Bates has already missed one game this season, as he sat out in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he returned this week and didn’t seem to miss a beat, as he recorded 9 tackles on the day. For the season he has totaled 32 tackles through his four games played.

As this defense continues to impress, Bates being healthy is going to be key to this team continuing to compete week in and week out.

Unfortunately, not all news was good today for the Bengals secondary, as starting cornerback Trae Waynes is hurt again, according to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

Waynes has been battling hamstring issues since training camp, so it’s not a real surprise to see them pop up again, even if it’s still very disappointing if he misses more time.

After missing all of 2020 with a torn pectoral muscle, Waynes has appeared in just two games this season due to issues in both hamstrings. He currently has a 51.8 Pro Football Focus grade this season.

It may be time to just sit Waynes for several weeks until his hamstring issues heal more.