Zac Taylor gives injury updates on Bengals’ defensive stars

The Cincinnati Bengals defense has been banged up in recent weeks, and it looked as if things got worse on Sunday, as star defensive end Trey Hendrickson left the game against Atlanta with an apparent upper body injury.

When head coach Zac Taylor spoke with the media Monday, the minds of Bengals fans everywhere were able to rest. Taylor stated that Hendrickson suffered a neck stinger, but it isn’t expected to be serious. As great as Hendrickson is, there was no point in rushing him back Sunday with the game in hand, but it looks like he has a real shot to play Halloween Night when the Bengals head north to play the Cleveland Browns.

Taylor also gave a positive injury update on star linebacker Logan Wilson. After Wilson went down two weeks ago, speculation about how much time he would miss was seemingly all over the place. Wilson injured the same shoulder that caused him to miss several weeks last season, but it appears he is in a better place this time around. Taylor declined to give an official designation, but said he is “optimistic” about the third-year man playing in Cleveland.

The not so great news from Taylor came in regards to defensive tackle D.J. Reader. While Reader is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, Taylor doesn’t anticipate it happening. While the defense has played well in Reader’s absence, the Bengals will get a huge boost upon his return. As great as it would be to have Reader back against the run-heavy Browns, the long term health of Reader is massively important to this team. Reader was playing at a crazily high level before going down with the knee injury and as the team moves toward the push for the playoffs, a fully-healthy Reader in the middle will be critical.

Lou Anarumo has weathered the storm of injuries so far, but it appears reinforcements are on the horizon.