Mitchell Wilcox opens up about surprise knee surgery

One of the biggest depth issues the Cincinnati Bengals had over the summer was at the tight end position.

Cincinnati got some big help back this week with the return of Mitchell Wilcox, who was signed at the start of training camp, then quickly placed on the PUP list.

As it turns out, Wilcox spent much of the offseason rehabbing from an injury sustained during the 2022 regular-season win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I can kind of trace it potentially back to something I did in the Chiefs game at home (Dec. 4)... I never had any swelling, I never had any major pain, but I ended up needing major meniscus surgery,” Wilcox said, according to Jay Morrison of PFN.

Wilcox went on to say, “It was kind of a kick in the gut because I thought I had finished the season fine. I was thinking I made it unscathed, just to be told I didn’t make it out. So that stunk. But I kept in contact with the team, and I felt like I had a good relationship in free agency with them. So it was just a matter of getting healthy.”

Getting Wilcox back is big for the tight end room as the season approaches.

Wilcox said he feels healthy enough to play Saturday night in the preseason finale at Washington, and he sees no issue with being ready for the season opener against the Browns, according to Morrison.

“I’ll be ready for sure,” he said.