Margus Hunt May Be Out for Some Time
Jan 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Margus Hunt (99) against the Indianapolis Colts during the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
According to Bengals.com editor Geoff Hobson, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Margus Hunt may have suffered an injury that could keep him off the field for some time.
"“Not on the field was backup defensive end Margus Hunt and it’s believed he has suffered some kind of injury that could take him out of all of the spring drills. In his absence, second-year player Will Clarke took a bunch of snaps at right end. Hunt’s status for training camp is unclear…”"
Margus Hunt also suffered an ankle injury in 2014, which kept him out of Games 11-14. It derailed his development in his sophomore year after seeing little action during his rookie campaign.
When Hunt was selected in 2013, the Bengals knew they were taking on a “project” player. Hunt had barely played any football in his life prior to a few years at SMU. Cincinnati felt investing in him was worth the risk due to Hunt’s incredible athleticism at 6’8″, and now 290 pounds. This meant fans and the team both were largely okay with Hunt’s slow rookie season and even his sophomore one. But if Hunt misses time now and this keeps him from being ready for the coming season, I’m not sure the patience continues.
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Marvin Lewis stated earlier this offseason that Margus Hunt is one of the players he’d like to see more of in the coming year. Fans will agree with this sentiment, as this is the year Hunt needs to step up and turn some of that promise into production. The team could certainly use it after finishing dead last in sacks last year.
If Margus Hunt is able to turn this offseason around and enters the season ill-prepared, expect the “bust” label to be tagged by a solid contingent of fans, and this time, the label may very well be justified. Let’s hope we see Hunt sooner rather than later.