Cincinnati Bengals: 3 things to know about Damion Willis

The Cincinnati Bengals look to have stumbled upon a bonafide starting receiver. Damion Willis, an undrafted upstart from Troy might be a player that will prove hard to take out of the starting lineup.

Damion Willis is the feel-good story for the Cincinnati Bengals. In a preseason riddled with injuries, Willis looks to be the guy that will fill the void left by A.J. Green. Green, who is nursing a foot injury, was still in a walking boot as recently as Sunday, leading to speculation that the timetable for Green to return remains very fluid.

Green remaining out of the Bengals lineup for an undetermined period of time is troubling for a host of reasons. What is not troubling is the quality of depth discovered this preseason. In Willis, Zac Taylor has found a solid replacement giving Cincinnati an opportunity it easily could have missed.

So, who is this Damion Willis? Aside from having similar measurables to Green, it’s his game that has launched him into the NFL. Willis is 6-foot-4”, and weighs in at 204lbs. At Troy’s pro day, he ran a 4.48 40-yard dash. But while measurables and 40 times were a starting point for Willis, it’s his play on the field this exhibition season that allowed him to crack the starting lineup for the Bengals.

What Willis does beginning Week 1 is anybody’s guess. If his play in three weeks of the exhibition season is an indicator, good to great things could be on the horizon for the undrafted rookie.