Cincinnati Bengals: 4 players the team can’t afford to lose to injury
Cincinnati Bengals need Joe Burrow to stay healthy
This seems like a no-brainer and most of you, if not all of you, figured Joe Burrow would be No. 1 on the list. NFL teams are only as good as their starting quarterback and fortunately for the Bengals, they have a promising youngster in the form of Burrow, their No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Burrow was on his way to a nice rookie season before he was sidelined due to an injury and the Bengals cannot let that happen again. Sometimes injuries happen but this one could have been prevented with a better offensive line.
The team has made efforts to improve the o-line, signing Riley Reiff in free agency to man the right tackle spot and drafting Clemson tackle Jackson Carman to be the team’s right guard. Left guard is still a question mark but Quinton Spain seems to be the likely candidate there. Trey Hopkins will hopefully be healthy enough to play center but if not, former first-round pick Billy Price could be the starter there.
Some people have listed Burrow as a dark horse MVP candidate for the 2021 season and while it’s great to see the former Heisman Trophy winner dubbed as a low-key favorite for the NFL’s most prestigious award, he’s only as good as his offensive line allows him to be. If Burrow gets injured in 2021, the Bengals’ chances of making any kind of impact go down the drain.
If the Cincinnati Bengals want to be competitive in 2021, Joe Burrow has to stay healthy.
These four players’ health is important though because any of them missing an extended period of time could cause the season to go south in a hurry. Logan Wilson should be a big piece in the run defense, Trey Hendrickson was brought in to get after the quarterback, Jonah Williams is coming off of two injuries already and plays a very important position, and Joe Burrow is also coming off a major injury.
Hopefully, these four players can stay healthy in 2021 and help the Bengals make a splash in what could be a fun year.