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4 players not named Joe Burrow the Bengals can’t afford to lose to injury

By Leigh Oleszczak

Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) /
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Cincinnati Bengals
Chidobe Awuzie, Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

2. Chidobe Awuzie

The Bengals’ secondary played much better than what fans were expecting last year and Chidobe Awuzie was a big reason why. Awuzie also joined the team in free agency last offseason and he was a tremendous addition to the secondary.

Awuzie finished the season with a PFF grade of 83.3, giving Cincinnati the number one cornerback they so desperately needed. He was solid during the regular season but then during the playoffs, he dropped off quite a bit.

Even with the dropoff, Awuzie is a huge part of this defense and the Bengals need him to stay healthy this year. They drafted Daxton Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt to help out in the secondary and also re-signed Eli Apple for another year but Awuzie is easily the best cornerback on the team.

With how pass-happy the NFL is these days, the Bengals need Awuzie to stay healthy if they want their defense to remain strong.