To quote Tom Cruise's Lt. Daniel Kaffee from A Few Good Men, "...And the hits just keep on coming!" for the Cincinnati Bengals.
As if the turf toe injury to superstar quarterback Joe Burrow wasn't enough of a burden bestowed upon the Bengals by the football gods above, the team is beset with yet more adversity entering Week 3's matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
We're only eight quarters into the new season, and in fairness and objectivity, everyone's dealing with injuries already. Although the Vikings are banged up themselves and will be without their starting QB J.J. McCarthy, Cincinnati might have it worse.
Cam Taylor-Britt & DJ Turner injuries could make Bengals cornerback room dangerously thin
Sports Illustrated's Jay Morrison provided the latest Bengals Week 3 injury report on Thursday, which listed cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt as a non-participant in practice. He was limited the previous day with a hamstring injury, so CTB is trending in the wrong direction.
Additionally, DJ Turner is also battling a hammy and was a new addition to Thursday's injury lineup. At least Turner was able to participate on a limited basis, but that might've been only up to the point he aggravated that soft tissue ailment.
Hamstrings are tricky in particular for players who rely on their speed to cover opposing wide receivers. The Bengals' secondary is a youthful, unproven group as it is, so losing anyone from that group, particularly the cornerback room, does not bode well for Sunday's showdown in Minnesota.
Now it does help, in theory, that the Vikings have Carson Wentz leading their offense. Wentz tends to hold the ball too long and commit a lot of turnover-worthy plays. Cincinnati has four interceptions through two games, so it stands to reason Wentz could gift the Bengals a pick even if they're shorthanded.
But make no mistake, this is a potential full-blown disaster scenario for the Bengals. In the event that CTB, Turner, or both can't go, the other men on the depth chart are liable to be exposed by all-world Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson.
The only real solace Who Dey Heads can take in this news is the fact that typical starting nickel Dax Hill thrived as a boundary cornerback last season before tearing his ACL. Hill has shined in his slot role thus far, but my thinking is that he'll flex outside in Week 3, leaving Josh Newton to take over primary nickelback duties.
Athletic freak show/fringe professional football player Marco Wilson and 2023 seventh-round pick DJ Ivey are the only other cornerbacks on the Bengals' 53-man roster.
We could very well see a shootout in Minnesota between Wentz and new Bengals starting QB Jake Browning if Cincinnati is this thin in the defensive backfield. Things got scary in a hurry.
Outside of Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals' pass rush has struggled mightily through two weeks. Defensive coordinator Al Golden is sending blitzes only 4% of the time so far, per ESPN. This might be the moment to get more exotic, send more pressure, and hopefully force Wentz into some errant throws!