The Cincinnati Bengals didn't have to deal with many injuries last season but unfortunately, that hasn't been the case this year. While they have still been pretty lucky in that department, they're missing some players who, when hopefully healthy next year, will make an immediate impact.
Let's dive into who those players are.
Chidobe Awuzie
This was the biggest loss for the Bengals in 2022 because Awuzie is a beast. The organization signed him to a three-year deal during the 2021 offseason and he rewarded them with stellar play.
This season saw Awuzie really take things to the next level and he had a 69.9 overall grade on PFF with a 73.1 coverage grade. He truly was having a special season and while the Bengals' secondary hasn't fallen off a cliff without him, it's hard to replace what he's able to do.
If Awuzie is ready to go Week 1 of the 2023 season, he'll make an immediate impact for the Bengals secondary.
Clark Harris
Nothing against Cal Adomitis but Clark Harris is just so good at what he does. Who knows if the long-time Bengals long snapper will come back for a 16th NFL season (and 15th with the Bengals) after his Week 1 injury but if he does and the Bengals keep him as the long snapper, there's no doubt that he'd make the special teams unit better.
Tycen Anderson
Fifth-round rookies aren't usually expected to do much but Bengals fans had high hopes for Tycen Anderson. The Toledo safety provided the speed that the team clearly coveted in the draft and it was a bummer when he got injured and couldn't play this year.
With Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell both potentially leaving in free agency, Anderson very well could have an increased role in 2023. If he does, his speed should help make the Bengals secondary a scary unit.
The Cincinnati Bengals have been fortunate to dodge the injury bug for the most part but they could have used these three players this year. Hopefully, they get healthy in the offseason and come back stronger for this team.