Zac Taylor had a mixed injury update Monday after the Bengals’ win over the Titans, with one situation looking far more serious than the others as Cincinnati turns its attention to Madrid.
Cashius Howell is the biggest concern. Taylor said the defensive end is already in a cast after wrist surgery and is likely headed to injured reserve. The coach stopped short of making it official, but he made the direction clear.
"I'm not going to say that yet, but probably trending in that direction," Taylor said about Howell going on injured reserve.
DJ Turner and Cedric Johnson, on the other hand, are much better off. Taylor said both players are day-to-day and will travel to Spain for Sunday morning’s game against the Falcons, with a chance to play this week.
Turner left the Titans game after suffering a lower body injury in the fourth quarter, while Johnson is dealing with an ankle issue. Taylor grouped them together as less serious concerns than Howell’s wrist injury.
The Bengals’ defensive end depth is now a real issue. Shemar Stewart is the only healthy backup at the position behind Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe, leaving Cincinnati thinner than it has been all season on that side of the defense.
That unit took its share of damage in Sunday’s 36-point outing by Tennessee, though the Bengals still did enough to get the win.
"Absolutely. I think any time you win, that's a big box to check," Taylor said about the team still having momentum this season.
"I know we have the guys in there that are happy we won, but they're not satisfied with our overall performance. Each position group will go through that and find things we have to be better at.
That's just part of it. Obviously it's better to do after a win, but that doesn't mean you can dismiss some of the things we know we have to clean up."
Cincinnati is now in the middle of a compressed week, with the team adjusting its routine while preparing for the trip overseas. Taylor said the schedule changes the shape of the week, especially for the coaches, but he made clear it’s nothing the team hasn’t handled before.
"It speeds up the earlier part of your week, so that we can travel on Tuesday night," Taylor noted. "It changes your days a little bit.
For the players, it doesn't make it more taxing. It's a little more taxing on the coaches.
But it's like playing on a Monday night and having to turn around on a short week. Nothing we haven't had to do before - nothing to complain about.
It just changes the structure of how you'll meet."
The Bengals are trying to reach 6-2 overall this weekend.
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