DE injuries might force Cincy to get creative
One area where the Cincinnati Bengals wanted to improve over the offseason was adding talent and depth to the defensive line. The team took steps through free agency and the draft to do so, but with their season opener looming, they could already be looking for more help.
Defensive end Khalid Kareem was placed on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury in the Bengals’ preseason finale. The fifth-round draft pick will miss at least the first three games as a result. Kareem will be eligible to return if he’s healthy in Week 4 when the Bengals take on the Jaguars Sept. 30.
The news of Kareem’s injury came a week after head coach Zac Taylor said rookie defensive end Joseph Ossai was likely to miss the season after having surgery on his knee.
“Any positions right now on your 53man roster is a concern if you have an injury at that spot,” Taylor said.
Kareem is a player defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo believed could step in and make noise with Ossai sidelined. The second-year defensive lineman played in all 16 games as a rookie and recorded 18 tackles and one sack.
Now, Anarumo will have to get creative with how he utilizes different players on the roster to create a pass rush until Kareem gets healthy. Fortunately for the Bengals, none of their starting defensive ends are dealing with injuries.
The question comes when looking at the depth chart behind Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. Defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and D.J. Reader are versatile enough to generate some interior pressure, but it’s not their primary responsibility. They’ll be focused on stopping the run, an area the Bengals hope to be significantly better at this year.
Anarumo has also shown he’s more than willing to utilize blitzes from his defensive backs. Vonn Bell, Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie could all be called upon.
Taylor and Anarumo will certainly be busy as they put their pressure packages together for the seasonopener against the Minnesota Vikings, which is Sunday at 1 p.m.