It doesn’t sound like the Cincinnati Bengals will lose star defensive lineman DJ Reader for the entire 2022 season.
But after testing on the knee injury he suffered in Week 3, it’s clear Reader will be on the shelf for quite a while.
According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reader will be out “for an extended period of time.”
That’s a devastating blow for the Bengals defense considering Reader has easily been the best player on the entire roster this season (and come close to being that in each of the last prior two seasons, too).
The Bengals don’t have a good way to replace Reader (few teams would) and the jobs of the linebackers behind the line and the edge rushers will get much tougher with him watching from the sidelines.
If this injury ends up hovering around the one-month mark, it could put Reader’s return after a Week 10 bye before a key stretch of AFC games and a possible playoff push.
