The Cincinnati Bengals will lose an offensive weapon after an injury during a joint practice with the Chicago Bears on Thursday. The practice was anything but good for the Bengals.
The Cincinnati Bengals had a tough training
Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow has struggled against the Bears starting defense, which has dominated rookie quarterback Caleb Williams so far in training camp. Burrow threw three interceptions in Thursday’s practice.
He will not play in Saturday’s warmup game against the Bears as the Bengals are resting their starting lineups.
Two players were driven off the wet grass
Even worse than Burrow’s performance were the two injuries the Bengals suffered on Thursday. As previously discussed on GH, running back Chris Evans and offensive tackle D’ante Smith were carried off the field during practice. The Bengals and Bears decided to take a risk by practicing in wet conditions during their joint practice:
Despite weather reports predicting a wet and potentially unsafe practice field in Chicago on Thursday, the Bengals and Bears opted to hold their workouts outdoors.
The Bears have an indoor practice facility, Halas Hall, but it has not been used for joint practice with the Bengals. It is unclear if this decision came from the Bears organization or was a joint decision between the two teams.
The decision cost the Bengals Evans for the rest of the season.
Chris Evans is out for the 2024 season
According to Jordan Schultz, Evans suffered a torn patellar tendon. The injury will take about nine months to fully heal. Evans had reportedly completed an intensive training camp prior to the injury.
According to Schultz, Evans was one of the favorites in the locker room.
The Bengals selected Evans in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He appeared in 34 games.
Evans was a close call on the roster. According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, the Bengals are expected to keep three running backs on their 53-man roster. Zack Moss, Chase Brown and Trayveon Williams were ahead of Evans.
However, Evans could have provided the necessary reinforcement to the practice squad during the regular season at a position that is often plagued by injuries.
