Cincinnati Bengals take huge hit with Jonah Williams injury
Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Jonah Williams will reportedly miss the entirety of his rookie season, which is a massive blow to the offense.
With new head coach Zac Taylor taking over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019, the hope was that there would be an offensive turnaround. Yes, the cast of weapons largely remained the same with Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and Joe Mixon leading the way. However, with an innovative mind and improvements on the offensive line headlined by first-round pick Jonah Williams, there was some optimism.
That optimism has now taken a big hit, though. As first reported by Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Williams will likely miss all of the 2019 season. Williams will undergo shoulder surgery to repair an injury and will be sidelined with his recovery for the entirety of his rookie campaign.
As mentioned, Williams was the centerpiece of the offensive line upgrade the Bengals attempted to make this offseason. Cincinnati also added guard John Miller and tackle Bobby Hart this offseason. Williams was slated to start at left tackle with Hart at right tackle, Miller at right guard, Cordy Glenn at left guard and 2018 draft pick Billy Price at center.
If there is a silver lining, the Bengals do have a strong replacement for Williams at left tackle in the form of Glenn, who has spent his career at tackle and was moving inside to guard. However, the issue is that now John Jerry will likely come in and start at left guard, which then leaves the interior of the line in a questionable position.
It’s not an understatement to say that much of the Bengals offense is expected to run through Mixon in 2019, especially with Taylor coming from the Rams and how they used Todd Gurley. That becomes much more difficult to successfully achieve, though, if the offensive line isn’t at its best.
Williams being out for the season undeniably leaves the Cincinnati offensive line far from being their best. Thus, it would be a safe assumption to say that the Bengals offense will be a lesser version of what it could have otherwise been.
Next. NFL Power Rankings: Post-minicamp edition. dark
Ultimately, this injury should put a damper on the Bengals season before it even begins. Their chances for overall success appeared slim in a now loaded AFC North. Though it’s dreary to consider, those chances are now even slimmer with their offensive line now not being able to accomplish what they’d hoped it could.