Bengals RT La’el Collins went down with a knee injury during Saturday’s matchup against the New England Patriots. Though he passed the initial on-field examinations, a later MRI revealed what everyone had hoped would be avoided. A torn ACL and MCL.
With Collins now out for the year, Hakeem Adeniji, who spent much of last season at RG, is set to start in his place. However, the media has been pushing for former Bengal Andrew Whitworth to come out of retirement and join the Bengals. Whitworth, who won the Super Bowl last year with the Rams, had announced his retirement following that season. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Bengals, from 2006-2016.
From an on-field perspective, you would have to think that BIg Whit would be an upgrade. He has been out of the league less than a year, and his media work with Amazon concludes this Thursday night. This means that there would be plenty of time for him to work his way back into game shape before the NFL playoffs begin.
Though Collins is the RT for the Bengals, and Whitworth has almost exclusively played LT, a workaround could surely be arranged. For a player of Whit’s calibre, he should be capable of transitioning to the other side. The team’s current LT, Jonah Williams, does have some experience at RT, going back to his days at Alabama, so moving him over could also be an option.
The real hurdle would be to actually convince Whitworth to come out of retirement. The media has certainly been calling for it, with NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager banging that drum especially hard. Further fueling the speculation, Whitworth has liked tweets that have been encouraging him to return.
Recently, Whitworth was on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, and the idea of a return for the playoffs was discussed. It should be noted that this was prior to Collins’ injury, and was merely discussing a hypothetical situation. In the interview, Whitworth did seem to have some desire to return, noting that he was very close to Jeff Saturday’s record for the winningest offensive lineman, and that it would be nice to get the record. However, after seemingly showing some desire to return, he would eventually circle back and say that he doesn’t think it will happen.
Though Witworth previously mentioned that a return is unlikely, perhaps there are other factors to consider. In the hypothetical situations on the podcast, teams like the Lions and Cowboys were discussed. However, does the fact that the Bengals are the team in this situation change anything? Whitworth was one of the team’s best players in franchise history, and he spent 11 years in Cincinnati. But unfortunately, the relationship did not end on great terms. Would the chance to barry the hatchet and win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him be enough to lure him out for one more run?
A definitive answer to this question won’t come until after Thursday night, but the chances are rather slim. While Whitworth would be able to help the Bengals, and does seem to have some desire to attempt one last run, he also seems to be enjoying his retired life. As well, the Bengals are not typically known to make impulsive splashes of this nature. Still, the possibility is fun to think about.
Modified Homescreen Image Via: Matthew D. Britt (CC)