The Bengals made it through the first couple of weeks close to full health. They got their first win of the season last week in New York, but the injury bug hit during the process. Star NT DJ Reader was the big name to go down. He has a knee injury and, unfortunately, is expected to miss a month or two. Sample is also out for an extended period of time.
On Thursday, Reader was officially placed on IR with what is now said to be an MCL injury. The minimum he’ll miss is 4 games, but as mentioned, he is expected to be out longer than that.
In other IR news, the Bengals have waived G Desmond Noel from the injured list with an injury settlement. Noel was originally signed by the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He was placed on IR in August.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, also have quite the injury list, but only two of them have been ruled out. Most, including Tua and Waddle, are expected to play.
*Note. The Bengals held a jogthrough on Wednesday, and the participation reports are estimations released by the team as if there was a full practice. This means that Collins, for example, would have practiced in full, had there been a true practice. But since it wasn’t a full practice, he technically hasn’t practiced since before last week. However, he did play against the Jets, and the expectation is that he will play against the Dolphins, as well.
Bengals:
| Position: | Player: | Injury: | Participation in Practice | Game Status: |
| OT | La’el Collins | Back | Full Participation | Questionable |
| DT | DJ Reader | Knee | Did Not Participate | OUT |
| TE | Drew Sample | Knee | Did Not Participate- | OUT |
| LB | Germaine Pratt | Knee | Full Participation | Questionable |
| WR | Tee Higgins | Toe | Full Participation | – |
| CB | Eli Apple | Ankle | Full Participation | – |
| TE | Hayden Hurst | Groin | Full Participation | – |
| RB | Joe Mixon | Ankle | Full Participation | – |
| TE | Mitchell Wilcox | Ankle | Full Participation | – |
Dolphins:
| Position: | Player: | Injury: | Participation in Practice | Game Status: |
| TE/FB | Cethan Carter | Concussion | Did Not Participate | OUT |
| TE | Hunter Long | Ankle | Did Not Participate | OUT |
| OT | Terron Armstead | Toe | Did Not Participate | Questionable |
| QB | Tua Tagovailoa | Back/Ankle | Limited Participation | Questionable |
| WR | Jaylen Waddle | Groin | Limited Participation | Questionable |
| CB | Xavien Howard | Groin/Glute | Limited Participation | Questionable |
| S | Brandon Jones | Chest | Limited Participation | Questionable |
| DT | Raekwon Davis | Knee | Limited Participation | Questionable |
| WR | Cedrick Wilson | Ribs/Toe | Limited Participation | Questionable |
| G | Robert Hunt | Shin | Full Participation | – |
| S | Jevon Holland | Neck | Full Participation | – |
| OT | Greg Little | Finger | Full Participation | – |
| CB | Kader Kohou | Ankle | Full Participation | – |
| DE | Zach Sieler | Hand | Full Participation | – |
Modified Homescreen Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)