Bengals safety Vonn Bell was questionable for tonight’s game against Washington with a back injury that kept him limited in practice during the week, but he is active tonight. That’s an important designation as Bell has become a lynchpin to the resurgence of the Bengals secondary stopping the rash of explosive plays that dogged them last season.
The rest of Cincinnati’s inactives feature the expected absences from both starting defensive tackles and the first game inactive this season for receiver Trenton Irwin.
Defensive tackle Domenique Davis was called up from the practice squad before the game and will backfill a position under fire dealing with significant injury concerns. Rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. will make his NFL debut but will play with a club on his hand due to thumb surgery. They will play 34-year-old Lawrence Guy, who they signed off the street, as well as Zach Carter and Jay Tufele, who were plotted as third-string when camp began. Meanwhile, Washington ran for 215 yards last week against the Giants and will be testing that weakness often.
This is a big night for the rookie class with Amarius Mims (pectoral) making his NFL debut. He looked destined to be the opening day starter at right tackle after a fantastic offseason and training camp, but strained his pec on August 10th against Tampa Bay in the preseason. Unclear how much he will play tonight, but look for usage in jumbo sets at the very least with potential to rotate with current right tackle Trent Brown. Jenkins will make his debut and Jermaine Burton gets the nod over Trenton Irwin in the first game with Tee Higgins (hamstring) active. Burton made his most impactful play last week against Kansas City with a 47-yard reception and could be targeted in specific packages against a Washington team susceptible to the deep ball.
