Trae Waynes suffers pectoral injury, could be sidelined for two months
CINCINNATI — Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes suffered a pectoral injury during training camp and could miss up to two months according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Waynes was one of the many pieces Cincinnati added to one of the leagues worst defenses. He will seek a second opinion on the injury.
The 27-year-old signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Bengals in March after spending the first five seasons of his career in Minnesota.
"What he brings to the table is toughness, he's a really solid tackler, he's got good long speed, he can make plays on the ball, he seems like he has a really high football IQ," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said in April. "There's some carryover there between what they've done and what Lou (Anarumo) does here. It's not exactly the same, but there's a lot of carryover in the terminology. So we just felt like he was a really good fit for us."
Waynes has played in at least 14 games in all five of his NFL seasons. He's started 44 of a possible 48 regular season games over the past three years.
With the former first-round pick injured, the Bengals will need William Jackson III to solidify himself as a true No. 1 corner.
Cincinnati also signed Mackensie Alexander in free agency, but he's expected to be the starting nickel cornerback.
With Waynes out, look for Darius Phillips to move into the starting lineup. The coaching staff also sounds excited about Winston Rose and LeShaun Sims.
Taylor's weekly news conference is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully the Bengals head coach can offer some clarity on the injury.
If Waynes is expected to miss two months after the second opinion, look for Cincinnati to place him on injured reserve.
NFL teams can activate an unlimited number players off of IR after just three weeks, so it would benefit them to place Waynes on the injured reserve list if he's expected to miss extended time.
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