Bengals Draft Target Reportedly Flagged With Injury At 2026 NFL Combine

A new development.

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs (DB34) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Potential Bengals draft target Caleb Downs reportedly has a torn meniscus he is dealing with ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and a degenerative ACL.

Cincinnati is picking 10th right in the range of Downs draft landing, but Cory Kinnan noted the Ohio State product was flagged for the injury at last week's NFL Combine.

"Ending on a bummer here, I was told by an NFC scout that Ohio State all-class safety Caleb Downs had a couple of issues flagged during his medical check," Kinnan wrote on Daft On Draft. "Nobody expected him to test this week anyway, so it flew a bit under the radar. However, I was told that Downs was flagged with a partially torn meniscus this week. That is not a serious concern, but also being flagged with a potentially degenerative ACL is. Now, this is not to signify any sort of significant drop for Downs, who likely will return and get a second opinion and a second check. Besides, plenty of NFL players have been flagged with degenerative knees before, but have gone on to have successful NFL careers."

Downs is the consensus eighth-best player on the Mock Draft Database's big board and the best safety overall.

He is the type of player who could change Cincinnati's defense even with this injury, but it may hinder his long-term availability. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin dove into the draft pool last week.

"Depends on who you are," Tobin said about the value of safeties in the top 10 picks. "I can name difference makers at every position. If you can find a difference-maker, it doesn’t matter what the position is behind his name. There’s definitely been difference-making safeties. There have been difference-making guards. The positions that are typically undervalued in free agency or whatever, there have been difference makers. And if you can find a difference maker that can elevate your football team, I think you do that."

This medical flag adds another layer for Cincinnati to consider in the draft lead-up. Check out the full article here.

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