CINCINNATI — Bengals working again Zack Moss shall be out indefinitely with a neck harm, coach Zac Taylor mentioned Monday.
Moss didn’t play within the crew’s 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday after the problem popped up a few days earlier. Taylor mentioned the crew turned conscious Thursday evening of a possible neck harm that compelled Moss’ absence for the crew’s closing observe heading into the weekend contest towards the Raiders.
Taylor didn’t have a timeline for his return.
“Hopefully extra data this week,” Taylor mentioned.
This previous offseason, Moss signed a two-year deal value $8 million. As soon as the transfer was in place, the Bengals made the choice to jettison longtime beginning working again Joe Mixon, who was finally traded to the Houston Texans.
Moss has break up backfield duties with second-year participant Chase Brown. In eight video games with the Bengals, Moss has 74 carries for 242 yards and two touchdowns. He additionally has 23 receptions for 187 receiving yards and a landing.
With Moss out, Brown acquired the majority of the carries towards the Raiders. The 2023 fifth-round select of Illinois set profession highs in carries (27) and dashing yards (120) and totaled 157 yards from scrimmage and a receiving landing within the win.
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher mentioned that Brown has displayed a playmaking potential in his prolonged utilization this season and has beforehand proven the flexibility to be a high-volume working again throughout his time with the Illini. After lamenting an ineffective run recreation in earlier weeks, Pitcher praised Brown’s efficiency towards Las Vegas.
“I believed Chase made probably the most of these alternatives by getting yards after contact,” Pitcher instructed reporters Monday. “So, once you’ve received a man that is enjoying nicely like that, you need to feed him the soccer.”
Brown suffered a bruised rib within the win over the Raiders, Taylor mentioned. Nonetheless, the harm should not have a major affect on his standing forward of Thursday’s recreation towards the Baltimore Ravens. Apart from Brown, the Bengals have two wholesome working backs on the roster — veteran Trayveon Williams and rookie Kendall Milton, who was signed to the energetic roster from the observe squad forward of the Raiders recreation.
When requested whether or not the crew is contemplating including a working again, Taylor mentioned the crew has “to be open to all the things.”
“[We’re] going by means of the method of seeing what’s accessible, seeing the place we can assist ourselves in all areas, and we’ll go from there,” Taylor mentioned.
In different harm information, Cincinnati misplaced tight finish Erick All Jr. for the season with a torn ACL in his proper knee. It is the identical harm he had final October that ended his faculty profession at Iowa. All performed within the first 9 video games of the common season and had been a key contributor for Cincinnati’s offense. The all-purpose tight finish had 20 receptions for 158 receiving yards and in addition had been an integral a part of the crew’s working recreation.
“Folks see the position he is enjoying for us,” Taylor mentioned. “He has a whole lot of duties in our system. It hurts.”
