The Cincinnati Bengals have been managing a handful of camp injuries as the regular season approaches, and one of the more encouraging signs came from safety Bryan Cook this week.
Cook had missed time after suffering an apparent hamstring injury earlier in August, the kind of setback that can linger into the regular season if it isn’t handled carefully. Cincinnati needed a positive update, and this week delivered one.
He was back on the field Tuesday.
Bryan Cook Returns to Bengals Practice
GettyBryan Cook formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cook participated in Tuesday’s training camp practice, per Ben Baby of ESPN, a clear sign he’s back in football shape after weeks on the sideline. Whether he plays in Friday’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles is still unclear, but he appears to be trending toward availability for Week 1 barring any setbacks.
For a defense that needs its full complement of pieces heading into the season, getting Cook back on the field is exactly the kind of update Cincinnati wanted this deep into camp.
Ja’Marr Chase Also Has a Scare of His Own
GettyJa’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cook wasn’t the only injury story at Bengals camp this week. Star receiver Ja’Marr Chase went down awkwardly trying to make a catch from quarterback Joe Burrow and grabbed his left knee before walking off under his own power.
The update afterward was reassuring. Chase described it as a minor knee “hyperextension” and said he felt fine, even suggesting he could play if Cincinnati had a game the next day. Given how much the offense runs through him, that news mattered as much as anything at camp this week.
Final Word for the Bengals
Cook trending back toward availability gives the defense a boost it needed. Chase’s minor scare, while unrelated, adds another reason for optimism heading into Week 1.
Neither situation guarantees a clean bill of health going forward, but both point in the right direction for a team trying to get healthy before it matters most.
Bengals Get Notable Injury Update Ahead of Week 1