Last year, the elbow of Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer ended up significantly limiting his season -- and dramatically impeding his team’s chances.
This year, Palmer’s ankle is keeping him from getting ready for the games that count.
He suffered what has been described as a “mild-to-moderate” high ankle sprain in the preseason opener against the Saints. And Palmer hasn’t practiced since then, missing the preseason game against the Patriots.
Per Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Palmer missed practice again on Sunday, and he might miss the next preseason game, on Thursday night against the Rams.
“If last week had been a regular-season game, he probably would have played,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “But we are going to continue to be cautious, because it is just preseason. We’d like him to get some more time with our first unit, and I think we will do that before the preseason is over. But the most important thing is to have him 100 percent for Denver.”
Still, it’s one thing to be 100 percent healthy. It’s another thing to be 100 percent prepared. After missing most of last season, Palmer needs all the reps he can get in order to get back to the form that has made him one of the best quarterbacks in the league.