The Bengals insisted Antonio Bryant was healthier than people said to start training camp, even making a show of having him practice in the team’s first session.
That decision has backfired.
Bryant looked gimpy then, and hasn’t been seen on the field since. The team can no longer use the PUP list as a crutch, and Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com uses some interesting language to describe Bryant’s predicament.
“All indications are the Bengals aren’t going to fool around,” Hobson writes. “They want to give Bryant time to rehab, but they also want to know if he can give them anything before they decide to cut some younger players. The thinking is they’ll see what he can do in the final three preseason games or so and they’ll know for sure.”
We’re not sure what the team’s options are. Bryant has seemingly been paid too much already to cut. They could park him on the roster and hope he recovers or place him on injured reserve and count this as an unbelievable expensive redshirt year for the team.
The team has four roster locks -- Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Jordan Shipley, and Andre Caldwell. Matt Jones appears to be on the way out, with Jerome Simpson and Maurice Purify fighting for a spot or two depending on what happens to Bryant.