Bengals injuries: Joseph Ossai and others start year on reserve lists

Cincinnati Bengals breakout rookie Joseph Ossai starts his rookie season on injured reserve, which means he isn’t eligible to return.

Ossai is the headline item as far as Bengals injuries go after the team trimmed the roster to 53. The nature of his injury — a knee issue discovered while checking him for another injury suffered during a preseason game — means he wouldn’t have been able to return after surgery.

Unlike Ossai, rookie defensive end Wyatt Hubert and offensive tackle Hakeem Adeniji were placed on the NFI list, not IR — which means they are eligible to return after a six-week period. The nature of their injuries suggests they won’t, but the team has left the door open just in case.

Also of note is an injury suffered by defensive end Khalid Kareem. Tight end Mitchell Wilcox also has an issue and rookie Cam Sample might too (the Bengals don’t have to be open about injuries until the regular season starts). Just keep in mind that these guys, or other injured players, can now be placed on short-term IR since they made the 53, and they would only have to miss a minimum of three weeks.