Bengals TE Hayden Hurst had possible injury setback ahead of Week 3

The Cincinnati Bengals could end up thinner at tight end than expected in Week 3 against the New York Jets, if not beyond.

It was already known that Drew Sample suffered a possible season-ending injury that requires surgery. Ahead of him on the depth chart, Hayden Hurst had been battling a groin injury all week.

But according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Hurst “looked to have a setback” during the final practice of the week on Friday, which explains the “questionable” tag on the final injury report.

Hobson then detailed where the roster stands otherwise:

“The Hurst injury is a bit disconcerting since his backup, Drew Sample (knee) is going on injured reserve. That leaves two healthy tight ends in Mitchell Wilcox, who has played 21 snaps this season, and Devin Asiasi, making his Bengals debut after playing just 12 snaps in New England last year.”

Bengals coaches are excited to see waiver-wire claim Asiasi debut given how much they liked him during his draft year. But those comments largely came when it was only clear that Sample would miss time.

Maybe this ends up being nothing, but lower-body injuries can be tricky and the Bengals can’t afford to be this thin at a key spot while the offense struggles, so it’s something to watch closely this weekend and beyond.