The Bengals fear Awuzie (knee) suffered a season-ending injury during Monday's loss to the Browns, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Awuzie is set for additional testing Tuesday, including an MRI on his right knee, to determine the severity of his injury. Initial reports suggest that Awuzie may have torn his ACL, an injury for which the 27-year-old would require season-ending surgery and face a difficult rehab process for the 2023 campaign.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Spotted in leg cast postgame
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Awuzie was seen wearing a leg cast after he injured his right knee in Monday's 32-13 loss to the Browns, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
The exact nature of Awuzie's injury is still unclear, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor said postgame that the issue is "not great," per Jay Morrison of The Athletic. The 27-year-old has been Cincinnati's best cornerback since signing with the team ahead of the 2021 season, recording 33 tackles, five passes defended and a forced fumble over the first seven games of 2022. Awuzie's potential loss would be a massive blow to the team's secondary with fellow cornerbacks Eli Apple (hamstring) and Tre Flowers (hamstring) also dealing with injuries.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Forced out Monday
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Awuzie was ruled out for the remainder of Monday's game against the Browns with a right knee injury.
Awuzie went down late in the second quarter and was temporarily looked at in the Bengals' medical tent before being carted to the locker room. The veteran cornerback was ruled out shortly thereafter, and he'll have a slightly shorter week to recover before Sunday's contest against Carolina. With Eli Apple (hamstring) already inactive, expect Mike Hilton and Cam Taylor-Britt to serve as Cincinnati's top two cornerbacks in the second half.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Bats away three passes in win
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Awuzie totaled five tackles and defended three passes in Sunday's 27-12 win over the Jets.
Awuzie had a big hand in helping slow the Jets' wideout troika of Corey Davis, Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, as none of three exceeded 60 receiving yards while New York quarterback Joe Flacco instead settled on tight end Tyler Conklin (eight catches for 84 yards) in the middle of the field as his favorite target. Through three games this season, Awuzie has notched 16 tackles and has been credited with a forced fumble.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Comes off COVID-19 list
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Awuzie was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
Awuzie did not play in the Week 15 win over the Broncos, but the starting cornerback will be available in a pivotal divisional matchup come Sunday. The 26-year-old corner has already set a career high with two interceptions and could even push for a career high in tackles with a couple of solid games to end the season.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Placed on COVID-19 list
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Awuzie (foot) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.
Awuzie hurt his foot in Sunday's loss to the 49ers and was hopeful he'd be able to play in Week 15, but he'll now need to spend some time away from the team. It's not yet clear whether the 26-year-old has tested positive for COVID-19, but his status for Sunday's game against Denver appears to be in doubt. The Bengals are hopeful that Trae Waynes (hamstring) will be able to return from injured reserve to shoulder some of the load in the secondary, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports. However, if Waynes remains sidelined, Vernon Hargreaves could see additional playing time Sunday.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Receives questionable tag
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Awuzie (foot) is questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.
Awuzie suffered the foot injury during last week's loss to the Chargers, and his availability for Week 14 remains up in the air. Vernon Hargreaves figures to have an increased role if Awuzie is unable to suit up Sunday.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Doubtful with foot inury
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Awuzie is doubtful to return to Sunday's game against the Chargers with a right foot injury.
Awuzie picked off Justin Herbert earlier in the game by making a leaping catch over Josh Palmer. He was seen testing his foot on the sideline, though the injury appears to be serious enough to likely keep him sidelined him for the rest of the game.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Placed on COVID-19 list
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The Bengals placed Awuzie (undisclosed) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.
Awuzie will need to clear all protocols related to COVID-19 before returning to team facilities, but with the Bengals on bye Week 10, he will have plenty of additional time before Nov. 21's contest against the Raiders. In his two most recent appearances, Awuzie has handled 95-plus percent of defensive snaps.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Cleared to return
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Awuzie (head) was cleared and returned to Sunday's game against the Packers.
Awuzie exited the game in the first half with a head injury and was evaluated for a concussion. However, he cleared all testing and has been able to return to bolster the Bengals' secondary in the final two quarters.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Evaluated for concussion
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Awuzie is being evaluated for a concussion after exiting Sunday's game against the Packers.
Awuzie had been very active early in the game, logging four tackles and an interception prior to his exit. It's unclear whether he will be able to return, and Eli Apple will likely see a bigger role in Awuzie's absence.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Available Sunday
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Awuzie (groin) will play in Sunday's game against the Packers.
Awuzie missed last week's win over Jacksonville with a groin issue, but he shed his injury designation after he logged a full practice Friday. The 26-year-old has recorded nine tackles (seven solo) and three pass defenses across three appearances to begin the year.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Dealing with groin injury
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Awuzie (groin) is questionable to return Sunday against the Steelers.
It remains to be seen whether the cornerback's injury is serious enough to keep him sidelined for the rest of the game. In case he can't return to action, then Mike Hilton or Darius Phillips would see an increased amount of snaps.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Joins Bengals on three-year deal
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Awuzie agreed to a three-year contract with the Bengals on Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
The financial terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed, but Awuzie will add depth to Cincinnati's revamped secondary, which will also be adding former Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton. Awuzie had 38 tackles and five passes defensed with the Cowboys last season, needing just eight games to rack up those statistics.
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Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie: Returns from COVID list
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Awuzie was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.
Awuzie was placed on the list after being in close contact with an infected individual, but he has cleared the protocols necessary to return. Barring any setbacks in practice this week, the cornerback should be out there Sunday against San Francisco.
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Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie: Not suiting up Week 3
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Awuzie (hamstring) won't play Sunday in Seattle, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Awuzie suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' Week 2 win against the Falcons while working on special teams. After failing to practice all week, he'll yield his 86-percent snap share to some combination of Jourdan Lewis and Daryl Worley for at least one game and perhaps more.
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Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie: Done for day
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Awuzie (hamstring) is out for the remainder of Sunday's game against Atlanta, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
It's unclear how Awuize suffered the injury, but with the game seemingly out of reach, the team could elect to save the corner from further injury. As long as Awuize is sidelined, expect Jourdan Lewis to see an uptick in snaps.
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Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie: Officially ready for Week 1
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Awuzie (leg) will play in Sunday's game versus the Rams, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Awuzie was expected to be available, but it's good news that it's official since Jourdan Lewis (ankle) has been ruled out. The 25-year-old cornerback may not be a starter Sunday with rookie Trevon Diggs on board, but Awuzie will likely still log a major workload after playing nearly every snap last season and recording 79 tackles, 14 pass breakups and an interception.
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Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie: Could see snaps at safety
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Head coach Mike McCarthy said after the draft that he was comfortable with the Cowboys' flexibility in the secondary, and Awuzie would seem to be the most likely player to split time between corner and safety, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Dallas added two cornerbacks, including second-round pick Trevon Diggs, in the draft but didn't pick up a safety, but the team's new coach doesn't think lack of depth at the latter position will be an issue. "We may have some players that can not only play corner but can also slide over and play some safety," McCarthy said afterward. Awuzie was viewed as a possible corner/safety hybrid coming out of college, as he lined up all over the field in the Colorado defense, but so far he's played only cornerback in the pros. With Diggs, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, fourth-round pick Reggie Robinson and a number of other depth options available at CB, however, Awuzie's versatility could be put to the test in 2020.
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Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie: Notches first pick of 2019
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Awuzie recorded six total tackles (five solo), a pass breakup and an interception over 70 defensive snaps in Sunday's prime-time loss to New Orleans.
Awuzie's lone interception Sunday already matches the career high he set in 2017 and matched in 2018. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a starting role in Dallas' secondary dating back to the beginning of the 2018 campaign and figures to continue operating in that role for the foreseeable future.
