Coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Awuzie (knee) will play Week 1 at Cleveland, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
After sustaining a torn ACL in October of 2022, Awuzie is healthy enough to start Sunday at the Browns. He'll try to contain Amari Cooper in a matchup that could produce a pass-happy game script for Cleveland early.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Cleared to return to practice
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Awuzie (knee) was removed from the active/PUP list Tuesday.
Awuzie was placed on the PUP list Sunday, but he's already been cleared to return to practice and appears ready to go ahead of the 2023 campaign. The cornerback played in eight contests with the Bengals last season, recording 35 tackles, five pass deflections and a forced fumble.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Placed on PUP list
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Awuzie (knee) was placed on the active//PUP list Sunday.
Awuzie said Sunday that he was "heading in a positive direction" and "feeling really good right now," according to Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer. However, the 28-year-old is still not fully recovered from his torn ACL suffered in Week 8 of last season. He'll be eligible to play in the preseason if he can prove himself healthy, although a Week 1 return is the more realistic goal.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Continues to rehab at minicamp
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Awuzie (knee) was rehabbing during the first day of Cincinnati's mandatory minicamp Tuesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Awuzie tore his ACL in Week 8 last season, but he said earlier in the offseason that he believes he'll be ready to go by Week 1 of 2023. Per Dehner, the cornerback looked explosive and fluid on the side fields Tuesday, confirming Awuzie's notion that his rehab is ahead of schedule. Regardless, the Bengals presumably won't push Awuzie into full-team drills until training camp. With Eli Apple out of the picture, Awuzie is slated for a starting outside job when he's back to full strength.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: Rehab going well
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Awuzie (knee) believes that he will be ready to go for the 2023 campaign, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Awuzie tore his ACL in Week 8 of the 2022 season, missing the remainder of the Bengals' contests while recovering. The cornerback said that his rehab is going well, and his goal is to be ready for Week 1 of the upcoming campaign. With Eli Apple no longer a part of the team, Awuzie, when healthy, could operate in a more significant role in Cincinnati's secondary.
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Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie: No timetable for return
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Awuzie (knee) won't put a timeline on his return, Geoff Hobson of the team's official site reports.
Awuzie hopes to be ready for the start of the season after tearing his ACL during Cincinnati's Week 8 loss to Cleveland last year. The 2017 second-round pick does not want to rush his recovery but will look to ramp up his running program later this month, and if the 27-year-old can get healthy he should be poised for a bigger role this season following Eli Apple's departure.
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.
