Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
SportsTravel

Bengals Hurt By Injuries To Starters

By | Published on August 13, 2012 | Updated on June 12, 2013 7:07 PM EDT
CommentsComments (0) Add as a preferred source on Google i

The first pre-season game was costly for the Cincinnati Bengals, who seemingly get more depleted on their interior lines by the minute.

Three important players to the Bengals – starters – we were injured in the game against the New York Jets, and the losses were significant.

Starting offensive guard Travelle Wharton was sidelined for the entire season with a knee injury. Wharton’s absence leaves a major void in the Bengals offensive line that was solid last season.

Also, starting defensive end Carlos Dunlap also hurt his knee and will not like return before September 10.

Coach Marvin Lewis said Dunlaps’ injury was a sprain that can be overcome over time. Dunlap was obviously disappointed, but not dejected.

“It is what it is and now I have to do what I got to do to get back on the field,” Dunlap said, to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “They’re not going to let me go back out there until I am fully prepared. It’s one of those situations where you have to do a lot to get back out there and now I have to do it.”

Middle linebacker Rey Maualuga also left with a knee injury but walked around the sideline freely. After the game he said that he thinks he’ll be all right.

Dunlap was injured in the first quarter of Friday’s game after he clipped knees with Jets receiver Patrick Turner. He eventually walked off the field slowly with assistance. He had 9½ sacks as a rookie in 2010, but was limited by injuries last year and had only 4½ sacks.

The Bengals moved Dunlap into the starting spot at left end because five-year starter Robert Geathers was out with a knee injury. That means Jamaal Anderson, a 2007 first-round draft pick by the Falcons, will start Thursday’s preseason game at Atlanta

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top