Week 16 went about as well as it could for the Cincinnati Bengals. They got a blowout win vs. the Miami Dolphins, didn’t fall in the draft order at all, and came out of the game relatively healthy.
One early exit from Sunday’s win was cornerback DJ Turner II, who left the game early with an illness. It is not considered to be serious, per Zac Taylor.
“DJ (Turner) was battling the flu. For him to even get out there and get IVs and go out there and play, it would be hard to get through an entire game,” Taylor said. “So I certainly appreciate DJ doing what he did and fighting through it.
“Fortunately, we got to a point where we were able to get him out. If you’ve got the flu, at the midway point in the game, it’s going to beat you up pretty good. I appreciate DJ doing everything he could to get through this game and get through it.”
Tee Higgins was also back after a scary battle with concussions that spanned over three weeks and had a solid performance Sunday without issue. Taylor expanded on the team’s decision to fly Higgins to Pittsburgh to meet with a specialist to give both sides peace of mind.
“That was Tee, in conjunction with our doctors, just making sure you got that final checkpoint there to make sure we’ve seen everything, and the clearance was appropriate with the two issues he’s had,” Taylor explained. “That was the appropriate way to do it. And so get him out there. Really, it was bang bang. Thursday morning, I got out there. I wasn’t expecting him at practice, and he walks in the door, you know, right after stretch. I think it’s good for him to hear that, too.”
Finally, Taylor said that reserve tight end Cam Grandy is week-to-week with a sternum injury, so his season could be over. The team will also monitor the statuses of Charlie Jones, Joseph Ossai, and Noah Fant after they missed Week 16 due to injury.
A blowout win, still sitting in the top 10 of the NFL Draft order, and leaving with a healthy roster is about as good as you could ask for with how this season has gone.