The Cincinnati Bengals are attempting to be wiser about wear and tear and injuries this summer during training camp and the preseason.
Case in point, during the second of three straight sessions to open training camp, the Bengals gave veteran free-agent arrival Jonathan Allen the day off.
And on the third day? It was Dexter Lawrence’s turn to get some rest.
“We’ve lost a lot of guys on the third day over the last couple of years and that’s every team,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told Dan Hoard. “Sometimes you can do everything you can possibly think of on that third day to limit it and you’re still going to have issues.”
So while some on social media wondered what the sleeve on Allen’s leg might mean, or why some guys aren’t dressing some days,
the answer is pretty simple: Wear and tear.
The defensive line has been an especially problematic depth area for the Bengals in recent years. Heck, on the first day, Shemar Stewart went down with a serious-looking injury, left on a cart and apparently avoided missing a serious stretch of time. BJ Hill is on the PUP list right now.
Ideally, the Bengals would like to go to the regular season with Lawrence, Allen and the rest of the line healthy. This careful load management is a part of that.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen absences at Bengals camp explained
