Hubbard injured the knee on his touchdown reception in the second quarter of the Bengals’ 37-27 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville. The first offensive touchdown of his career tied the game at 14 as Cincinnati continued its climb back from a slow start. He celebrated but was checked out by trainers immediately after coming off the field and quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.
On Monday, he was wearing a brace on that leg. He declined interviews but shared a brief update on the injury, which at least will sideline him for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
“There’s a chance (he comes back),” Taylor said Monday. “He’s certainly out for this week, but as I sit here today I’m not ready to say how long it’s going to be, but there’s a chance of that (being season-ending).”
Zac Taylor speaks to the media. https://t.co/ALOdF1EMm7
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 16, 2024
Asked if it would be beneficial to place Hubbard on injured reserve, Taylor said the staff is still working through the information to make the best decision for the team.
Injuries have impacted Hubbard’s play this season. He already had been battling through a tear in his hamstring that he elected to keep playing through, rather than having it surgically repaired, and his snap count began dropping below 60 percent in Week 5 and even more so in the last six weeks. Still, Taylor considers him “critical” to the team.
“A guy I’ve leaned on every second I’ve been here,” Taylor said. “Always practices the right way, works the right way, leads the right way. Sets the tone for the whole team. We got the news on the sidelines and his gut instinct was, ‘I don’t care, I’m playing.’ By the time I walked away to go back to offense obviously they saw him and said, ‘No, you’re not playing.’ … Certainly, (he) means a lot to this team.”
Right guard Alex Cappa will be in concussion protocol this week, but Taylor said the status for Orlando Brown Jr. and Sheldon Rankins remains to be determined.
Brown has missed the last two games since re-aggravating the lower leg injury that initially popped up in Week 7 against Cleveland, and Rankins has been out since Week 11 due to a viral illness. Taylor said he believes Rankins will progress to some individual work off to the side this week, but after missing so much time, he needs to get back physical conditioning.
“We’ll take that day-to-day and see where it goes,” Taylor said. “Orlando will continue to work and we’ll see where that ends up.”
The Bengals have been testing out their depth on the offensive line since losing right tackle Trent Brown in the Week 3 loss to Washington. Brown’s backup, Cody Ford, came down with flu-like symptoms on Saturday and was inactive Sunday, forcing Cincinnati to turn to Devin Cochran for his first career start just a few weeks after joining the active roster off the practice squad.
Ford was in the building Monday wearing a mask.
“I think he’s coming out better,” Taylor said. “He was around the building today. It was just a flu situation, which we’ve all endured before. It crops up the night before the game and into the game. He tried to give it a go, and you could just tell it wasn’t (gonna happen). When a guy hasn’t eaten in 36 hours and you’ve got to go out there and perform, it’s silly to ask him.
“And to give Devin credit, that was our confidence in Devin. That’s the way Devin has practiced. Devin practiced at a level against Trey Hendrickson every single day to give us the confidence that we could put Devin out there. We don’t have to force a guy out there in a bad situation. Devin can go out there and hold the fort down. And I was pleased with what Devin did in his first career start.”
If Cappa is out Sunday, first-year player Andrew Stueber, who was added to the roster from the practice squad Dec. 4, could get an opportunity at guard, but Taylor is hopeful Cappa could still be available.
“We’re at the depth there of our 53-man roster, then you’ve got Trey Hill, who is on the practice squad who has done a great job over the years,” Taylor said. “We’ve elevated him a few times. Cappa felt good today. I know it’s concussion protocol, so you have go through the protocol and it can be a roller-coaster there, but we’ll just work through the week with him.”
SUNDAY’S GAME
Browns at Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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