CINCINNATI — The Bengals will be without one of their best defensive linemen for the rest of their playoff run.
Starting defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was placed on injured reserve Monday, the team announced. Ogunjobi was carted off the field with a right foot injury in Cincinnati’s 26-19 wild-card playoff victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, the team’s first playoff win in 31 years.
Ogunjobi was unable to place any weight on his right leg. After the game, he maneuvered around the base level of Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium using a push scooter.
On Sunday, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team planned to monitor the defensive tackle’s injury status over the next 24 hours.
Before he was injured, Ogunjobi recovered a fumble by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr that set up a field goal. Carr’s fumble was caused on a strip sack by Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who later suffered a concussion in the game. He is currently in the concussion protocol.
Ogunjobi, a fifth-year player out of Charlotte, signed a one-year contract with the Bengals in the 2021 offseason and became one of the defense’s most important pieces. He started in Cincinnati’s first 16 games and tallied a career-high 7 sacks, good for third on the team behind defensive ends Hendrickson (14) and Sam Hubbard (7.5).
Cincinnati is also dealing with other injuries to their defensive tackles. Josh Tupou, the primary backup, missed the wild-card game with an injured ACL. Practice squad defensive tackle Mike Daniels, who was active for the playoff contest, will likely miss the rest of the postseason after he suffered a groin injury in his only snap of the game.
The Bengals face the top-seeded Tennessee Titans on Saturday in the AFC divisional round of the postseason.
Source: www.espn.com