A few days ago the Bengals were staring at an abyss on the edge.
Starter Sam Hubbard (knee) had yet to wear pads. Cam Sample (Achilles) was lost for the year before the first game. Jeff Gunter suddenly retired. Last week during the joint practice with the Colts before the preseason finale, Myles Murphy (knee) limped off.
Things seemed a bit brighter Thursday as the Bengals practiced for the last time before game week prep starts for the Sept. 8 opener against the Patriots.
Hubbard bounced around his second day in pads. Sixth-rounder Cedric Johnson has earned a roster spot as a natural pass rusher who looks ready to serve as a core special teamer. Murphy, not lost for the year, is on injured reserve-return and is getting around well enough that he took his old edge partner at Clemson to dinner on Wednesday night.
It turns out that K.J. Henry is now the fifth healthy edger with the Bengals, making the reunion possible when they claimed him on waivers. For anyone watching the Commanders this preseason, it was a surprise Henry was released because, according to Pro Football Focus, he had a solid grade built on 10 pressures in 48 pass rushes for a 20.8% pass rush win rate. That was on top of a rookie season the 6-4, 255-pound Henry played 41% of the snaps and came up with 1.5 sacks and two passes defensed on 282 snaps.
“Very, very surprised, but it’s OK. It’s a blessing,” Henry said, pulling off his No. 56 after practice. “I haven’t put much thought into it after the decision. It’s the best lesson in the league. Especially for a young guy. Control what you can control.”
If it sounds like Henry, 25, has his head on straight, it’s because he does. The Bengals know all about that because they ended up taking the guy who played on the other side of him at Clemson in the first round.
They know that Henry has an undergraduate degree in sports communications and a master’s in athletic leadership, as…
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