Cam

Taylor-Britt

Taylor-Britt, who in late November was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, pleaded guilty to reckless driving and an unclassified no-license charge stemming from an incident in September, according to media reports. His sentence is expected to start immediately. Taylor-Britt, 26, selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, has seven interceptions over 47 games in the NFL. It’s unclear if the team or the league will take action against him for the 2026 season.

Taylor-Britt has had a rough season. He was declared inactive in Week 7, in favor of CB Josh Newton, which was purely a coaching decision, not injury-related. It has now been confirmed that Taylor-Britt has suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury, following a report from earlier this week that he will likely require surgery. Hopefully, Taylor-Britt can successfully rehab the issue and return to play in good shape next week.

Taylor-Britt played on only 10 defensive snaps in Week 11’s loss to the Steelers before exiting with a foot injury. If his season is over, Taylor-Britt will have totaled 21 tackles and five pass breakups while earning a PFF coverage grade of 57.0 on 220 coverage snaps.

Hendrickson is sidelined by a hip injury, though the Bengals fortunately get EDGE Shemar Stewart (ankle) back after a four-game absence. Taylor-Britt has evidently been benched in favor of CB Josh Newton this week. The Bengals’ offense lost two tight ends last week, with Hudson suffering a concussion and Mike Gesicki suffering a pectoral injury that landed him on injured reserve this week. Bengals TE Noah Fant is suddenly on the streaming TE1 radar as a result.

Taylor-Britt’s return comes at a solid time after the defense struggled against the Vikings in Week 3. It’s a substantial return for a secondary that has performed over expectations through three weeks, largely due to heavy zone rates that require consistent communication on the back end.

Frequently injured, Taylor-Britt heads back to the sidelines after serving as an every-snap player in Weeks 1 and 2. It’s the last thing this struggling defense needed, but the bigger injury problems, of course, are on the offensive side of the ball with Joe Burrow’s lengthy absence beginning this afternoon.

Taylor-Britt appeared on Thursday’s injury report as a limited participant, indicating the big-bodied perimeter cornerback suffered the injury in practice. The Bengals frequently task Taylor-Britt with covering the opposition’s similarly sized No. 1 wide receivers, albeit to mixed results. George Pickens will likely have an easier day if Taylor-Britt is unable to play though.

Taylor-Britt last played in Week 11, after which he hit injured reserve with an ankle injury. He brings a veteran presence to the Cincinnati secondary in time for an AFC showdown with the Chiefs in Week 17.

Taylor-Britt was a key contributor for the Bengals before being placed on the IR a month ago. At the time, he led all Bengals defensive backs with 366 snaps in coverage per PFF, earning a coverage grade of 65.8 while allowing 29 receptions for 514 yards and two touchdowns. Today begins a 21-day window when Taylor-Britt can practice before the Bengals have to make a decision on whether or not they want to activate him to the 53-man roster.

Taylor-Britt will miss at least the next four games, meaning he won’t be eligible to return until Week 18 against the Browns. Taylor-Britt has led all Bengals defensive backs with 366 snaps in coverage per PFF, earning a coverage grade of 65.8 while allowing 29 receptions for 514 yards and two touchdowns.