Although third-round draft pick Dylan Fairchild already had beaten Volson out for the starting left guard spot, Volson was a serviceable backup with 51 starts over 53 appearances the past three years.
“That’s a tough one for him,” Taylor said Wednesday. “He’s been a guy that’s really worked hard for us. I wouldn’t say it’s set in stone until he has the surgery, but that’s the direction it seems to be heading (season-ending).”
Cincinnati at least has their starter at left guard ready for Week 1 with Fairchild looking the part, but there is perhaps even less certainty at right guard going into the preseason finale than prior to Monday’s win at Washington.
Credit: Michael Conroy
Credit: Michael Conroy
Lucas Patrick came out with an injury after 17 snaps, while the rest of the starters played 24, and Jalen Rivers stepped in for him, as Cody Ford also was out due to injury. Taylor said Patrick’s injury “wasn’t as severe” as initially thought, but he is among a group of players who are considered “day-to-day.”
Taylor said the Bengals were cautious with guys fighting through injuries like Ford on Monday because they are “important pieces,” but he will be evaluated the next couple of days with the hope he can continue to work through it.
The injuries have made naming a starter almost impossible, Taylor said.
“We’ve had guys battling through injuries almost the entire time so I don’t think any schedule we would have had on would have been able to stand up because guys have been fighting through different stuff,” Taylor said.
The Bengals had former Vikings guard Dalton Risner in for a visit Tuesday, but according to reports no deal was made. Taylor did not care to discuss the visit, but when asked if the team needs to bring in some outside help, he said team officials are “still working through it.”
“We’ve got guys who are competing for a lot of the jobs there, and I’m excited to see how that shakes out over the next couple of weeks,” Taylor said.
Ford had just switched back to playing tackle, seemingly in preparation for him to hold the swing tackle role this season, but now that’s still up in the air as well as the guard spots.
Volson, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick out of North Dakota State, injured the right shoulder in practice last week, just as he seemed to be making some headway in training camp. He had played all across the offensive line in college and might have been able to fill in at multiple spots this year.
Credit: Gene J. Puskar
Credit: Gene J. Puskar
The 27-year-old took a pay cut to remain with the team this offseason, gaining $500,000 in guaranteed money through a signing bonus but saving the organization $681,000 in cap space while dropping his base salary from $3,656,000 to $1.5 million.
Volson had lost his starting job late last season but finished the year back in the starting left guard spot due to injuries elsewhere. He lined up for 983 offensive snaps in the 2024 regular season, the fifth-most on the team.
“He’s been a guy, he’s been a starter for us,” Taylor said. “He’s been a backup for us. All he has ever done is come to work and try to be the best Cincinnati Bengal he can be, not always agreeing with what we are doing in terms of him not being a starter anymore, but just handled it in such a professional way and been a team player through and through. That’s what he has been his entire life. Any player that has an issue like this or a surgery that’s going to be a significant hit to them, you never want to see them go through, but Cordell is just a little bit different because of what he has given to us and his approach every day. You want everybody to have that same approach. That’s difficult news for him to have to deal with.”
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